Are artist mostly anti-social?

Question

Not meaning it in a negative way.

Drawing and art is something that does not require other people. Mostly artists work alone. Their thoughts and unique ideas is what make their art great. So, they spend time by themselves. Just what I think...

What is your opinion?

I like art myself and I spend a great amount of time alone. I have friends and I'm likeable, I just like being alone with my thoughts.

Sorry, when I put anti-social I didn’t think it fit quite right, but at that time I couldn’t think of another word. Hmmm… still can’t think of the right word. I was trying to get at being alone or a loner.

Answer 1

artists like to reflect. Im an artist as well, of course my medium is dance. So I tend to be more outgoing

Answer 2

My daughter (21 yrs) is an artist. I would not say that she is anti-social, she is just very content to be alone and do her own thing. She too has her friends and does have a great sense of humor. The friends she has understand her and accept her for what she is. Anti-social says to me abnormal. I don't think wanting to be alone with your thoughts and doing your drawing or whatever is anti-social/abnormal, its just that artists of any type seem to do best when they have time to think and dwell on what they are doing. Any artist I have met are usually very bright and tend to look at things differently than most folks. IF you did not have friends and were not liked, then you would be anti-social.

Answer 3

Nah. From what I've seen artists have about the same ratio of introvert and extrovert as everyone else. Most of them like to be alone when they're working for good reason "What're you drawing? What's THAT supposed to be?".

But I know plenty of extremely social artists and a few recluses (really, how does one get to know a recluse?). Most don't mind being alone, though, and you pretty have to be social if you're going to make it as an artist unless you have an agent that's REALLY good.

Answer 4

I don't think you understand the meaning of "anti-social". Being anti-social is a mental disorder; such people have a complete disregard and contempt for other people, and believe that it the weak get hurt, it is their fault.
The word you're looking for is shy. It may be true that some artists are more reclusive, but I don't believe it's the norm. I've met many visual artists who are friendly, outgoing people.

Answer 5

Because part of being creative is seeing the world on many levels and through many possibilities, I think introverted types are more often also creative types. That's not to say extroverts can't be creative or that all introverts are-- just seems to be the way we swing.

Humans are social animals, so conventional wisdom dictates that if you prefer being alone with your thoughts to partying, you're thought of as strange. I don't know about the rest of you, but that sometimes pisses me off. So I'd rather contemplate winter's first snowstorm than be surrounded by drunken, self-centered people I don't know... freakin' sue me!

Answer 6

I wouldn't say anti-social.

I am a photographic artist. Its just hard to find people outside of the arts who understand us or our lifestyle.

So I tend to keep to myself or associate with artists in my community.

Answer 7

...anti-social is a harsh word..it's hard to think and create with other people around ..wanting to be alone and to work is not anti-social it's called concentration...anti-socials are people who can't communicate with others..artists see things other people can't see like detail ,lighting and color..the artist is always thinking ...ordinary people don't think of them things..they can't see beyond the site..

Answer 8

If you are a natural person you should try cognitive behavioral therapy. It was the only thing that has helped me with my horrible health anxiety. Read here https://tr.im/AnxietyTreatment

Your thinking determines your quality of life. Your thinking is what causes you these feelings:

Anxious, fearful, stressed or depressed
Constantly worried, or angry about something that is happening in your life
Struggling to overcome obsessive and negative thoughts.

If you change your thinking, you will change your life. This is the basic idea behind CBT for anxiety. The Cognitive part is where you learn nee methods and ways to change your same old habits and thinking patterns. If you keep thinking and expecting the worst – You will continue to suffer.

Answer 9

No, I think you were right in the first place. When we feel the need to work on something we are anti social. We eat sleep and breathe our little projects until they're done. Time has no real meaning unless it's a deadline and the world doesn't matter.

How many times have you actually stopped working to do something like sit down and eat like a human when you're working? Hot everything gets room temp and so does cold. Or you shovel down your meal so you can get back to work.

Freinds and loved ones stop by and the only time you go out is if they drag you then the whole time your not having fun because your heads back at the project.

When we work and get into it nothing else in our world matters. It is our life and because of it (Until we're done anyway) we are anti social. We don't care about going out or eating or the people in our lives because we are freaks that get consumed by our own creativity. My wife used to constantly give me crap about I wasn't spending enough time with her when I was working. The list of friends that said the same goes on and on. Is she right? Yeah, she is. I would totally get wrapped up into my own little world and nothing else mattered not even her. I was focused on the project and that's all there was.

My friends learned that when I was into something just to leave me be. When I come out into the sunlight they knew I was done and then it was everything back to normal. (Until the next time!) Then the process repeats itself.

We are also self indugent. Let's face it; we lead double lives every single one of us that creates. We are our Hydes to our Dr. Jeckells. People don't understand what we go through to create and try to find some sort of balance in our lives and that usually leads to turmoil because of our self indulgent and anti social behaviour when we work. Trying to explain the way we are to people doesn't usually work either. They just don't get it because they don't understand.

I made the decision when my daughter started to crawl that I was done for a while because she's more important. That life's more important, and that I didn't want to miss a lot of her's ever when she's in the same room. It took her to make me see that I should have been more like that all the while. (Sorry hon!)

I haven't totally quit working but what used to take me a couple days now takes weeks because I work when I find the time. And to be honest it drives me nuts sometimes. There are times that all I want to do is sit down and do something and it usually doesn't work out. Before it was creativity getting in the way of life and now it's life getting in the way of creativity. That was something I never thought would happen.

I guess what I'm saying is that while we do tend to be in our own little worlds when we work we have to find some kind of balance. I was most happy just to be with me and my own head but after a while it wasn't enough and we have to find time for the other things in life as well. I missed out on a lot of things when I was younger and gave my time to the art gods. But now it's just not as important and I wish I had done more things. Do I regret it ? Not at all. It was an experience that I had to go through and I can appreciate things a bit more now than if I was bombarded by them before.

It's a double edged sword we creative types walk on when it comes to being social and having a life and the fact is most of us pick being alone. In a way it's sad but at the same time we wouldn't have it any other way. Just get ready for the problems it will bring down the road, and yes they will be coming.

Answer 10

a lot of artists are just regular people and not part of the whole mystique. a lot of times, it helps to expose yourself to lots of different people and experiences in order to have more material for your art, rather than cloistering yourself, althought that can be very productive and helpful as well. sometimes, artists are just busy. my husband is an artist and he's very social, he just happens to not get out much because he is busy with his art.