Semantics again. Many famous paintings hanging in galleries around the world were originally done as commission pieces. Does this mean they aren't art? Is the roof of the Sistene Chapel in Rome not art because the church paid Michelangelo to paint it?
I used to hate the term "artist", especially when it was applied to myself. This was due mainly to the fact that other people I knew who openly referred to themselves as 'artists' were people I considered utter jackasses and I didn't want to be associated with them. Also, I felt that until I was actually getting paid to do…