Artistic Personality
Artistic Personality Type
Originally by Lawrence K. Jones, Ph.D., NCC — Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education, North Carolina State University. Updated by Juliet Jones-Vlasceanu, GCDF, J.D. — President & CEO, Career Key. Last reviewed August 2026.
Likes to do creative activities like art, drama, crafts, dance, music, or creative writing; generally avoids highly ordered or repetitive activities;
Has good artistic abilities - in creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art
Values the creative arts - like drama, music, art, or the works of creative writers; and
Sees self as expressive, original, and independent.
Artistic Type: Work Environment
Persons having an Artistic personality type "dominate" this environment. There are more of them than there are people of other personality types. For example, among a group of professional musicians there will be more persons of an "Artistic" personality than there will be people who have a Conventional type.
"Artistic" people create an "Artistic" environment. For example, they particularly value people who are expressive, original, and independent -- who have good artistic abilities in creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art.
Examples of occupations that have an Artistic environment are:
Actor
Art Teacher
Book Editor
Clothes Designer
Comedian
Composer
Dancer
DJ and announcer
Graphic Designer
Musician
The two work environments that are closest to the Artistic type are Investigative and Social. The farthest away is the Conventional type.
References
1. Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Psychological Assessment Resources.
2. Nauta, M. M. (2010). The development, evolution, and status of Holland’s theory of vocational personalities: Reflections and future directions for counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(1), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018213
3. Tracey, T. J., & Rounds, J. (1993). Evaluating Holland’s and Gati’s vocational-interest models: A structural meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 113(2), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.113.2.229