concept.

So, as any person knows, most art gets conceived in the mind. The author creates his plot in the brain, same with the artist and the painting, and the musician with the music. Now, lets take a moment to think about it. The idea of that piece of art is already lodged in that artists noggin. All an artist does is bring what he experiences in his mind to a physical medium (or auditory in the case of musicians). So, the art must therefore exist before it is brought to the world of the senses. So, my question is, is the pre-existing idea that is lodged in an artists brain art? Take for example this: Suppose that at some point we invent a device that allows us to peer into anothers mind and see in our own heada what they are thinking. Now, suppose we use that device on a painter who has an amazing idea for a masterpiece. Would that mental image of the masterpiece be considered art even though it is not brought into sensory form yet?