Artist (Artisan, Craftsperson, Sculptor, Weaver)

The Artist archetype embodies the passion to express a dimension of life that is just beyond the five senses. The Artist psyche is
animated with the energy to express it into physical forms. The nature or relative grandeur of any form of expression is
irrelevant; a chef can be as much of an artist as a painter or landscaper. The signature of artists is not in what they do but in how
intense their motivation is to manifest the extraordinary. Doing what you do in such a way that you create an emotional field that
inspires others also indicates the Artist energy at work, as does the emotional and psychological need to express yourself so
much that your well-being is wrapped up in this energy.

The shadow Artist comprises many cliches, including an eccentric nature and the madness that often accompanies genius. The
Starving Artist represents the fear of financial ruin or the belief that fame and fortune come only after death, which often cause
artists to suppress their talents. In evaluating your relationship to this archetype, recognize that the need to bring art to others,
such as dedicating part of the energy of your life to supporting artists, is as much an expression of the Artist archetype as actually
holding a brush in your hand.

Films: Ed Harris in Pollock; Alec Guinness in The Horse's Mouth; Isabelle Adjani in Camille Claudel; Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life;
Gene Kelly in An American in Paris.

Drama: Amadeus by Peter Schaffer

Fiction: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce; The Horse's Mouth by Joyce Cary.

Fairy Tales: Gepetto in Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi.

Religion/Myth: Galatea (sculptor of Greek myth who brought the statue of Pygmalion to life); Shen-nung (one of the Three Noble
Ones of Chinese mythology who invented the plow and taught humanity the art of agriculture); Basa-Jaun (in Basque lore, a wood
spirit who taught humanity the art of forging metal); Sarasvati (Hindu patron of the Arts); Ptah (Egyptian creator god and deity of
craftsmen, said to have molded humanity on his potter's wheel); Ambat (Melanesian hero-deity who taught the art of pottery);
Ixzaluoh (Mayan water goddess who invented the art of weaving); Hiro (Polynesian hero who introduced humanity to the art of
writing); Hephaestus (Greek god of the blacksmith's fire and patron of all craftsmen).