the 7 creativity archetypes

All summer long, my subconscious has been brewing something new.

In between catering to the demands of a noisy cat, dealing with zoom calls, dropped wifi and endless emails replacing quick conversation, part of my creative mind has been locked in its lab, scribbling equations and brewing potions like the Alchemist I am.

And it is as we descend fully into fall, and my inner work completes, that my subconscious emerges triumphant. Like a very old-fashioned coffee machine, all of that knowledge has percolated through the filter and into the waiting pot. It is time, my intuition whispers. It is time, the tarot cards demand.

The universe has learned to be direct with them.

So here they are, my 7 unique archetypes, drawing on what I know from storytelling, mythology, tarot, myers-briggs and habit tendencies…

1. The Ruler

2. The Alchemist

3. The Crafter

4. The Virtuoso

5. The Oracle

6. The Illusionist

7. The Artisan

But what on earth do they represent?

If you are precise, single-minded and structured, you may find yourself aligned to the Virtuoso, reminiscent of those great musicians who excelled in mastering one art. If your determination for structure and planning is your strongest attribute, you may find yourself classed as the Ruler. But in the Ruler you have good company, as big thinkers and doers who excel at planning and protocol join you in this cosmic domination. If either of those sounds like you, welcome dear Alice (for however did you land in my particular wonderland?) but I must caution you, my approach and insights will differ to what might feel natural to you, for here, the chaos of possibility and choice reign.

Across the aisle from this domination lies the Oracle - a big-thinking archetype who most frequently hears “you completely get me” as they weave together insights into how people feel with with their vision and wisdom. Even as a multi-passionate, they find their interests have a way of working together to reveal new intersections and ways to have a deeper impact on the people they inspire.

The Alchemist, meanwhile, loves big ideas and juggling multiple realisations and reactions, but doesn’t always consider what they mean for people or what their ideas will mean for the ‘real world’. They prefer to get lost in the excitement of the experiment and take a dull view of the refinement stage of the creative cycle. Already prone to keeping multiple fires burning, being a multi-passionate adds a new intricate layer to their ability to take projects forward.

If you are a detailed and dedicated multi-passionate, you may find yourself in the realm of the Artisan, an archetype who naturally tends towards micromastery, not resting in simply ‘learning’ or ‘trying out’ a way to use their abilities. And who ends up adding new skills or crafts to their ever-expanding repertoire (and new actions to an ever-expanding to do list) rather than abandon even one interest or action for simplicity’s sake.

Taking a different approach is the Crafter. Here we find an archetype who also loves to add new skills and crafts, but they are in it for learning’s and adventure’s sakes. Crafters have an intuitive ability to collect sensory information and translate it to action, often skipping over a stage of the creative cycle in order to do so. They are spontaneous and quick to move on from a project or idea when something new appears.

Finally, we have the Illusionist. Here is an archetype different from the rest. Illusionists are deeply empathic and attuned to the universal vibrations, but their multitude of ideas and dreams often exist in a realm of possibility, free from the off-key clangs that feature in the everyday world. Illusionists maintain a careful dance, giving others glimpses of their inner self while needing to protect their thoughtful heart from negativity.

I’m thrilled to be working on a quiz to help discover your creativity archetype and what it means to how you might intuitively approach the creative cycle and flourishing in your zone of genius…

And of course, the point of these archetypes it to help you understand your inner story - where you glide through your work, and where you are likely to encounter inner friction so you can be prepared.

Try out the quiz….