INTP Artist

[Tony3d]

Is it an uncommon thing for an INTP to be an artist?

 

[snafupants]

http://intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=5221

Moocow self-identifies as a starving artist.

 

[addictedartist]

*Inserts shameless self promotion~!
http://www.intpforum.com/album.php?albumid=143

 

[Solitaire U.]

'INTP' is not a linear construct. Be what you want to be.

 

[BigApplePi]

I imagine just about as uncommon as for anyone to be an artist.

I have created a simple design I would like to see in bronze or some hard metal. Don't know how to show or create it though. A real artist did print it out on paper for me. Thanks Hector.

 

[SMO]

I have an associates degree in studio art and am about 3 classes shy of a bachelors, but I did not want to be poor so I switched my major to business, graduated, and have been miserable ever since.

 

[C.J_Finn]

These two are from awhile back. Did them in pencil in a notebook.

This is some of the random stuff that I've been screwing around with recently. I've basically been trying to see what I can actually do with MS Paint.

 

[Absurdity]

I've always preferred photography over other art forms, and by photography I mean film, and preferably with a darkroom. My main camera is a Pentax K1000 and I love it to death. The process of loading, shooting, and developing film gives me an immense amount of pleasure. Developing prints in the darkroom has always been incredibly relaxing. I miss it dearly.

Here are some photos I've taken:
http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?p=303811#post303811

 

[Kuu]

Is it an uncommon thing for an INTP to be an artist?

Why would it be?

 

[Moocow]

I've read such horrid statements on this forum as "Maybe the dumber INTPs just become artists?"

Come on now... why? First of all I don't just disagree, but I propose the contrary. Art can be a practice of all the higher cognitive skills one needs to be functional and happy. Maybe the prejudice is sour grapes because simply being a pretentious cock doesn't nurture any manual skills.


You know, in my defense, and all.

On that note... my shameless plug.

 

[snafupants]

I've read such horrid statements on this forum as "Maybe the dumber INTPs just become artists?"

Come on now... why? First of all I don't just disagree, but I propose the contrary. Art can be a practice of all the higher cognitive skills one needs to be functional and happy. Maybe the prejudice is sour grapes because simply being a pretentious cock doesn't nurture any manual skills.


You know, in my defense, and all.

On that note... my shameless plug.

@Moocow

That's bullshit - Leo da Vinci was an ENTP (same functions) artist...and not too thick.

Spoiler

I wish I were more aesthetically inclined.

Spoiler

Haters gonna hate.

 

[Tony3d]

The thing about me is, I have always been good at understanding things like math and science and writing, when I was in school the things in these subjects that would challenge the rest of the class would come natural to me. I wouldn't even study or do my homework, but I was getting As on the tests while most people were getting Cs and Ds.

What I struggled at was art class, it was something that really challenged my mind, and because of that I had a real strong desire to understand it.

I ended up going to college for art and then going on to being a 3D environment artist specializing in making art for videogames. (kindof a combination of my technical skills and my desire to enter the challenging creative world of art)

I don't think I could ever be happy being a programmer or something like that, I am good at that kind of stuff, but it doesn't ammuse me like trying to understand art.


But anyways, I was just wondering if it was weird that I am an INTP, and I have this desire to do art and play music and write stories.


So, thanks for the replies. You can check out my stuff at Tony3d.net if you want.

 

[Affinity]

I really like your work and I can imagine the difficulty of 3d modeling to which I respect. I've dabbled in photography for a few years but have lost a lot of that fire after working in the field for a few years. My current artistic expression of choice is music and music production. I feel art will always have some place in my life and I know it is the same for many INTPs.

 

[Kuu]

I've read such horrid statements on this forum as "Maybe the dumber INTPs just become artists?"

Yeah, they're rather common, and rather dumb too.

Personally, I've done some painting (digital and traditional), drawing (need to practice more), 3d modeling, short films, theater (a very short time), and photography.

I enjoy photography, analog or digital, though the convenience of digital means its 99% of what I do. An art gallery curator tells me I should drop out of my current major and pursue photography since I'm that talented, according to him (which is not exactly helping with college motivation). I don't disagree (modesty, lol) but I question the idea of doing it for a living, since the great majority of my quality stuff required a certain combination of my mood and interesting location that's very hard to reproduce with any consistency. I would prefer to keep it as a side endeavor. That said, I'm thinking early next year might be a good plan to build a portfolio and set up an exhibition, having the contacts and all, so I'll see what springs from that.

 

[Architect]

Yes I believe it is very uncommon for an INTP to be an artist. Note with my posting I'm not making absolute statements but probabilistic ones.

Let's take the world 'artist' in the broadest context.

Composer. I spent many years trying to be a composer, and studied with some big names. One of them - a quite famous classical composer - might be an INTP. I felt he was a likely candidate but he was never interested in typology so I couldn't definitively type him. In any case composing may be one of the few arts that an INTP would find interesting because of its highly technical nature. However as my friend would say it's more craft than theory. It takes an in depth knowledge of existing music - the canon - to be able to write music.

My friends music made me suspect he was INTP because it was rather boring. More of an intellectual exercise, you could hear that he was getting bored then would go off on some tangent to play around with some musical ideas. Listening to his music was more of an intellectual exercise than a musical one.

Conclusion. Possible, not probable. If they are one then they probably aren't a good composer (even if they found some fame)

Visual artist My wife is an artist. None of her artist friends are INTP's, and precious few (if any) are intuitives. The exceptions are the conceptual artists like John Baldassari, who surely is an NT. My wife (INFJ) is best at conceptual art. The graphic artists (including cartoonists) are all strong sensors. None of the INTP's I know including myself have much visual sense. Visual art is the domain of the senses. This explains my INFJ's life long interest (yet difficulty in actually making art). Her inferior is Se, and so art beckons as her Siren song.

Conclusion Unlikely.

Photographer. This is quite possible. While most professional photographers are sensors (one successful professional photographer friend is probably an INFP) INTP's do quite well here. I'm a non professional, I love photographer because it gets me out of the house occasionally. Without it I'd never leave the computer. It's the most technical of the arts and really brings out several functions of the INTP as detailed elsewhere.

Conclusion Probable.

 

[DeadonDreaming]

http://intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=5221

Moocow self-identifies as a starving artist.

Moocow is the greatest artist alive.

 

[Words]

If we think of "art" as a synonym of "iNtuition"(imagination and creativity), then I'm also frequently doing art. But it is simply not enough. INTPs are Ti over Ne. I, as an example, need my systematical frameworks. The creativity I have I direct on technical things. Leonardo Da Vinci is a fine example of the culmination of "N" and "T." Even his art had technicality and order within them. He was not an artist alone.

If we're talking paintings and music, then I concur with Architect. Possible but uncommon, and possibly unfulfilling. I've composed and drawn things myself, but it's never a focus.

I've read such horrid statements on this forum as "Maybe the dumber INTPs just become artists?"

Sorry, Moocow. I think your smart and all, but I am one of those stupid people who consider this as a possible scenario. The standards of art is relative. Everyone is a "genius." Every individual has their own style to contribute to the "market" of Art. Every individual can create newer "sub-markets", and therefore additional standards of art. With rigorous and technical things, there is only one standard, and if you fail to meet that standard, then it's not that much of a leap to think that you might move away and find another standard which you can compete on.

Photographer. This is quite possible. While most professional photographers are sensors (one successful professional photographer friend is probably an INFP) INTP's do quite well here. I'm a non professional, I love photographer because it gets me out of the house occasionally. Without it I'd never leave the computer. It's the most technical of the arts and really brings out several functions of the INTP as detailed elsewhere.

I think it's really boring, but my economics professor, who is also INTP, loves it. I also have an INTP friend, computer science, that also enjoys photography passionately. I think it's dumb. If there's a cow in front of you, then the concept of "cow" is enough to "capture" it.

 

[Moocow]

Sorry, Moocow. I think your smart and all, but I am one of those stupid people who consider this as a possible scenario. The standards of art is relative. Everyone is a "genius." Every individual has their own style to contribute to the "market" of Art. Every individual can create newer "sub-markets", and therefore additional standards of art. With rigorous and technical things, there is only one standard, and if you fail to meet that standard, then it's not that much of a leap to think that you might move away and find another standard which you can compete on.

I don't see how any judgment of intelligence follows from this. Art isn't just about meeting some standard or creating a niche market, and I also don't think someone has to be exclusively an artist to be called one.
It's hard to reply to what you're saying without making too many assumptions but it sounds like you have only a narrow concept of what being an "artist" entails.

 

[DeadonDreaming]

But Moocow is really good, his art is awesome. Check it:

 

[Moocow]

Moocow is the greatest artist alive.

But Moocow is really good, his art is awesome. Check it:

Just for you:

Either way now I feel like I've shown off too much. The painting thread in visual art forum is for that.

 

[DeadonDreaming]

Well, I did say I wanted to buy one of your prints when I get some extra income.

 

[Words]

I don't see how any judgment of intelligence follows from this. Art isn't just about meeting some standard or creating a niche market, and I also don't think someone has to be exclusively an artist to be called one.

I know that for many it isn't about the standard or any of the reasons I mentioned. I'm only saying that for some, it is. It's similar to how people take liberal arts courses(literature, history, etc.) because of the absence of math. And I'm not speaking for all forms of "Intelligence." In a way, art prospers a type of intelligence.

 

[Moocow]

Well, I did say I wanted to buy one of your prints when I get some extra income.

I'll take it as a compliment then, thanks much.

I know that for many it isn't about the standard or any of the reasons I mentioned. I'm only saying that for some, it is. It's similar to how people take liberal arts courses(literature, history, etc.) because of the absence of math. And I'm not speaking for all forms of "Intelligence." In a way, art prospers a type of intelligence.

When I was briefly in art school it appeared to be that many were there for fear of being able to do little else. It was a very sad picture, and indeed many of the students seemed to lack critical, practical skills like time management and mathematical ability. I use my own stereotypes about art students in fact, but I separate it very much from talking about "artists."
Of course, I can't speak for all artists or art students, and these are just trite categorical judgments anyways, which is my point.

 

[TheHanarchy]

I dabble in art, and I've been told I should become an artist, but I don't think I want to. Not for any reason of, "it's not fullfilling or challenging enough", or "I lack the talent". I just don't want to because honestly I'm lazy, and I feel like I lack that spark of driving passion you need to be a succesful artist of any kind. It's incredibly difficult to make any money, or get any recognition as an artist, and though I'm not power hungry, I'd like to have a little more certainty that I'll have nice things some day.

Photography sounds nice though.
If I went into photography I'd want to do a "stray dog" deal, in the desolate slums of the city, like Dido Moriyama. That or storm photography.

I think we are generally capable of being pretty good with photography due to our abilities to deal with complexity. We can look at a detailed setting and see the lighting, colors, and subjects, that will convey just the right thing.

 

[pjoa09]

I draw stuff when i am upset.

Too poor to be presented to any public.

I practice jazz? (don't know what I really play) in my free time sometimes, I have a couple recorded.

Too poor to be presented to any public.

 

[Tempestas]

I can't speak for other INTPs, but personally I'm driven to create, uncontrollably. I learn about the world, whether it's physics and math or the interactions between people; then I take that and regurgitate it to explore possible other scenarios. It's like learning the logic of reality so that I can create my own.

I'm an extremely visual thinker, to the point where it's harder for me to hear someone if I can't see their mouth moving. (Although maybe I just can't hear. x3) I'm compelled to draw in everything that I do, even if it's just drawing different shapes in the margins of my notebooks every few lines of writing.

I'm not very good, in my opinion x3 But I have to make things. If it's not drawing then it's some form of sculpture, my hands have to be doing something. I currently work in technical theater at my school, building props, designing sets, making posters, etc.

I've got to start thinking about college, and I'm torn between Physics and the Arts. People usually tell me to look into architecture or some other form of engineering... but I don't know. :3

Edit: @themirror brings up enneagram two posts below me, and so I'd like to add that I am a 5w4 as well.

 

[Niclmaki]

INTPs only issue with being an artist might be that it isn't "good enough" for them. Creative energy doesn't discriminate, but we're naturally weak at expressing our feelings. The only thing might be that an INTPs art (Or any similiar type) might produce art that we just "get" easier.

I can imagine INTPs being very good at playing music though.

EDIT: Visual / Kinestetic(sp?) INTP learners might also use artistic means as an outlet to help them understand what is in their head. As an auditory learner, I have to sometimes write in a journal all that is in my head just to understand it. Talking about it to other people helps as well. Writing can be consider as a form of art too yes? :P

 

[themirror]

I'd like to be an artist. I paint frequently and will be getting involved in electronic music production as soon as I can afford to. I disagree that it's not challenging - good art is like a good proof: the more that can be conveyed with less medium is ideal. I just finished studying computer science and physics at a top 5 university and yet feel more compelled toward the art world than structured academia. Rigid institutions make me feel limited, while I thrive in the infinite possibility of malleable and chaotic environments.

I do think most INTPs will prefer system analysis and creation, fulfilling their need to seek the truth through the intracacies of physics and chemistry. But those who are especially enamored in spiritual quests, devour philosophy, and have a tenacious grasp on their own ideals while also wholly taking in everything around them at face value could make tremendous artists. I do think it takes a moderately developed F character to set the gears in motion, however.

Kurt Cobain and John Lennon were probably INFP borderline INTP. I actually think it's less the MBTI when it comes to this and actually the Enneagram, of which any 5w4 (that's me) is suited for it.

EDIT: Also, George Harrison probably INTP