This is cut and pasted from my blog
"Hits from the Hat" , regarding this very topic...
I suppose a good place for me to start on the matter is to discuss what the difference between "an art" and "art" itself is. The premise of defining an "Artist" as "one who creates art" is correct, but incomplete. I would submit that an artist is "one who creates art; one who practices or studies an art."
So what is "an Art" versus "art"? I present that "an art" is a craft or skill honed by its body of practitioners to the point that a person outside of that body of practitioners can recognize that a product of that art is out of the normal scope of daily life and is, in fact, something that transcends the ordinary. That product can be called "art." something lasting that produces an emotional reaction in those who experience it through any combination of the senses. Do martial arts fit that description?
I would also submit that the term "martial art" is somewhat misleading to its purpose - imposing ones will on another or preventing them from imposing theirs on you (really, that's what militaries do). In martial terms, what most of us as "martial artists" study would better be described a craft or skill. When many people conceptualize a "martial art," what actually comes to mind is a physical and mental skill cultivated through training.
By the premise here, a person who can spontaneously produce a technique or combination using a system of physical basics in such a way as to efficiently solve the problem at hand is better described as a craftsman, not an artist. The craftsman enters the realm of artistry when that technique or combination produced is of such unique quality that it leaves a permanent emotional or psychological impression on those who experience it through any combination of the five senses.
All that being said, there are different cultural terms for what I, as an American English speaker, call Martial Arts. In Japanese, we have Bugei, Bujutsu and Budo. All of which begin with "Bu," or War/Military, and follow up with way, skill, etc. None of them mean "Art." In Chinese, we have Kung Fu, Chuan Fa and Wushu - Meaning "Skill","Fist law" and "War Skill." None of them discussing "art" either (my Japanese and Chinese aren't all that good, so forgive me if I got those a little skewed." Most cultural terms for "art" are specifically related to their medium.
The artist and the craftsman are two sides of the same coin. Both are driven by innovation and the need to fill a void with that which they create. They are driven by their own motivations to constantly improve. They both either get better daily or stagnate, depending on whether or not they continue to practice (like medicine).
Admittedly, this definition is incredibly limiting whereas another purpose of "art" is to liberate us from the day to day existence of the mundane. In the end, whether or not you call yourself or someone else a martial artist, a martial craftsman or a marital arts practitioner, know why you are doing it and get the most out of it that you can.
