I think you can make art out of just about anything. Constraints and limitations add to art, not detract. I'm certain plenty of people add artistic flourishes into their work. There's no shortage of code used to create art. The code itself can be artful as well.
Similarly writing can be used for non-artistic and more practical purposes.
I just see so many counter examples I wonder if I'm missing the point.
I'd like to expand your artistic vs practical point by denying that really is a dichotomy, at least not in practice.
I've done lots of creative writing, and most of what matters in that domain is solving really pragmatic problems: is this metaphor clear? In what order should the reader receive this information? How can I get exposition across in a way that isn't distracting? Do these words go together well? Viewed askance, those (and infinitely more) are all constraints (many self-imposed, or at least self-perceived), that allow "art" to happen, and define the terms on which it succeeds.
For my job-job I do lots of pragmatic writing, too - think documentation and technical analysis - and I do my damndest to find "creative" ways to present material. I'll write things like "this next bit is really technical, if you're not in roles X, Y, and Z you might as well skip to the next page. For those of you who have to read this, imagine you're a squirrel", and then name all the variables after a type of nut. It's makes it more fun for me to write, sure, but the actual, pragmatic reason is that more people read and understand it when I put in effort to make material less dry.
(I realize some people on HN would be terribly offended by that last example, and think I'm insulting their intelligence by being "cute", and "why can't he use Σ, like Euler intended?" Well, you're not my audience - or, at least, not the most important among my day-job audience. In other words, if that's you, imagine you're a nut.)
Similarly writing can be used for non-artistic and more practical purposes.
I just see so many counter examples I wonder if I'm missing the point.