Well, I guess that there are two different kinds of guitarists: the guitarists, and the musicians who happen to play the guitar.
The guitarist thinks about what he's gonna shove in the 12 seconds of soloing he has in the dang song...
The musician writes the song, and makes it beautiful with his guitar.
Now, it's not one or the other, I guess we all have some of both guys... I think Jimi and Jimmy both have achieved balance. People can hum their tunes, I guess that's a good start for being a songwriter...