You buy the easel
You buy the paint
You buy the brushes
You buy a Bob Ross book (Well... some ppl have to.)
You buy the camera
You buy the film
You wait for something cool and pretty to show up so you can take a picture of it (Oh BTW... your same question, did you create Chloe, did you make the lighting used for that pic? I guess what I want to know is did you make anything yourself on that photo???
You drop it off at the photo lab....
What is left for the artist to do is have a thought process. I see by your gallery you can pull one of those up. (Nice hairy arm pits btw.) :D
So what. people buy props, characters, etc. Some have skills that exceed everyone elses, therefore they are the ones that model.
Some of the post work done to pics (you have some on yours too :P) is art just the same. Post work isn't easy for everyone. I am not really a PS user, I prefer PSP, we don't get to use actions for that, but, I do have PS, and I have used an action or two. Cool thing about actions is that it shows you the steps as it goes. THAT does help a person learn how to do the effect themself. Art is about learning, and open mindedness.
Ok, before I break the TOS and say what I really feel, I am going now. But, thank you, oh Great one, for again sharing your all knowing artistic wisdom, and making us all see the light of what art is and isnt, and how it should be created.