Atrist or not?

I was looking through the Poems thread yesterday and must say that there are some beautiful writings there. I myself have written many things in my jouney and have been told by some that they consider my writings a talent and myself an artist.
The funny thing with all this is I have never, and still do not consider myself an artist or a writer at all. I still write because I find it one of the best was to release what is inside me.
I stared sharing some of my writings recently as a suggestion from a close friend. Some are received well some not so much. To me I see it as just letting go of thoughts inside. I will sit and just write whatever comes to mind. Sometimes I can make them work out where they make sense, sometimes I just wade up the paper and through them away. Either way I have released it.
I am just wondering do some of you that write consider yourself artists? A writer? Gifted?
I am not sure I will ever view myself as anything more than a guy who writes his thoughts.

If you write, you are a writer - that's all there is to it. Anyone who says different is probably trying to sell you something

Ironically many of the people who "consider themselves" writers rarely if ever put words onto a page, so much of the notion of what it means to be a writer is an obstruction to actually writing.

Personally I feel it is good to exercise one's Ego every once in awhile. It is healthy and important for one's own self esteeme to be good to yourself and your talents. Including admitting talent where talent is.

I myself DO Call myself a writer. I have been a Role Play (Post by Post) and Collaboration writer for over 10 years, and Im not so bad with the pencil art either. I have written one novel for NaNoWriMo and plan to do so again first of November and I willingly admit that I am good enough to publish if I could just get some freedom from kids and external distractions lol

The trick is in Moderation.

Whilst I do see myself as a writer...I do not think I could ever be as good as JR Tolkien and other famous writers. Im just your average joe with an artistic eye

Writing down my own thoughts come as naturally to me as breathing in and breathing out, I am, therefore, a writer, as in it's strict meaning of "someone who writes". Being an artist, though, it's a completely different thing in my humble opinion.

An artists seeks that his works are as close to perfection as they may be, both in form, aesthetics, language... That I can say I am not. Just the pure joy of dumping your inner thoughts on a piece of paper (or on a computer screen nowadays), makes you a writer, but only your will to give beauty to those writings can ever make you an artist.

At least this is my point of view on this matter

May the force be with you