Did you really just accuse Ian of being a storygamer while comparing your game to art?
Nope, I told him that if he wants creative freedom, he won't find a medium more liberal then a notebook and a pen - paper generally is a rather silent companion, and states no opinions about what is written on it.
And yes. Yes I did. And I believe there is a certain level of artistry to both GMing and playing RPGs. And I don't give a damn that you will use my words as an argument to ridicule me, as you will most likely do. The following statement is for the rest.
Sure, we're no actors or even close, but we try. We'd be probably ridiculed by the most amateur of theatres - but we try. We play to entertain ourselves, to experience things we are rather unlikely to do in real life - the glorious battles, the feeling of comradeship of the ship's crew, the tragedies of watching your empire turn into dust before your very eyes. They are Aragorn when he charges the forces of Sauron at Minas Tirith, but they are also Oedipus when he despairs over his fate.
And I think GMing is a craft of sorts, and as such, it can have a degree of artistry. I try my best to be a good GM, to anyone who wishes to play at my table. I practice facial expressions before a mirror, I practice narration, I practice gesticulations in my free time. I read a lot of poetry, not only because I love it, but also because a poetic "flow" can really help you greatly when you narrate, especially in horror. When I read a book, I often note (at least mentally), how to use a good character/plot in my game. I am fascinated by movies, and I use movie terminology and practices to help with my narration - close - up, cuts, lighting, all that jazz. I also take objects, scenes and characters from movies, and sometimes just show them to my players, as they help with visualization. Same if I find an interesting picture on the Net - sometimes I sketch an adventure/world/scene just after looking at the picture. I read a lot of RPG books, so I can nitpick and steal various mechanical gimmicks, and tedbits of GMing advice from them.
Finally - I play. I GM with as many people as I can, with various crews. I take criticism, and I try to make myself better. I work on my scenarios (I play one - shots quite a bit), and I always try to adjust them, make them better next time, try to make them perfect for any group that sits to play it.
Is a GM an artist? Certainly not in the eyes of most, as most people don't even know what a GM is. But I like to think, that just for a moment, when I stand next to my players, and begin to weave the tale - the tale that they will change and loose themselves in.
I don't care if you laugh or point fingers - I'm proud to be a GM, and I try to be the best damn GM about. You can call me Swine - so be it. But I believe firmly, that no system, ever, will remove that true spark that a good GM can bring, that sets aflame the campfire of experience - after all, RPGs draw a bit from the tradition of storytelling around the fire - but the earliest one, back in the days where people closed their eyes, and imagined themselves heroes from the tale, and how they'd change it if they were in place of heroes, not just the idle receivers of the tale.