Defining what an Artist is

I've been reading the words of a UNESCO document called Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist. 

`Artist' is taken to mean any person who creates or gives creative expression to, or re-creates works of art, who considers his artistic creation to be an essential part of his life, who contributes in this way to the development of art and culture and who is or asks to be recognized as an artist, whether or not he is bound by any relations of employment or association. 

They also state, and I think it's very relevant in today's economically focused land of bailouts and unemployment stats:

Recognizing that the arts in their fullest and broadest definition are and should be an integral part of life and that it is necessary and appropriate for governments to help create and sustain not only a climate encouraging freedom of artistic expression but also the material conditions facilitating the release of this creative talent,  

Recalling the importance, universally acknowledged both nationally and inter-nationally, of the preservation and promotion of cultural identity and of the role in this field of artists who perpetuate the practice of traditional arts and also interpret a nation's folklore,

Recognizing that the vigour and vitality of the arts depend, inter alia, on the well-being of artists both individually and collectively,

Check out other key points here!