naitsirch79, just to clarify.
Yes a lot of people use filters, but, and here's where it gets a little complicated. Some filters and especially plugins are seen as overused. For instance, on those aqua Mac type buttons you see so often, there are tutorials all over the web to make them and they all use filters, but the buttons are built up with small effects like inner shadow, guassian blur, stroke, etc. as opposed to slapping an Eye Candy bevel on a circle. Lens Flare is one of those overused filters that are usually seized on by beginners because "it looks so cool".
When you can use filters without it looking like you used filters, then you have something. Of course, as Shmoopy said, art you still must make.
