P E R S O N A L I T Y   6 E

ISFP -- The Artist

"Private emotion in action"--that might be the best way to sum up the motivation of the ISFP. ISFPs live in the here and now, and when they wish to express themselves, they act in the here and now.

For this reason, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the ISFP. Rather than expressing themselves verbally, they act. Sometimes they "act" literally, as on the stage; other ISFPs paint, or sculpt, or draw or sing. For them, what matters is not thinking, or serving, or searching for meaning; the force that drives the ISFP is action. Thus anyone who wishes to understand the ISFP must examine and interpret the ISFP's creative actions. And because interpretation is so subjective, the ISFP is often misunderstood. (Usually by the interpreter projecting his or her own qualities onto the ISFP.)

Still, while this can be annoying to ISFPs, it rarely slows them down. Understanding would be nice, but it's not a requirement; all that is really necessary is an audience. It doesn't even have to be a live audience. ISFPs often prefer to do their creating in private, so it is enough that the work will be seen by someone eventually, perhaps in a recorded form.

Most ISFPs demonstrate a keen awareness of physical reality, yet have an almost childlike naivete where other people are concerned. The typical ISFP will go out of his or her way to exhibit kindness to others (and thinks that everyone else should, too), most especially when those others are looked down upon by "normal" society. Some ISFPs seem to consider it a matter of honor to stick a thumb in the collective eyes of society's rule-makers, and so consciously seek out and glorify those who reject "duty" (as defined by society) in favor of the Perceiving freedom the ISFP longs to have.

At the same time, these ISFPs also tend to possess a refinement of sensibility to the real world of objects that the other types cannot match. An ISFP may be attuned to nuances of color or light or texture, or be able to pick out a single flawless note in a rushing symphony, or taste distinctions of flavor or smell differences in fragrance that are undetectable to anyone else.

And once they've noticed these things, ISFPs are often capable of duplicating them in their own work. As with the other Sensing Perceivers, no practice seems necessary; it is as though they were born knowing how to accomplish these creative expressions. For the ISFP, there is no "practice"--there is only "doing."

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