In my opinion, the vast majority of people claiming to be artist do not have any ability at all. It's very rare to find somebody that truly is an artist. Because so many of them lack any talent, I also think this is why so many of them are angry all of the time. They want to be artists, they try really hard, but it's just not there.
One example is in photography. When I was thinking about hiring one for my wedding, I looked at dozens of websites to see their work, and I could not find one that I felt had any talent in my area. There where two in the DFW area that where fantastic. Their rates reflected their talent too. When I contacted them, both of them where booked up for two years.
Another example is American Idol was fun to watch because the vast majority of people trying out could not sing. Not even close. And of those that made it through, we called most of them cannon fodder because the show needed a certain number of singers. But in every season, there was never more then half a dozen with any real talent. Same thing with the Voice, and every other show that I've ever seen.
And the best example is in how much money the Federal Government gives out to "artists" to encourage and support them. They cannot make any money off of what they create, so their is a welfare program for the "Arts" that they rely. In my opinion, it is vote buying, and a total waste of taxpayer money.