if you write something, you're a writer. if you make visual art, you're an artist. it really is that simple.
the online discourse about whether or not fanfic writers and fan artists are "real writers / real artists" is not only tiring but it also makes no sense. because by saying "fanfic writers aren't real writers, fan artists aren't real artists, because their art centers around pre-existing characters and because their art cannot legally be monetized" you're saying "art, to me, is not about art itself but about whether or not the thing I consume is about pre-existing characters", you're saying "art, to me, is not about art itself but about whether or not it is profitable" and that makes no sense.
art (creative writing included) doesn't care if the characters it portrays already exist in a piece of media, it doesn't care about profit or money. that's not what art is about. what art is about, is the artists'/writers' love and passion that they have for the worlds they create. and fanfic writers and fan artists create purely out of love and passion that they have for their stories and their comfort characters. that's the precise definition of being a writer/an artist.
