Type A
Artistic
Artistic work makes something that did not exist before, and the maker’s judgment shapes how it turns out.
People with a strong Artistic pull care how a thing feels as well as whether it works. They notice a clumsy sentence or an awkward layout and want to fix it. They tend to dislike rigid procedures and do their best work when the brief leaves room to interpret.
Painters and musicians are the familiar examples, yet Artistic interests also drive writers, graphic designers, game designers, film editors and drama teachers. It is the smallest group of occupations in the O*NET data, so people with this pull often find it inside jobs with a different main type.
Creative fields differ a lot in how steady the work is. If you score high here, it helps to ask whether you need art to be the job, or whether a role with a regular creative share would suit you better.
What tends to energize
- Open briefs and room to experiment
- Feedback on the work itself
- Making a thing feel exactly right
- Variety from project to project
What tends to drain
- Strict templates and repeated forms
- Work judged only by how fast it was done
- Environments that punish unusual ideas
On the compass, Artistic sits between Investigative and Social, the two types it has most in common with. Conventional sits directly across from it.
Careers led by Artistic
27 occupations in our library have Artistic as their top interest. A sample across preparation levels:
- ActorsASE · Some preparation
- Costume AttendantsACR · Some preparation
- Disc Jockeys, Except RadioAEC · Some preparation
- Fashion DesignersARE · Medium preparation
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and IllustratorsARI · Medium preparation
- ChoreographersASE · Medium preparation
- Makeup Artists, Theatrical and PerformanceARE · Medium preparation
- DancersARS · Medium preparation
- Art DirectorsAEC · Considerable preparation
- Graphic DesignersACE · Considerable preparation
- Writers and AuthorsAEC · Considerable preparation
- Musicians and SingersAES · Considerable preparation
- Film and Video EditorsACR · Considerable preparation
- Set and Exhibit DesignersAER · Extensive preparation
Find your own mix
Most people lean toward two or three types. The test shows yours.
The other types
Occupation lists use information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.