Raise Your Hand If You're An Artist, Not So Fast...

As I made the switch back into Fine Arts from Graphic Design in the winter of this year (2011, in case anyone reads this down the road), it got me thinking. Are Graphic Designers really artists? I'm not trying to discredit or insult them by any stretch of the imagination, this is just a means for me to ask this question. I mean yeah they do "artistic" things but does it really count if everything you do is on a computer?
Someone who works with type is called what? That's right, a typographer, not an artist. They work with type. Sure they follow the rules of design and layout; how you want the piece to look are pretty much the same thing. Give the piece a first, second, third read; a place for your eye to enter the piece; but does that make you an artist?
If you don't get in there and make something out nothing with pencil, charcoal, ink, paint, clay, metal, etc... but rather you do it with a lasso tool, can you honestly call yourself an artist? From my point of view, since I have been on both sides of the table, I would say no. Everyday that I was just a Graphic Designer, I felt more and more disconnected from being an artist, I just felt like a guy who moved shit around on a screen. My skills (which never were or are the greatest, but they work for me and I try to get the most out of them) seemed or at least they felt like they were eroding.
 I guess that I would have to say the closest way to combine them would be through book arts and bookmaking. Sure you could combine styles and things of that nature into your work, but on it's own, I would have to say that being a Graphic Designer does not make you an artist. And I don't say that or any of what I said as an insult to anyone. This is just something that I have been pondering in my brain.

Books

So I'm in the midst of a sweet class called Book Arts; it's awesome in every since of the word. I have made plenty of books before and it is a very interesting process. In no particular order; you write the book, design the book, assemble the book, etc... if you do it right it looks bitching. Which leads me to ask a question; with books being kind of/gradually replaced by ebooks, why would you want to move away from real books? There are so many things that I feel go against ebooks, sure they have some pros, but largely I would say they aren't good. The typography is HORRIBLE! Did they even consult a typographer at all? Plus you can't interact with it really at all. I mean there is a book called Helvetica, where the goal is to rip the book a part. How would you achieve that with ebooks? *
In short, I would say that this class has made me appreciate books on a whole other level. Being so close to them in other ways besides reading them makes you see how awesome they really are.

*Yes I know I only mentioned like two things, but I've done papers and had discussions about this plenty of times before, so I get tired of typing out my arguments every time. Point is I see why some people like them, but I do not and I feel that I have some very good reasons (most of which I was too lazy to type).