Personality type and your art?

[Jade]

Since joining this forum and drawing again, being a lifelong overthinker(!) I've been pondering about the kinds of art I / we are drawn to do and why. I'm an introvert and for me, drawing etc is (and was as a kid) a lovely escapism and way to get into the flow state. I also developed fibromyalgia about 5 years ago and whilst I thought I'd like "sketchbook" style drawing now, I find it makes me feel a bit too much pressure, even subtly which I dislike. Whereas taking my time over something slowly (which is not my natural way) feels really good. Anyone else have thoughts like this.. about how you make the art as well as what you're making?

 

[Hermes2020]

Jade, I have been the subject of many Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality tests over the years. No matter what my age was at the time, the results have been remarkably consistent and repeatable. I am invariably assessed to be an INTJ personality type, which means I tend to be analytical and logical in my thought processes. I think that correlates well with my interest in the engineering details of my concrete sculptures. I have provided detailed descriptions of my design processes elsewhere in Creative Spark. Some examples of my workflow:

https://creativespark.art/threads/concrete-bird-feeder-–-update-2023-10-28-making-moulds-for-realistic-parts.6150/

https://creativespark.art/threads/concrete-bird-feeder-part-4-–-making-connections.5956/

https://creativespark.art/threads/my-concrete-sculpture-workflow.1315/

It probably also explains my inability to be free and spontaneous when I paint, which is something I would dearly love to be able to do.

 

[Jade]

How fascinating Hermes2020.. Both your process and you bring an INFJ. I am an INFP in every test I've done so for me, I'm not analytical or logical in that sense but I also believe there's lots of overlaps between these two types. I also imagine myself being free and spontaneous with art, which I can be I think at times but find it interesting that I'm mostly drawn to slow, (kind of as I'm not a very "accurate" person lol) detailed drawing right now. I guess our approaches tally with our types! I think I always liked this as a kid too but the health stuff is calling for it even more so.. a way to slow down and be more present. It's funny how our personality traits colour things.

I can't imagine the patience and accuracy needed to do what you do. thanks for sharing. I'm finding it so interesting...

 

[Hermes2020]

Thank you for your insightful and thoughtful comments, Jade. I sometimes think my overthinking everything is more of a curse than a blessing!

 

[Jade]

And you, Hermes. Oh I hear ya.. absolutely! Me too. I'm now on medication for fibromyalgia (SNRI anti depressants) which is now making that side of things with my mind a bit easier too but yeh.. it's always there to some degree. I do think that as I get older (50 this year) I'm beginning to appreciate the benefits of deep thinking and noticing things that some others might miss .. but it is definitely exhausting at times.

 

[Enyaw]

If I want to participate in learning as an enjoyment it can have no time restrictions. When I add time restrictions I fail to learn what I could have learned if I just put one foot in front of the other and kept going. You get there when you get there. I don't need to learn how to play a song in a day or two or three. I have till I die and if I die before I learn it: so what. I don't care, I'm dead and moved on. When we do it for enjoyment there is one rule: simply enjoy the process, and not the result of the process, though at times the result can help with the enjoyment of participation.

 

[Jade]

Well said, Wayne. Yep, time restrictions definitely don't help enjoyment and just impede getting into the zone, imo. I'm finding it lovely just to do this for the pure fun of it and as you said, it's the journey not the destination (but yes, as I'm finding with drawing, having a few results now and then, does help keep you interested!).

I'm learning I have to be on my own (or with hubby) so I can zone out.. I've tried drawing in cafes and park's recently and it just doesn't suit me having other people around. Nor does moving objects or too much noise. At home, in my own little bubble.

 

[Hermes2020]

My usual mode of working may seem terribly taxing, but I am never happier than when planning details. I have a huge reserve of patience when solving difficult technical problems, so my usual snail's pace does not bother me when I am creating a new sculpture and learning at the same time. Of course, I then get to bore the living daylights out of my fellow Creative Spark members when I log my process.

 

[Jade]

My usual mode of working may seem terribly taxing, but I am never happier than when planning details. I have a huge reserve of patience when solving difficult technical problems, so my usual snail's pace does not bother me when I am creating a new sculpture and learning at the same time. Of course, I then get to bore the living daylights out of my fellow Creative Spark members when I log my process.

I think that's the thing when we work in a way that suits us.. it doesn't feel hard even if other people don't understand. It's great you've found this for yourself I honestly found your process interesting

 

[Jade]

I was thinking over the weekend since posting and also since discovering neurographic art, that I'm drawn to healing kind of things atm, cute animals and soft lines.. cozy vibes.

 

[TK H-H]

Never really had my personality assessed. But I'm definitely very introverted. I don't like being around people in-person.
And we've determined I'm a "naturally grumpy person". My mood is generally either "stable grump" or "excessive grump". I'm also a very high-stress person.

I used to always use my art as either a way to de-stress from life, or as a way to depict the things I actually do see as beautiful in the world. Depending on which of those I'm doing, will affect my subject matter greatly. The former was usually where portraits and surrealism happened (surrealism, because I find I'm far more creative when I'm grumpy). The latter, is where my botanical and insect art typically comes out.

I'm also neurodivergent, which I've now come to realize probably greatly affects my art. I also struggle with sketchbooks. I can't shake the feeling that the sketchbook needs to be "a perfect and presentable object" even though I knew it was strictly for me. I rarely use them now because I just struggled too much. I think that slight perfectionism is why I struggle immensely to loosen up with my art. Sometimes I like the idea of just loosely painting something for the fun of it. But my goodness, is that ever difficult to do!

I also need to be alone to do art. As soon as anyone is nearby, I feel really uncomfortable. I love the idea of drawing outside in a park or somewhere else nice, but I feel too uncomfortable and unfocused. That was a challenge when I took art in school. Most of my work ended up being done at home, and I used my in-class time for general planning. Thankfully my teacher was understanding about it. She'd just ask me to stop at certain stages and bring it in so she could see my general process. The only person I was ever comfortable drawing/painting around was my mother. But, she was a career artist, and also taught me some of my art skills. So I just felt more comfortable. I've still occasionally sent her pictures of WIPs for critiques.

I think my moods affect my medium choice a bit too. When I'm grumpy, I often like charcoal for dramatic contrast. Whereas when I'm more relaxed, I tend to like things like pastels, where I can get bold colors and a wide palette of colors to choose from. And both fit well with the subject matter that tends to fall within those moods.

I think I'm rambling now...

 

[Jade]

That's so interesting TK-HH - thanks for sharing. it's good to know yourself, isn't it? I've never done a formal personality test but online have come out as INFP every time.

It's interesting about loosening up and I was thinking about what Hermes2020 shared too, how their attention to detail is enjoyable. I think theres a stereotypical image of an artist just letting go and letting things happen .. maybe that's true for some but it depends on our personality. And as you said, good art can come even we're grumpy, or at least we can let something out in the process.

Interesting about your neuro divergence and also sketch books. The perfectionism thing is hard. It's good your school adapted to make it work for you and that you could share with your mother in a safe way. Graphite for bad moods and pastels for better moods makes sense.

I seem to mostly like things that feel and look calm and relaxing whatever my mood, I think because of chronic pain, it feels like escapism. I like to tap into my introversion in a way.. my faces and animals feel like my way to be less around people, which I need to do a lot.. if that makes sense. Like you, I'm learning j have to be alone to draw.. it feels too stimulating otherwise even in a quiet place. I get a bit darker in the art journals we talked about sometimes to let stuff out too. I'm only restarting art after about 30 years so will be interesting to see how it unravels.

Interesting stuff !

 

[Hermes2020]

Jade, thank you for starting this fascinating discussion. I believe an artist's personality profile has a huge effect on their work.

I've mentioned that I have been given the Myers-Briggs test a number of times by professional teams, and that I was revealed to be an INTJ every time. On two occasions, in one of which I was part of a 20-person group tested over 5 days, they also evaluated our Johari Window status. The Johari Window is the following set of quadrants:

The test evaluated the disparity between my image of myself and the way others see me, which are the top two quadrants. The results were summarised as a score between 1 and 100: the higher the number, the closer one's perception of oneself is to the way one is perceived by others. One can imagine that some current politicians would probably score very low numbers! Amazingly, they told me I had the highest score (98) they had ever seen, so it seems that I am very well aware of my strengths and weaknesses as perceived by others. I don't know what impact this high self-awareness has on my art, but I guess it must have some effect.

TK-HH, I am also an introvert, so prefer to spend a quiet evening at home, rather than going to a party. However, in my professional career, which involved lecturing to large groups of students and other audiences (in one case with the presence of a Nobel Prize winner), I have had to play the role of an extrovert, which I managed to pull off quite well for many years. I wonder whether this has affected the things I like to make.

 

[Jade]

Hermes2020 - thanks for sharing about the Johari window.. I'd never heard of this, fascinating. I'll look into that some more. From what I experience myself and know of other INFP / INFJ types, we are very self reflective so I think that makes a lot of sense but still, well done on the extremely highest score! Its interesting about the extrovert role you played in your career too. Absolutely might affect your art today. I did some things like that too (not to Nobel Prize winners ) and feel it burned me out somewhat but luckily I have a very introvert friendly job now (coaching students one to one.. deep conversations which feeds my soul ).

I also came across human design a while back. Not everyone's cup of tea but I found a lot of sense in my profile (3/5 splenic manifestor) and the bits about me that I find surprising ( how some people react to me) made a lot more sense. I learnt a lot including about my low energy levels. You can get free tests online. I've also found HSP work by Elaine Aron really helpful.

It's nice to find like minded brains here!