The 10 Artist Types
Detailed Descriptions Below
Each Artist Type has unique strengths and interacts with the other types in dynamic ways.
Scroll further below for more detailed & extensive descriptions of each Artist Type.
The 10 Watts Artist Types
Short Descriptions:
1) The Visionary Artist
The Visionary Artist has a unique ability to envision the whole and work backwards to the parts. This gift for gestalt thinking gives them a natural understanding of what we call "The 3 Ps"; • Patterns • Potential • Path
2) The Consummate Artist
The Consummate Artist is as creative as they are technically proficient. They have good aesthetic taste and a meticulous approach to their craft. This makes them a reliable, well balanced and professional artist. They are often particularly comfortable working at the intersection of art & commerce.
3) The Analyzer Artist
This artist has a sharp mind and cares deeply about their work. They carefully consider it from every possible angle and have a gift for being able to creatively balance both the macro and micro for the best results. The Analyzer Artist aims their analytical & creative talents toward a deep commitment to pushing themselves to hold to the highest of standards in every possible way.
4) The Tech Artist
Not only is The Tech Artist a deeply creative and expressive artist, but more so than most, they also have an instinctual understanding of how to effectively use the gear and technology involved in making their creative ideas a reality in their chosen medium. The Tech Artist is both inventive and productive.
5) The Entertainer Artist
The Entertainer Artist lives to perform. Whether for a huge audience or just one person, they thrive on sharing their talents with people and feel right at home being the center of attention. They have a natural charisma and have a gift for bringing people together. They have the ability to light up a room with a unique and obvious energy that defies explanation.
6) The Maverick Artist
The Maverick Artist is unpredictable and individualistic. Their priority is to create unique and inventive work. Though they can be the artistic lone wolf, focused on paving their own way, they’re often happy in collaborative situations, particularly when they can lead the way. They’re often eccentric in beneficial ways and enjoy being different. A rebel with a cause, The Maverick Artist is a creative force of nature that balances innovation & productivity.
7) The Dreamer Artist
The Dreamer Artist is highly creative and has a vivid imagination. They thrive on delving deep into their internal world of creative invention and emerging with unique ideas. Though some may think they have their "head in the clouds", they know intuitively that it's not only where they're meant to be, but it's where the artistic magic is found.
8) The Feeler Artist
The Feeler Artist is highly expressive and filters life & artistry through their emotions. More so than most other artists, they seek out and are fueled by inspiration and know how to ride it like a wave. This enables them to create work that can be very powerful and filled with a sense of vitality. Their sensitivity is a primary component of their artistry and personality.
9) The Tortured Artist
Though it may seem like a cliché, the archetype of the tortured artist actually fits this type well; they often genuinely suffer for their artistry. The Tortured Artist uses their creativity as a means of seeking catharsis; to purge or better understand their internal struggles by expressing them artistically. Their work is often deeply powerful, meaningful, and unique; the result of deep consideration and personal expression.
10) The Solo Artist
The Solo Artist is the epitome of the serious, introspective, and thoughtful artist. Their work is highly personal and they likely consider it to be a direct extension of who they are inside. They're not only comfortable working alone, but tend to prefer it over collaborations. Their core goal is to create work that is a direct reflection of their own tastes and perspectives.
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Detailed Descriptions of the 10 Artist Types:
1) The Visionary Artist
This type has a unique ability to envision the whole and work backwards to the parts. This gift for gestalt thinking gives them a natural understanding of what we call "The 3 Ps";
• Patterns
• Potential
• Path
They often recognize patterns that help them see the larger potential of small or fragmented ideas by knowing how to stitch them together into a cohesive finished work. Because of this they can often see the end result quite clearly in their mind's eye (or sense it in an abstract way). They're then able see a viable path for how to get there successfully.
This view on artistry makes you a valuable collaborator in that they have a heightened sense for assessing whether a given idea is suitable for the desired end goal.
Though they have an extraordinary gift for seeing "the forest for the trees", when they're in your most zoomed-out visionary mode, they may have some difficulty being fully engaged in the present moment, or maintaining a balanced focus on the little things. For this reason it can be beneficial and enjoyable to collaborate with:
• The Feeler Artist - because this artist is very much in touch with the emotions of the present moment. With this comes a focused emotional energy that drives the creation of a wealth of ideas which The Visionary can then filter and organize to fit with the overall vision.
• The Consummate Artist - because this artist is always ready to help serve a project with their high level of technical proficiency, artistry, and professionalism. This can have a helpful practical effect on the Visionary Artist's vision-based perspective. This can be a great pairing.
• The Entertainer Artist - because, in a sense, this artist can function like a performative amplifier of The Visionary Artist's vision. When The Entertainer Artist and The Visionary Artist are creatively aligned, this can be a mutually beneficial collaborative relationship; while The Visionary Artist is guiding the vision and tending to think big, The Entertainer Artist is there to express each idea with passion.
• The Tortured Artist - because this artist's strength is to bring artistic integrity, authenticity, depth, and meaning to everything they create, this can be a powerful pairing for the Visionary Artist. Particularly if they are comfortable with the emotional intensity they bring to their work.
2) The Consummate Artist
This artist is as creative as they are technically proficient. They have good aesthetic taste and a meticulous approach to their craft. This makes them the quintessential professional artist.
Their collaborators and associates are likely to consider them to be an asset to any project they're involved in. They have a gift for solving creative problems and providing the right idea at the right time while also choosing the right tool for the job from a technical or equipment perspective.
They're artistically expressive and value raw authenticity, but never without concern for the overall objective quality of their work. They're highly analytical and at times they may find themselves more focused on finding and fixing flaws than on enjoying what is naturally working. This can be a blessing and a curse, but it drives them forward toward excellence.
The Consummate Artist often has a firm grasp of the relevant history of their chosen medium while also being focused on learning new things. They have a natural desire to keep their finger on the pulse of the latest trends and are likely keep up with useful technological advancements.
Though they're often highly creative, knowledgeable, and work well with most people, they can benefit greatly from seeking collaborations with those who tend to have a more free-spirited, self-taught, or abstract approach to creativity. These types include:
• The Visionary Artist - because this type is thinking big, they can provide a grand vision which The Consummate Artist can help bring to life in practical ways. A very synergistic match.
• The Feeler Artist - because they are a wellspring of ideas that are emotionally rich yet often can come in random or disorganized ways that The Consummate Artist can help order and aim effectively.
• The Entertainer Artist - because this type is always ready to bring ideas to life in vivid and uninhibited ways, The Consummate Artist can help make sure that the presentation is professional and that all the important details are covered; every "i" is dotted and every "t" crossed. Virtually every Entertainer would benefit from collaborating with The Consummate Artist, and vice versa.
• The Tortured Artist - because their work is emotionally intense and tends to be less overtly and objectively intellectualized, these two can often act as yin and yang. This can be a best of both worlds combination if they get along personality wise.
• The Dreamer Artist - because the dreamer brings a highly imaginative "head in the clouds" energy to all they're involved in, they benefit from an organizational and guiding presence The Consummate Artist provides. Conversely, The Consummate Artist benefits from working with the ideas of someone who is tuned in with the intangible in ways that can make for highly effective collaborations.
Of all the artist types The Consummate Artist is one of the most adaptive and naturally built for creative business settings. In a world where many artists can tend to be a bit scattered or even disorganized and unreliable (relatively speaking), The Consummate Artist is the notable exception and that is often greatly appreciated by those they work with.
3) The Analyzer Artist
This artist has a sharp, analytical creative mind and a keen sense of artistic taste. They know what they like and what they don't like and they hold themselves to very high standards. This discerning, critical intellect drives them forward and helps them push themselves (and often others) toward excellence.
More so than many other artist types they're willing to be hard on themselves and are always seeking to be better. This can lead to great rewards, but can also sometimes lead to frustration, self-doubt or even burnout. For this reason it can be incredibly helpful for The Analyzer Artist to seek collaborators who can provide some natural balance to their often intense approach. These types include:
• The Consummate Artist - because their highly technical and professional approach can help give The Analyzer Artist a balanced, objective perspective at times when they might be too hard on themselves. They can do this while still being a reliable sounding board, provided their personalities and tastes interact well.
• The Tech Artist - because they share an analytical perspective while also having a focused skillset that makes them adept at getting high quality results through using their technical prowess.
• The Visionary Artist - because this type is always thinking about the big picture and broad strokes, which compliments The Analyzer Artist’s particularly detail-oriented and focused creativity. This can be a very mutually beneficial pairing.
When collaborating with The Feeler Artist, The Solo Artist, or The Tortured Artist, it's helpful for The Analyzer Artist to consider that they have similar temperaments, so it can be helpful to know there may be a lot of emotional energy present. With a foundation of mutual respect, they’re likely to feed off of each other's intensity and find they have a unique kinship and they are similar types. They both care deeply about your work and this can make for an incredibly fruitful collaboration.
4) The Tech Artist
Not only is The Tech Artist a deeply creative and expressive artist, but more so than most, they also have an instinctual understanding of how to effectively use the equipment and technology involved in making their creative ideas a reality in their chosen medium. They have a natural affinity for the tools of their trade and great instincts for knowing how to navigate, harness, and leverage them to express a creative idea or vision.
They are highly industrious and naturally driven to find both unique creative processes and get great artistic results using these modern tools. They thrive when they can completely immerse themselves in their work and emerge with the magic elements that bring an idea to life in compelling and inventive ways.
They also understand the importance of staying in touch with the rapidly changing landscape of the tech world and seek to integrate those innovations into their creative work flow, if it enhances the results. This makes The Tech Artist a huge asset to almost any creative situations in their chosen field. They thrive in settings where they can apply this tech-savvy skillset to a creative situation where it's needed and appreciated.
Though it's most often a positive thing, their tech-focused focused nature can pull their focus away from that which is outside that tech realm. Because they have a mind that's swimming with ideas (and they’re often actively engaged in bringing them them to life with their favorite software), it can sometimes be easy to forget to interact meaningfully on a human level with their collaborators and fully consider their ideas and feelings. It's also easy to forget that their client or collaborator(s) may not yet understand how and what they’re cooking up! Keeping this in mind, and focusing on being communicative about what they're up to can be helpful in collaborations. Equally important can be to choose partners and/or collaborators who balance them well.
Here are a list of some of the Artist Types that The Tech Artist may work well with and some of the reasons why:
• The Feeler Artist - because they can be good at generating lots of powerfully emotive ideas that can feed The Tech Artist’s fire and bring that extra flair of magic and humanity to the digital domain.
• The Visionary Artist - because they can help The Tech Artist zoom out when they're in a hyper-focused state of mind.
• The Entertainer Artist - because they can bring an extroverted, fun energy to a session and they're often ready to contribute in exciting ways at any given moment.
• The Consummate Artist - because they're focused on finding the best context for their abilities and on helping others realize their creative vision and reach their goals. These two artists are very much cut from the same cloth.
• The Dreamer Artist - because they can often bring an added sense of wonder and imagination to the creative process. When things start to feel a bit too grounded in the “ones and zeroes”, The Dreamer Artist is often soaring through the clouds creating some ethereal magic that you can then harness and organize.
5) The Entertainer Artist
This artist lives to perform. Whether for a huge audience or just one other person, they thrive on sharing their talents with people and feel right at home being the center of attention. They have a natural charisma and have a gift for bringing people together. They have the ability to light up a room with a unique and obvious energy that defies explanation.
They put the "show" in show business and have a natural ability to remember that sometimes it's all about giving their audience what they want. This is a highly valuable trait and something that other more introverted artist types can forget, or neglect.
Though they're often the star of the show (and rightly so), it can be helpful in creative situations to collaborate with those who have a more thoroughly introspective and measured artistic temperament.
These types include:
• The Consummate Artist - because their highly technical and professional approach can help free up The Entertainer Artist to entertain, knowing that everything is taken care of with the utmost care. This is usually a very mutually beneficial match.
• The Maverick Artist - because though they intuitively understand the importance of performance, they thrive when they can be both creative and handle technical elements. They're a kindred spirit who can bring some good creative direction to collaborations with The Entertainer Artist, while retaining a fun unpredictability that remains productive.
• The Tortured Artist - because if there's ever a need for added emotional depth and a thorough commitment to authenticity, this artist is always tuned in to those elements. If they get along personally, and navigate any disagreements well, this pair can form a tight bond that can bring exciting results.
• The Visionary Artist - because they can help to give The Entertainer Artist a perspective that can sometimes be missed in the heat of the moment. Their "zoomed out" perspective can be highly valuable to The Entertainer Artist just as their ability to be "zoomed in" can help them understand how important it is to be engaged and present.
NOTE: When collaborating with The Maverick Artist, The Solo Artist, or The Dreamer Artist, it's helpful to consider that often some Entertainer Artists have fairly similar temperaments, so it can be helpful to put some effort into "sharing the stage", so to speak. With an open mind, they're likely to feed off of each other's energies and find they have a unique kinship.
6) The Maverick Artist
The Maverick is a highly inventive and unique artist with a gift for being unpredictable in creatively beneficial ways. A rebel with a cause, The Maverick Artist is a creative force of nature that balances artistry and productivity.
Even in collaborations they tend to be the artistic lone wolf, focused on paving their own way. That said, they're often happy to bring their collaborators along for the ride, if they're willing to follow The Maverick Artist’s lead and add fuel to their fire.
They have the unique ability to generate a whirlwind of creative energy that inspires others and leads to work that can be unconventional or surprising.
Given a pronounced focus on being unique, at times it can be difficult for The Maverick Artist to work in conventional ways or deliver consistent results within more restrictive guidelines or tightly defined genres. For this reason it can be helpful for them to collaborate with artist types that balance them out.
These include:
• The Consummate Artist - because they're focused on using proven approaches and on helping others realize their creative vision and reach their goals in a streamlined and focused way.
• The Entertainer Artist - because in some ways they're cut from the same cloth, yet they have different goals. They’ll both enjoy bringing ideas to life in vivid and uninhibited ways, whereas one is born to entertain, The Maverick’s focus can be on creating what they'll want to perform. If their tastes align and their personalities gel, this can be an exhilarating collaborative pairing.
• The Tech Artist - because they're happy to handle the technical details in a way that helps capture The Maverick Artist’s unique ideas well, and facilitate whatever they throw at them. This can be a mutually beneficial pairing.
7) The Dreamer Artist
This artist is highly creative and has a vivid imagination. They thrive on delving deep into their internal world of creative invention and emerging with unique ideas. Though some may think they have their "head in the clouds", they know intuitively that it's not only where they're meant to be, but it's where the artistic magic is found.
The Dreamer Artist can often lose track of time while creating and find it natural and often effortless to get into a flow-state. When they can effectively capture the results of these imaginative creative sessions they will greatly increase their odds of success as an artist.
Though their artistic imagination is an incredible asset, The Dreamer Artist can sometimes get frustrated by the more technical aspects of their chosen medium, the limitations of equipment, or even other artists in the context of collaborations. Because of this, it can be helpful for them to collaborate with artist types who have a balancing effect on them.
These types include:
• The Consummate Artist - because they can be there to help make The Dreamer's dreams a reality, with an organized and focused technical proficiency.
• The Analyzer Artist - because this critically thoughtful artist type can help bring concise order and a sense of objective precision to The Dreamer's beautiful chaos whenever that is needed.
• The Visionary Artist - because they can help lead the way and guide a collaboration with a strong sense of direction when needed. This can have a nice balancing effect on The Dreamer's creative process.
• The Maverick Artist - because they are not only predisposed to understanding The Dreamer Artist's imaginative ways, but are also quite capable of supporting their ideas with rock solid practical processes and confidence in their execution. This can be an incredibly beneficial collaborative matchup.
8) The Feeler Artist
This artist is emotionally present and highly expressive. They have a rich inner world of thoughts and emotion that are constantly ebbing and flowing. They’re sensitive and empathetic nature is what guides and defines them creatively. They have a gift for bringing emotional depth to their work, particularly when they feel comfortable and free.
They bring a vibrant energy to creative situations and are often a wellspring of fresh and emotive ideas. In collaborations they're likely to feel most at home when their collaborators respect their process and welcome the ideas as they flow.
When The Feeler Artist is on, they’re a “lightning in a bottle” factory. For this reason, they'll work best with those who are adept at harnessing that lightning in a nonjudgemental and encouraging way. A potential downside is that this artist type can shut down creatively if they don't feel supported, or when their work is criticized in a blunt, haphazard, or insensitive way.
The Feeler Artist’s strength is in this sensitive, emotionally present nature, but sometimes they may find it difficult to see beyond what they’re feeling. This can lead to overwhelm or a sense of being stuck. In this way, their ability to be present and emotionally connected is both a strength and a potential liability in some situations. To stay in their sweet spot, it's important to choose collaborators who are empathetic and caring. It's also important for them to listen to their internal stress signals so they'll know when they may need a break to recenter, so they can get back to where they need to be emotionally to create at their best. When they take responsibility for their emotions while also nurturing and aiming them in productive ways, their sensitivity is their artistic and relational superpower. The best art expresses the depth of human experience and emotion, and this is The Feeler Artist’s specialty.
The Feeler Artist is most succinctly defined by what we call "The 3 F's";
• Focus
• Feel
• Follow
They're able to Focus on the here and now, as they Feel in touch with their current emotions while knowing how to Follow their instincts while creating. They're an asset to most any creative situation.
In collaborations with another Feeler Artist, they'll both benefit from remembering to leave space for each other's ideas to be given proper consideration. It's a room with two big sensitive hearts, so they should proceed with care! If they do, they can amplify each other's artistry and create incredibly emotive work.
To help balance their sensitive creative nature, they'll often be most productive and do their best work when collaborating with Artist Types that are adept at organizing ideas and guiding the process from a perspective that tends to be more objective and even keel. These artist types include:
• The Tech Artist - because they're happy to handle the technical details in a way that helps capture The Feeler Artist’s expressive ideas well, so they can stay in the zone.
• The Visionary Artist - because this type is always thinking about the big picture and broad strokes, which compliments The Feeler Artist’s hyper-focused creativity. This can be a very mutually beneficial pairing.
• The Consummate Artist - because they tend to keep a consistent energy that has a nice balancing effect on The Feeler Artist. They are focused on helping others with their ideas while bringing a high level of technical proficiency and project organization.
9) The Tortured Artist
Though it may seem like a bit of a cliché, the archetype of the tortured artist actually fits this type well; they really do tend to suffer for their artistry. Their work is often deeply powerful, meaningful, and unique; the result of deep consideration and personal expression.
They often deal with significant internal tension during their creative process and struggle with feeling pleased with the final result. Still, they're deeply driven to express, create, and improve. Though they may have a melancholic disposition, they often find solace and comfort in it.
When it comes to career considerations, it's not uncommon for them to be at odds with all that is involved in the process of monetizing their work. Though they feel the tension between art and commerce in very personal ways, it's their sensitivity that makes their work both meaningful and potentially highly valuable to audiences and in the context of business.
In many ways the difficulties they deal with during their creative process are just extensions of their ability to tune in with the harsh realities of life that others may shy away from. Instead they naturally dive in and embrace this side of life and emerge with powerfully beautiful art. It's artists like them who tend to make the kind of work that can be deeply meaningful and even therapeutic to both themselves and their audiences.
Due to The Tortured Artist’s sensitive nature, it's particularly important for them to focus on self-care and a healthy lifestyle to help balance out the passionate intensity they bring to their work. They’ll greatly benefit from making it a priority to actively seek this kind of balance as it will enhance their quality of life, so they can be fully themselves and yet still experience fulfillment and enjoyment through their artistry.
Due to the fact that The Tortured Artist takes their work very seriously and tends toward melancholy, they can benefit from collaborating with other artist types who can uplift and propel them forward in a way that is balancing. These include:
• The Feeler Artist - because they bring an extroverted, "in the moment", often positive emotional energy to their work. This can propel and uplift The Tortured Artist when that kind of energy is helpful.
• The Analyzer Artist - because this type is focused not just on the art itself but equally on organizing the process and on the business side of things. This can free The Tortured Artist up to stay more focused on the art, while The Analyzer Artist can consider ways to guide the process with a "bird's eye view" and offer up a helpful and balanced perspective.
• The Visionary Artist - because they will help keep a consistent forward momentum all the way to the end, regardless of the emotional ups and downs that may be encountered throughout the process. They tend to see the full picture of a project (in their mind's eye) and can help guide The Tortured Artist there.
10) The Solo Artist
This artist type is the epitome of the serious, introspective and thoughtful artist. Their work is highly personal and they likely consider it to be a direct extension of who they are inside. They're not only comfortable working alone, but tend to prefer it over collaborations. Their core goal is to create work that is a direct reflection of their own tastes and perspectives.
This artist tends to be self-contained in most ways and enjoy controlling most or all elements of their creative process because it makes it more personal and unique. As a Solo Artist they're likely known for the authenticity and uniqueness of their work, which is one of their most valuable artistic qualities.
Though they may be more reclusive and introverted than other artists, The Solo Artist is not necessarily always anti-social. They're inventive and often highly industrious and enjoy venturing into the artistic unknown to discover where it will lead. They're as interested in the process as the result.
Though The Solo Artist is most comfortable working alone, it can be beneficial for them to explore collaborations (or get constructive feedback) from other artist types including:
• The Analyzer Artist - because they're adept at giving constructive feedback from a perspective that isn't as closely tied to the intimate details. This can be helpful for The Solo Artist in cases when they're perhaps too close to a project to have a balanced view on the overall picture.
• The Entertainer Artist - because they may be able to provide The Solo Artist with a potentially valuable outside (audience-focused) perspective on their work. Also, if and when it’s a good fit, The Entertainer Artist is often at the ready to perform their collaborative work (if indeed The Solo Artist is seeking that kind of situation).
• The Maverick Artist - because they're not only technically proficient and artistic, but also predisposed to generating lots of unique ideas from varied angles with a high degree of infectious self-confident energy. So they are likely to both understand The Solo Artist and offer a helpful perspective.