Learn all about the Artist Personality Type including a definition, characteristics, examples and how it relates to archetype personality types.
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What is the Artist Personality? (Short Answer)
The Artist Personality is creative and expressive.
They like to think outside the box and are often inspired by their own imagination.
They are sensitive and emotional, which leads them to be passionate about their work.
The Artist Personality is also intuitive and imaginative, which allows them to see the world in a different light.
Artist Personality Explained (Long Answer)
Expressed in the Artist archetype, there is an intense desire to convey an experience beyond the five senses.
The artist’s mentality is charged with the will to manifest their ideas in the real world.
A cook is just as much of an artist as a painter or landscaper, regardless of their medium or level of fame.
Artists’ hallmark isn’t in what they produce, but in the intensity of their desire to express the unusual.
Making a positive impact on others through your work is a sign of the Artist’s energy at work, as is the intense emotional and psychological need to express yourself to the point where your very well-being depends on it.
Numerous clichés characterize The Shadow Artist, including his or her eccentricity and the lunacy that so frequently goes hand in hand with brilliance.
The Starving Artist reflects the dread of financial ruin or the assumption that fame and money only come after death, which frequently causes artists to hide their skills…
When assessing your relationship to this archetype, it is important to recognize that the desire to bring art to others, such as devoting a portion of your energy to supporting artists, is just as much an expression of the Artist archetype as actually holding a brush in your hand.
Different Types of Artist Personalities
There are many different types of Artist personalities. Here are a few of the most common types:
Artisan
The artisan personality tends to be creative, resourceful, and practical.
They are often good at using their hands and may enjoy working with tools or other materials.
Artisans are typically good at problem solving and can often find creative solutions to challenges.
They may also enjoy working independently or providing advice and guidance to others.
While they may not always be the most outgoing, they usually have a strong appreciation for art, music, or other forms of self-expression.
Craftsperson
The Craftsperson Personality is a personality type that is creative, enjoys working with their hands, and takes great pride in their work.
They are usually good at making things look beautiful and are often perfectionists.
Craftspersons usually have a strong sense of intuition and are able to see the potential in things that others might not.
They often have a rich inner life and enjoy exploring their imagination.
They are typically loyal to the people they care about and can be counted on to be there for them in times of need.
Sculptor
The Sculptor Personality is a personality type that is characterized by creativity, sensitivity, and a strong need for self-expression.
Sculptors are highly individualistic and often seem misunderstood by others.
They are often drawn to the arts, and many have a deep appreciation for beauty and aesthetics.
Sculptors are usually very passionate about their work, and it can be difficult for them to compromise or tolerate average results.
Perfectionism is common among Sculptors.
Sculptors often have difficulty fitting into traditional work environments or social situations because they can be perceived as being too intense or too sensitive.
They may prefer to work alone or in small groups where they feel they can better express themselves.
Weaver
According to the Myers-Briggs personality test, the Weaver personality is known for being watchful, meticulous, and continuously learning.
They crave security and stability and need to know that everything is in its rightful place.
Weavers are often deep thinkers and are extremely detail oriented.
Because of this, they can come across as perfectionists to others.
But their intensity level means that they are often able to achieve great things – both personally and professionally.
Weavers tend to be natural leaders and are often seen as calm in the face of crisis.
This is because they are able to think clearly and make decisions quickly – even under pressure.
Artist Personality Characteristics & Traits
Read on to learn more about the key Artist personality characteristics:
1. High expectations
Artists have strong convictions about ‘what is right,’ personal values, and strive to consistently live up to the high standards they set for themselves; these standards are frequently unrealistic, which can leave artists frustrated or depressed.
2. They need their personal space
Artist types require more personal space than other personality types.
They may sometimes be perceived as reclusive and difficult to get to know, although at heart they are incredibly sensitive and devoted to those they allow in.
Due to their ability to absorb so much information from the environment, they may look aloof. Then they aren’t, they’re just in a different place.
The artist’s difficulty is to maintain a ‘thinking and creating’ area. Artists who lack personal space become disorganized, unproductive, and depressed.
3. Meaning seekers
Artists have a tendency to take life extremely seriously.
Sure, there are days when you can let your hair down and have fun, but for the most part, life is all business.
Even the most routine things have significance for them.
Depression may set in for an artist if they are unable to find inspiration or significance in their work or personal life.
Artists are like explorers, continually acquiring particular information and filtering it through their value systems in quest of clarity and deeper significance.
4. They are critical
The artist’s Achilles’ heel is self-criticism.
Self-doubt is the worst enemy of the artist.
They may become too critical of themselves because of their strong belief systems, which can drive them to be overly meticulous and self-critical.
As a result of this self-criticism, anxiety increases, which leads to further self-criticism.
They don’t give themselves the credit they deserve for their accomplishments.
If you’re an artist, accepting that not everything you make needs to be flawless might help you discover greater happiness and contentment.
It might be liberating to adopt the “good enough” credo.
5. They tend to face challenges
The lives of artists are unlikely to be easy, because they have a tendency to take life seriously and suffer with self-doubt and insecurity.
Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues might affect certain artists.
6. They are hard working
Artists have the ability to think outside the box and come up with unique solutions to issues.
When it comes to a work-related team, they may not be the most outspoken member, but they will be the one to get things done.
Artistic individuals tend to be self-disciplined and endowed with intense focus, often bordering with obsession.
As a result of their intense focus, they are able to produce large amounts of high-quality work, but they also enjoy regular breaks from work and other activities for enjoyment.
In the end, they are loyal and giving to people they care about the most.
Additionally, they might be idealists on the one hand attempting to remedy all of humanity’s problems.
It is their desire to please and demonstrate their love through acts rather than words that drives them.
7. They need to be understood
Most artists, out of all the personality types, are neither manipulators, salespeople, or individuals who like superficial things.
In their perspective, there is a strong need to express themselves non-verbally, find daily purpose, enjoy personal freedom, and contribute to the causes they believe in.
Examples of the Artist Personality
Here are some examples of the Artist Personality in popular culture and literature:
Films
- Ed Harris in Pollock
- Alec Guinness in The Horse’s Mouth
- Isabelle Adjani in Camille Claudel
- Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life
- Gene Kelly in An American in Paris
Drama
- Amadeus by Peter Schaffer
Fiction
- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
- The Horse’s Mouth by Joyce Cary
Fairy Tales
- Gepetto in Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi
Religion/Myth
- Galatea – a Greek mythological sculptor best known for her work on the Pygmalion statue
- Shen-nung – one the Three Noble Ones of Chinese mythology, is credited with inventing the plow and passing on his knowledge of agriculture to mankind
- Basa-Jaun – in Basque lore, a wood spirit who taught humanity the art of forging metal
- Sarasvati – Hindu patron of the Arts
- Ptah – Egyptian creator god and deity of craftsmen, said to have molded humanity on his potter’s wheel
- Ambat – Melanesian hero-deity who taught the art of pottery
- Ixzaluoh – Mayan water goddess who invented the art of weaving
- Hiro – Polynesian hero who introduced humanity to the art of writing
- Hephaestus – Greek god of the blacksmith’s fire and patron of all craftsmen
