Are Artists Unique Personalities? Find out here

Whether or not artists and highly creative people have a unique type of personality is a debatable topic. Creatives tend to share a variety of similar characteristics while differing in other aspects. The characteristics are not necessarily all positive. Some studies even link creativity to some mental illnesses.

Two types of behaviors are prominent in artists, namely making better use of mental capacity and less control over intellectual regulation.

Increased Mental Capacity

When focused on problem-solving for a creative task, highly creative individuals tend to use larger quantities of their brain. When drawing an object they look past its obvious appearance and think more in-depth, considering a variety of factors like lighting, lines, and placement. This behavior is known as using raw material which results in more creative outcomes.

Think First, Act Second

Creatives tend to think more before acting, taking the time to sift through the brain’s raw material. They will think through various possibilities before going in any particular direction. A non-creative will dive right in, trying to find solutions which tend to be obvious. Alternatively, the creative will think about the problem, carefully considering the options, asking questions and imagining various scenarios before attempting any solutions.

Curiosity Leads to Spontaneity

Creatives also tend to be more curious, collecting simple information for their minds to play with. Curiosity is a type of creative play for artists, asking questions that the average Joe may not consider. Ultimately, being curious leads creatives to spontaneous ideas.

Less Control of Intellectual Regulation

Intellectual regulation is basically your brain’s filter, preventing you from doing or saying anything inappropriate. This function tends to be less evident in creatives when they are working on a creative project. Without thoughts being filtered or censored, artists are able to produce some of their most creative pieces.

For the majority of people, this function filters out outrageous ideas and keeps behaviors within socially acceptable limits. For creatives, this gives birth to some of the most amazing and creative ideas, going against the societal norms to produce something out-of-the-ordinary. Since creatives are less worried about what others think, they are less afraid to share ideas without fear that they might be ridiculed.

Are creatives rebellious?

The myth says that creative are rebellious, but this is not entirely true. Since creatives are less censored in their ideas, non-creative people view them as rebellious and exhibiting controversial behavior. They do, however, follow a unique set of logical rules, entirely their own.

Are creative logical?

On that note, creatives are often viewed as illogical, being driven solely by their emotions. The logic that creatives use may differ from non-creatives and based more on feelings, however, it suits their creative needs and desire to go against social norms.

Are creative less honest?

With the lack of intellectual regulation comes the lack of honesty in some artists. This can be credited to the way they make use of their creativity when justifying their actions. Some may argue with this statement, saying that their actions are honest, when in actual fact it is simply their creativity convincing them.