Art is a big word. The first time I heard it, I was in a fourth grade classroom, making a painting that consisted of purple and green squiggles on a white canvas. You could look at my work and see that it was art. But what kind of art? It seemed to me like the question was important, but no one could answer it.

This is an essay about that question. What kind of artist are you? What kind of art should you be making? To answer these questions, we need to answer a more fundamental one: why do people make art? What does it mean to be an artist in the first place?

I’m not going to tell you how to make art. Some people can’t help making art; they have to express themselves through it. If you are one of these people, you’re probably going to keep doing it whether or not I tell you what kind of artist you are. So this essay is for the other kind of artist: the kind who doesn’t feel much like making art at all, but sometimes wants to know why they should bother doing it at all.

There are many different kinds of artists. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the traditional to the cutting edge.

There are painters, sculptors, illustrators, draftsmen, architects, graphic designers, animators, computer artists, street artists and more. Each of these groups has its own unique set of tools and methods that allow them to realize their vision. However, each group also possesses a set of fundamental traits that are common to all members of that group.

Let’s start with the definitions…

*You are a “commercial artist” if your day job is making art for money.*

*You are an “artist” if you make art in your free time, and you are a “fine artist” if you make non-functional work.**

*You are a “craftsperson” if you make things by hand in your spare time. It’s easier to describe what craftspensons do by saying what they don’t do: they don’t have fine art careers; they don’t make functional objects that have an aspect of design; they don’t spend their free time learning new software or refining their skills at the easel. Craftspersons are happiest when they can work by hand. Often they work in materials that are expensive but inexhaustible, like wood or clay. They tend to be interested in traditional techniques and traditional forms.*

*You are an artist because you create art with intent, but not all intentional creations count as art. Art is something you create to get attention for yourself, or to express your own inner vision, or to find an audience for your ideas, or because it’s just something you want to do, not because you need to do it to pay the rent.

What is your art personality? Are you the creator of intellectual, abstruse works that challenge the viewer, or do you create delicate, beautiful pieces that celebrate the power of life and love? Do you paint realistic portraits of everyday people or do you use your art to explore the abstracts of human nature?

This article is an introduction to the different personalities that comprise the world of art. We will discuss how each type of artist creates their work and reveal some basic ideas behind their motivations.

We have the privilege of working with hundreds of artists each year, and we’ve noticed that many artists fall into one of five categories. By recognizing which category you fit, you can move through the phases of your art practice more quickly and easily.

The Artist, as we’re calling him (or her), is a person who has a strong sense of life’s possibilities. He understands that art is an absolutely necessary part of existence. The Artist is not so concerned with judgment or criticism, but rather with finding and expressing his own voice. He is interested in the new and the experimental; he has a desire to break away from the conventional, to find an outlet for his own creativity.

This is not to say that Artistic people are all free-spirited bohemians or that they have no need for responsibility or organization – far from it! You might find them working as teachers, writers, filmmakers, musicians, curators or even businesspeople. They are often found creating within corporate environments.

The Artist’s Way suggests that there are different kinds of artists. The problem is, there are no set standards as to how to define different types of artists.

It also points out that we artists tend to be one-sided, meaning that we may be better at some things than others and perhaps even a little proud of the strengths we have developed.

I think the trick is to look at yourself in the context of your reader or audience. For example, say you are an artist who paints landscapes and enjoys the challenge of painting from life. If you end up teaching a class on painting from life, you might like to mention what you do well and what you enjoy about it. Perhaps you have mastered a certain type of brushstroke or color palette that works for you.

The point is that when we read about an artist who does something differently from the way we do it, it can be useful to identify where our strengths differ because those differences give us insight into how readers will react to our work in their own unique ways. This is why I think it’s important for artists to research not just art history but also psychology, sociology and cultural anthropology.