The artsy friend: you might’ve seen one, you might be one. They’ve got that quirky but irresistible charm, that Pisces/Scorpio energy (even if that’s not their sign), and usually a lot of incredible ideas. 

The artsy friend is the creative type.

You’ve got big dreams, hobbies galore and an attitude that miiiiight just tie it all together into something truly world-bending. 

People say you’re a little strange, but you feel like being an oddity in today’s world is a superpower. You see things from a perspective most don’t, which gives you ideas most don’t have. And you want to use that power to make life more beautiful, inspiring, and open others’ eyes to how things could be.

Does this sound like you? Then you’re currently in the right corner of the internet.

Read on.

Decoration and fashion

There are a few characteristics I’ve noticed most artsy types have (that I love). The most obvious being: The house of the artsy friend is very apparent. 

Sometimes the rooms are perfectly curated and color matched. I’ve got a friend whose living room looks like a rainbow vintage magazine from the 1970’s. Every piece of furniture, every shelf, every rug is picked with love from some thrift store or antique shop or estate sale. It’s all cohesive and fits a retro vibe. 

Often the rooms are mismatched, but still every piece is picked with care. Strange tokens from your travels, heirlooms from your great-grandma, that one painted tile from a farmers market three summers ago, and a painting that speaks to you all find a place in your apartment. 

The space you inhabit is always affected by you. 

If you need help in this area, I wrote an article discussing how to make your home feel more like you.

But typically, the living space of an artsy type is already screaming their name. 

And it’s one of the first ways to differentiate a normal person from a visually creative person. The aesthetics matter. 

The wardrobe of the artsy friend is also obvious in this same way. 

In high school I used to have a purse that I safety-pinned patches of my favorite bands onto. I drew with sharpie on my jeans. I put chains through my belt loops and wore an excessive amount of accessories. I wasn’t especially gorgeous, but I was a real head-turner.

I was very obvious about being the creative type.

Even as a small child, I absolutely loved dress up games. Here’s a picture of me in a few favorites from the old wooden dress up chest, probably circa 2000:

Today I dress less wild but with the same amount of intention. 

Now I prefer to stand out a little less in this area and stand out more in other ways. I wear a lot of plain black and greens. Everything matches, every piece in my wardrobe is chosen with care. I adore a vintage Coach purse and neutral makeup. I’ve found it makes my personality a bit of a surprise to people, which is a lot of fun to witness.

The artsy friend isn’t following the trends or buying viral outfits. They’re wearing what feels best and what represents them. 

How does your house reflect your personality? Is your bedroom aura as strong as your imagination? What about your clothing, jewelry, and makeup? 

The artsy friend is a maker

You’re bringing your inner world into the outer world. Your thoughts, emotions, visions: they come out in the form of drawings, poems, glass-blown trinkets and clay sculpture. 

And these expressions of the inner world interact with the outer world in a way that changes it. 

People who see your art, feel something. 

They feel connected to you, they feel seen, they feel a sense of laughter in their stomach, they feel longing, they feel their buried grief clawing out of the ground again. Depending on what you make, your creations can connect with certain people on a deep level about a very specific topic. 

That’s the real power of being the artsy friend!

On top of that, you’re making physical things you can hold in your hand and it feels incredibly satisfying. Being a MAKER is one of the most ancient roles in society – partially because it gives us this innate satisfaction. 

We stay up late to work on a project. We think about working on it when we’re busy with responsibilities. Back when I had a day job, I used to call off work to make progress on a painting. (Yes, for real.)

That satisfaction of holding a real thing in your hand that you made all by yourself? Unbeatable.

Seeing how others interact with and are affected by your creation? Also very cool.

Problem solving and resourcefulness

One of the most overlooked attributes is the soft skills that the artsy friend has. 

Problem solving is a soft skill because it’s hard to teach or define, but has tangible results in the real world. To learn it you have to practice it. 

Solving problems requires creativity and flexibility because every problem is different, involves different people, and needs a unique solution. Figuring out what the solution is takes imagination, vision, optimism, and a bit of the elbow grease that comes hand-in-hand with passionate people.

It can be relationship problems, business problems, DIY project problems – anything. But creativity helps with finding the fix. 

And creative careers give a lot of opportunities to practice that skill.

Resourcefulness is another soft skill. Which also takes heaps of creativity. 

Don’t know anyone who can get you into the art gallery? You smoothtalk the bouncer at the back door. Don’t have enough money to complete this project? You sell some old jewelry and use the funds. Don’t understand how you’re supposed to grow your business when you can only make one painting a month? You start offering prints. 

Finding a resource when it seems like you have none is a mentally creative task. 

(It’s also a requirement for a successful art business.)

Artsy friends always have these hard-to-define soft skills. And if they don’t have them naturally, they end up figuring out a way to develop them out of necessity. 

Independent thinking makes better art

My favorite quality in the creative types is that undeniable outlier feeling. The sense that you don’t quite fit the mold, even when you get along with most people.

A rebel doesn’t fight with the world, they seem to exit it. They coexist alongside it, and within it, but they’re never a product of it. They change the world more than the world changes them. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Independent thinking comes naturally. The artsy friend often disagrees with their friends and family or has unique ideas. They’re the reason behind the saying, “Two heads are better than one,” because they offer an alternative suggestion. 

You might work weird jobs that your friends wouldn’t think to apply to. You date strange people but don’t let yourself disappear into the relationship. You read out-of-the-box theories but don’t attach yourself to them. 

You truly stand alone in your own flavor and personality, regardless of the surroundings.

This characteristic is what helps you make new things, come up with new ideas, and avoid being a copycat. To be creative is synonymous with making something new or different that didn’t exist before. Repeating others or following an established path doesn’t really fit the vibe.

Attention to detail

The home decor, the clothing, the problem solving, ALL require attention to small details that other people wouldn’t notice.

The artsy friend tends to notice more. You see how the sun is shining on the archway of a building on your afternoon walk and how stunning the shade of gold is against the brick. You can appreciate a high-quality shoe made with real leather and not plastic imitations. You can tell the difference between a painting made with watercolors and one made with pastels. You can hear the meter in a good poem.

Attention to detail is also crucial when you’re perfecting the object you make. Every corner, every line, every thread has its place. 

This characteristic can actually lead to frustration and feeling like nothing you do is good enough. Ever heard the phrase, “Every artist is their own worst critic?” Attention to detail is why. As creatives, we can see all those details that other folks gloss right over. And it drives us mad!  But it’s all worth it when the project becomes a masterpiece.

Attention to detail helps the artsy friend become a Leonardo da Vinci or a William Morris and not a washed up forgotten hobbyist.

Come join us in the Artsy Friends Patreon 

Does all of this sound like I just looked into your soul with wicked clarity or held up the universe’s largest mirror? 

Then come listen to the Artsy Friends Podcast to learn more about the artist’s lifestyle, creative business advice and hear about my personal journey. You can learn to make a living doing what you love (so you can do it more). We also have a community where you can find people you relate to and learn even more in depth art knowledge. It’s called the Artsy Friends Patreon. Over there, we all get it. 

So come hang out with us!

Us creative types should stick together. We can lift each other up better than anyone else. And more selfishly, you guys are my favorite flavor of person to be around. If you made it to the end of this article, I’m talking to you!

Get a more day-to-day look at what I do on Instagram here.

Carolyn Tantanella