The distinction between artist and worker is not real, honestly, it began during the Renaissance, since at the times most workers were artisans, including painters, pottery makers, sculptors, musicians, and so on. Actually, if you read the etymology of both artisans and artists they share the same origin, basically an artist started to be differentiated from an artisan from its tighter role with the higher classes, this then took the modern meaning where an artist is basically an individual who is transformed into a bourgeois to create art; but at the time the distinction was non existent, since every worker produced unique items with particular designs.

artisan (n.)

1530s, “one skilled in any mechanical art, craftsman,” from Italian artigiano, from Vulgar Latin *artitianus, from Latin artitus “skilled,” past participle of artire “to instruct in the arts,” from ars (genitive artis) “art” (see art (n.)). Barnhart reports French artisan, often given as the direct source of the English word, is attested too late to be so.

artist (n.)

1580s, “one who cultivates one of the fine arts,” from French artiste (14c.), from Italian artista, from Medieval Latin artista, from Latin ars (see art (n.)).

Originally especially of the arts presided over by the Muses (history, poetry, comedy, tragedy, music, dancing, astronomy), but also used 17c. for “one skilled in any art or craft” (including professors, surgeons, craftsmen, cooks). Since mid-18c. especially of “one who practices the arts of design or visual arts.”