A good friend of mine is an artist... he studied pottery, has actual degrees in it. He's an incredible potter.

He and I get into heated arguments over what 'art' is, and who can be an 'artist'. I claim that an artist is anyone who declares themselves to be an artist, and art is anything an artist has created and has declared it as art. He claims that an artist is only someone who has dedicated time to studying the art and has put in many hours of practice, and art can only be created by a 'real' artist.

I concede that someone who has studied and practiced is much more likely to create good art, but even shitty art is still art.