In recent years, the idea of creativity has expanded beyond the artistic realm. In fact, anyone who has original ideas or unique perspectives can be considered creative, although our creativity manifests in different ways.
Recognizing and understanding your primary type of creative expression can help you capitalize on your strengths and reach your full potential.
Determining your creative type
Experts from Adobe Create and the creative agency Anyways, along with a group of designers and developers from the UK, came together to design a method for distinguishing different creative personalities. Taking into account individual perspectives, motivations, talents and challenges, the team devised a 15 question quiz to determine which of eight distinctive creative personalities an individual is most aligned with.
The test takes less than five minutes to complete, provides a comprehensive description of your core creative behavior, your creative strength, your untapped potential and your ideal collaborator.
Of course, your creative type is not not absolute. One could be a mix of multiple types, or shift from one type to another over time. The purpose of the test is to determine your core creative tendencies.
Eight creative types
The Artist
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If you are the Artist type, you are always in search of beauty. You are full of ideas and visions, and have the ability to bring them to life. You also have a great sense of aesthetics and enjoy well-designed works.
When you undertake a project you tend to lose track of time. Your creations speak to what is in your heart, so you find it easy to convey messages to others through your craftsmanship.
The greatest obstacles for the Artist are fear and self-doubt. When paired up with the Producer, the Artist can manifest ideas on a large scale and amplify his or her impact.
The Producer
If you are a Producer, you make things happen. With an idea in mind, you devise a plan and carry it through to the end. Although you are goal-oriented, you are not attached to the results; instead, you find joy in every step of the process, including the most difficult stages.
You are very organized and realistic. You keep a cool head in the face of difficulties and support others to succeed in their role. However, your biggest challenge is tuning into your intuition and connecting your productivity to a higher purpose. This is why a Producer benefits from working with the limitless inspiration of the Dreamer.
The Dreamer
If your creative type is the Dreamer, you are deeply connected to your inner self. What others see as ordinary or boring may, through your eyes, reveal its wonder and beauty. Your strong intuition allows you to see hidden meanings, symbols and metaphors that, before the eyes of a pragmatist, would go unnoticed.
Your inner world is where you feel most at home. Awareness of your emotions and sensitivity helps you develop genuine empathy for others, which, in practical terms, translates to your ability to relate to people at a profound level.
Your greatest obstacle is turning your ideas into action. Your tendency to roam your mind may make it difficult to develop discipline. Although this can be improved by strengthening your willpower, pairing up with an Innovator, a lofty idealist with pragmatic solutions, can help.
The Innovator
If you are a risk-taker and feel the most yourself when you are using your abilities to solve problems, you are an Innovator. As an Innovator, you are not afraid of change and you see challenges as fuel for your creative spark.
You are always looking for improved ways to do things. You thrive when your talents are serving an endeavor with large-scale impact and a higher purpose.
Your biggest challenge is wanting to jump to the next big thing, particularly when you are not motivated by the satisfaction of reaching the finish line. Making the extra effort to follow-through on a venture will help you realize your potential.
You work best with the Maker, a creative type that has the ability and spirit to carry through an idea from concept to completion.
The Maker
If you are a Maker, two of your greatest strengths are focus and dedication. You don’t mind investing large amounts of time and effort on creating something of value. You cherish every step of the process and go the extra mile.
Makers are generally quiet and prefer to work on their own. However, they enjoy and appreciate collaboration. Undivided focus and commitment give the Maker the ability to achieve mastery.
The biggest obstacle for the maker is connecting with his or her inner world and taking creative risks. The Maker has mastered productivity but needs to cultivate his imagination. Focusing solely on the process can nullify creativity.
The Maker’s best ally is the Visionary, an imaginative individual who is not afraid of dreaming big. The Maker can turn the Visionary’s imaginative ideas into tangible results.
The Visionary
If you see possibilities where others see limitations, you are a Visionary. With this creative personality, you focus not on how things are, but on how they could be. You are introspective and intuitive, and always want to contribute and improve things for others.
Your optimistic outlook on life, combined with your expressive charisma, is contagious to those around you. Others feel inspired when you share your views.
You conceive original ideas and, unlike the Dreamer, you take steps to find practical solutions. However, the way you plan to execute your creative work may not be realistic or grounded and, over time, you may lack the motivation to take consistent action.
Your ideal collaborator is the Thinker. The Thinker can offer you a balanced perspective to know which visions to discard and which to foster.
The Thinker
Analytical and inquisitive, the Thinker can see the big picture and the deeper meaning of almost any situation. If this is your creative type, learning is what makes you the happiest.
As a Thinker, you are a life-long student. You value the time in which you can immerse yourself in your inner world of ideas. In your never-ending search for truth, you are always seeking and creating meaning.
However, although you have many bright and rational ideas, it may be difficult to get out of your head. This means that the theory you know may never be put into practice.
Your methodical nature is best offset by the Adventurer, a playful fellow that can remind you of the joy of bringing your ideas to life.
The adventurer
The Adventurer is the fearless creative. As an Adventurer, you are easily inspired and extremely likely to act on your ideas. You are passionate, expressive and naturally empathetic.
You have the ability to pick up new skills and master them quickly. You can also play several roles simultaneously and juggle them with ease. Your multiple talents and your success in applying them are due to your curious nature, high energy levels and boundless enthusiasm.
However, you only feel fulfilled when your talent is applied to a meaningful task. When you have no creative outlet, you can feel frustrated and hopeless. By sharing the fruits of your creativity to others, you keep inspiration and the creative cycle alive.
Your endless desire to develop skills may prevent you from focusing on and mastering one particular ability. You are best teamed up with the Artist, whose insights and inspiration can guide you on a journey of self-exploration.
Lofty motives are the best inspiration
Regardless of one’s occupation, we all have creative energy. Understanding your core creative type can help you capitalize on your strengths and identify areas for improvement and sources for inspiration; yet motivation may be even more significant.
What drives you to do what you do every day? What encourages you to do your best every time? The source of your motivation can define not only the quality of your craft, but also the the degree of fulfillment you find in life.
Some of the greatest creative minds in history have linked their craft to a higher purpose.
Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb out of a wish to develop safe and cost-effective lighting; bacteriologist Alexander Fleming’s work against infectious disease led to the discovery of penicillin, the world’s first effective antibiotic; and the work of renowned composer Johann Sebastian Bach was inspired by God — he finished all of his manuscripts with the latin phrase Soli Deo Gloria, or “For the Glory of God Alone.”
Defining the ultimate purpose of our undertakings and finding our inexhaustible source of inspiration may just be the most effective way to uncover and cultivate our talents.
