The Artistic Temperament

The artistic temperament is something all of us would benefit from knowing more about. Whether you are an artistic personality or live with one, it is important to know some general tendencies of this type of person. Many musicians, songwriters, producers and industry types that are involved in the making of music fall into this category. Being that our knowledge is limited in this area, we consulted a professional Christian therapist. We asked him several questions about this temperament:

What are some of the common traits of a creative person?

1. They tend to be independent (loners).
2. They are motivated by their intellect (thoughts more than emotions).
3. They can be perfectionists, sometimes to the degree that they have a hard time being satisfied by their own accomplishments. Also if they have others doing tasks for them, their expectations can be unrealistic.
4. They tend to be strong willed and can be extremely stubborn.
5. They tend to be deep thinkers, sometimes this can be mistaken for being uninterested, arrogant or aloof.
6. They do not have many close or deep relationships. If you are one of the ones that they choose to have a deep relationship with, you will find them to be very loyal, self-sacrificing and faithful friends.
7. They tend to have a fear of rejection or low self-esteem.
8. They can have a fear of economic failure.
9. They see pictures in their mind and can relive the past.

What are some of the common problems that this temperament can suffer from?

1. Depression. One of the reasons being that their thoughts are what dictate their moods. When thoughts go up, their mood goes with them; when thoughts go downward, they can spiral into depression.
2. Stress. Because they set an unattainable standard for themselves and others they may never be satisfied.
3. Fatigue. Because of the enormous amount of energy this person puts out in their thinking process alone, they can suffer from a low energy level.
4. Fear of the unknown.
5. Loneliness.
6. Anger. If they have been rejected or hurt they become angry and can seek vengeance.

There is much more ground we could cover regarding this personality, but let's move on to ways that you as an artistic personality can meet the needs of your own temperament.

1. Quiet time alone. This is how you regenerate your energy. Too much socialization can drain you.
2. Keep your mind focused on positive things in your life in order to lessen moodiness.
3. Give others and yourself the right to be imperfect.
4. Develop a deep personal relationship for which you would give up your life. This will lessen loneliness.
5. To forgive yourself and others for past mistakes.

If you are not this sort of personality but are the significant other of one, here are some helpful things you can do to meet their needs.

1. Provide them with truth, order, reliability and dependability.
2. Do not interfere with their independence, or what they are self-motivated to do or accomplish.
3. Be careful with money and show that you are attempting to be conservative with money.
4. Provide them with a home that is orderly and acts as a sanctuary away from the rest of the world.
5. Work very hard at helping to build their self-esteem by reinforcing the positive and down-playing the negative.

How does this temperament relate to God?

They must find Jesus. He is the deep personal relationship for which this individual yearns. They can feel and empathize with the pain Christ went through and the sacrifice of His death. Jesus is the "friend that sticks closer than a brother" to whom this person can feel free to bear their soul.