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[Se] NF Artists/Athletes and Extraverted Sensing

skylights

i love
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
7,756
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INFP
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6w7
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
well, i'm a painter and violinist myself, and was recently lurking in the personality cafe forums when, just on a whim, i read the "you know you're an ISFP when..." thread. well, i'll be damned if almost every one of those lines did not fit me.

but, knowing full well that i am very N, it made me stop and wonder. as someone who is very attuned to sensory detail (though not on a broad scale - i have mediocre observational skills at best), i'm wondering how attention to sensory detail plays into personality for NFs. and of course, ENFJ has tertiary extraverted Sensing, but for many of us, Se is wayyy down the list.

for example, does our art end up being different? i suspect so - i suspect generally NFs would desire meaning whereas SPs might be ok with something being captivating/pleasing. i've read that SPs tend to give attention to musical nuances over lyrics, as well.

are there other NF artists/musicians/athletes who feel like their Se is very high and can relate?
 

Arclight

Permabanned
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
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ISFPs are known as the "intuitive sensors". They normally have very High Ni. usually found right after their Fi and Se .. You could easily be ISFP and still use intuition.
 

You

New member
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Jun 8, 2010
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entp
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7w8
Totally. In a writing thread here, all I did was score S, and I think my art makes me to be a very sensual person.
 

Chloe

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May 1, 2009
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i am very bad in S stuff, but I am very good in sports, very coordinated and quick.. so i guess i use a lot Se there. But I dont enjoy sports as many Se doms do, i enjoy them way less, i could never be athlete because i cant invest each day in that. Its draining to do it every day.
 

Vamp

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Jul 2, 2010
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579
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ENFP
Going off a function test I took earlier I have moderate Se. Is this normal for ENFP? My worst functions are Te and Ti, Se was much better.

I avoided sports growing up. Recently, I found out there's a hidden athlete in me and I can pay attention. I am still not as sharp as others but I feel like my observational skills are even better than they were. I feel it represents the changes in my approach to life.

I noticed from trying to improve my drawings by studying things and observing (fixed staring) my observational skills got better. I woke up one morning and literally saw things differently. This happened again after I started getting interested in sports, I notice all the tiny little things going wrong. I always considered myself to be good at observing but now it seems like it's more tangible.

I'm an artist without an art: I've never been good at anything. Right now, I'm obsessed with sports and make up artistry (that caused me to see human faces differently than before).
 

Ingrid in grids

Active member
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
1,748
I think I qualify pretty well for sensortardation in my everyday life with my inf Se. I'm usually oblivious to things in my way, things that cause me discomfort (or rather should be causing me discomfort) etc. It takes very active mental work for me to become acutely aware of my surroundings. I often have to 're-ground' my mind when I'm getting by because I can be accident-prone in my "absent-minded" state (as my all-S family observes :eek:uch::laugh:).

I'm an artist. I'm also a horse-rider and I like outdoorsy activities. In my artwork, I also seem to be drawn to fairly detailed work, esp. portraiture. I lose myself in the activity for hours.

In terms of how my art differs to say my close ISFP friend, I usually take a long time thinking about a work before I start. I have a tendency to lean heavy on the conceptual stuff, but I'm learning to make my works less complex and just enjoy the process and appreciate the aesthetics of it all. My ISFP friend is more free-flowing in her style, experiments first, and has an eye for the overall composition and balance. Me, I'll spend hours perfecting an eyelid or the slight curve of a mouth until I can finally see through the expression. I often ask her advice on things I'm working on because she seems to fill in my blind spots and see things in a way I don't.
 

Eckhart

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Jan 6, 2010
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???
I suck at any kind of sports (besides eSport maybe, haha). I don't realize what people wear for clothes; if you ask me what a person I saw one minute ago weared I will not remember. I won't notice when people were cutting their hair, they will look to me "as usual". I cannot describe places with many details although I visit them nearly every day. Sometimes I realize changes at our house like a year after it was changed. I am not interested in sightseeing etc.

I am not really artsy either. I know I liked to write when I was in elementary school (first 4 school years). I then stopped writing but when I had to write at school I did it mostly well. I don't like writing poems or so however. I like writing normal texts, maybe a story when I have to, and I heard I am decent when I have to write a inner monologue or such stuff from the perspective of another (fictional) character. I suck at painting, I don't play any musical instruments.


I guess that doesn't make me a high developed Se user.
 

Kasper

Diabolical
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May 30, 2008
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Being into sports or music doesn't make someone a sensor.

My INFJ sis plays viola, sax, piano and has played footy, volleyball and squash. Plus me and my NT bro are right into playing music and I'm right into sports as well.

My ISFP sis just has this uncanny natural ability when it comes to being artistic and sporty. For the INFJ it's something she's become good and very proficient at, and enjoys, for the ISFP she couldn't do anything else.
 
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nolla

Senor Membrane
Joined
May 22, 2008
Messages
3,166
MBTI Type
INFP
I don't think my Se is that good. I do draw and paint a lot and I am trying to make a career in media, so I would think I am an artist in some way. But I have been drawing for most of my life, so it would be strange if I wasn't quite good at it by now.

for example, does our art end up being different? i suspect so - i suspect generally NFs would desire meaning whereas SPs might be ok with something being captivating/pleasing. i've read that SPs tend to give attention to musical nuances over lyrics, as well.

I think the difference is that an SP likes the doing a lot more than me. I sometimes get into that state, but often it is about dreaming up a concept and then doing it. For example, my grandpa is a painter and he seems to be doing "the same" stuff all the time. He does landscapes. It seems like he likes to paint even if there is nothing new in it. I kinda can't as productive as he is since I always need the idea in order to inspire myself.
 

Rebe

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Nov 15, 2009
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I suck at sports. Walking a straight line is problematic and if I was to be put in a maze with random objects everywhere, it'd be the end of me. :D I am only partially joking. I have always always been terrible at sports. I walk into things, trip and it's not like I am always in my head dreaming, I just don't notice it. It doesn't register with me. With art, I am better with vague lines, abstraction and colors. I am terrible with precision and lines.
 

musicnerd93

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Apr 19, 2010
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for example, does our art end up being different? i suspect so - i suspect generally NFs would desire meaning whereas SPs might be ok with something being captivating/pleasing. i've read that SPs tend to give attention to musical nuances over lyrics, as well.

I was just thinking about this the other day. From my experience with SP's, it seems like with their art, they prefer concrete and realistic things. They do appreciate and accept all things as art, but their preference is a little more realistic. Where as, my art, and other intuitives art, is mostly abstract, quirky and surrealistic.

My art teacher is ISFP and my good friend is ISTP. My art teacher likes us to draw realistic things which I thought was so boring. I wanted to do something "avant-garde." We were supposed to take a candy wrapper and make it large-scale. Well, I had a Goetze's (which is just red, white and clear.) So, I thought to be "rebellious" I would simply just leave my paper white with a red line going down the middle. I turned it in...and she loved it! And I just had this look on my face like: :mellow:

I made the mistake of visitng the art museum with my ISTP friend. She loathes contemporary art and can't understand why I like it so much. We spent about an hour looking at the renaissance and European art, but I soon got bored and begged her to PLEASE let us go up to contemporary. But, she didn't understand why I found it all so intriguing.

But, that's just my personal experience. I love SP's and don't want to offend them, so any SP's feel free to call me out if I'm wrong. :)

Also, I think you're right about the music and lyrics thing. The sensing musicians that I've seen tend to put more thought into the actual music, and not really care so much about the lyrics. Whereas, intuitive musicians tend to focus most of their attention on the lyrics, not so much on the music.

That's why I love musical collaborations between a sensor and an intuitive. (Lennon/McCartney, for example: Paul-ISFP, John-I'm actually not sure what type John was, but I get an N vibe from him.) You get someone who writes great music and someone who writes great lyrics, and then BAM! You have a great song. :)
 

stringstheory

THIS bitch
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Jul 12, 2009
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1
Going off of my function tests, my Se is very low. i'm also a violinist and a singer, but I think my Se is only very active when it has to do with something music related. I have very good intonation, good relative pitch and I can easily pick out various harmonies in complex musical pieces.

However i do find that when I play i find myself really disconnected with the music. i just couldn't make the connection like i noticed most of my friends did when i was a music major. If i'm listening to something, though, it's a totally different story.

I don't do sports. They're fun sometimes but i'm awful at them. The only thing i was ever sort of good at was martial arts, but i attribute a lot that to the fact that it was a very individual sport for the most part.
 

Halla74

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i am very bad in S stuff, but I am very good in sports, very coordinated and quick.. so i guess i use a lot Se there.

You and my wife are very similar in this regard.

She is an "off the charts" INFJ (very high scores in all functions I,N,F, and J).

But, somehow the little devil is a great athlete, very strong and very agile, a great runner, and very good at softball too.

But I dont enjoy sports as many Se doms do, i enjoy them way less, i could never be athlete because i cant invest each day in that. Its draining to do it every day.

Interesting! I could be a trainer for a living, but being an athlete professionally might get tiring. A friend of mine who is an avid musician got a job as a DJ. He has his own company, and is very successful. But - he says that some of his love for performing has been stymied by the fact he does it for a living now. I think the same holds true for anything you have a pssion for. When you can pursue it on your terms, on your hours, and at your discretion it's the best thing in the whole world. But once you are dependent on it generating income to support your life, it takes on a whole new meaning...
 

SillySapienne

`~~Philosoflying~~`
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

MBTI has NOTHING AT ALL to do with whether or not you'll be coordinated or not, period!

I've always been coordinated, was forced to play team sports my entire child/teenhood though I hated it.

Been dancing since I was five, because I LOVE IT.

I am creative, maybe that has to do with being an NF, but my ability to dance, catch and throw a ball, and paint has NOTHING AT ALL to do with my type.

:doh:
 

Vamp

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Jul 2, 2010
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ENFP
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

MBTI has NOTHING AT ALL to do with whether or not you'll be coordinated or not, period!

I've always been coordinated, was forced to play team sports my entire child/teenhood though I hated it.

Been dancing since I was five, because I LOVE IT.

I am creative, maybe that has to do with being an NF, but my ability to dance, catch and throw a ball, and paint has NOTHING AT ALL to do with my type.

:doh:

This thread doesn't seem to be about using MBTI to see if someone is athletic, to me. This is more about Se in non Se-doms when they play sports or practice arts because these things require awareness of the outside nuts and bolts of the world.

I don't think the issue is about coordination or liking arts but about how paying attention to the outside world/the physical plays a part in being good at sports. A person can like sports, this is more about how they use their Se in sports and how does it differ from someone who has developed Se.

As it relates to art (and sports) this is about how you see the world; is it one big blur or can you pick up how things literally/physically come together and make other things?

I know for most Se is way down on the list for most of us but a cognition test I took yesterday puts my Se and Fi almost neck and neck.
 

skylights

i love
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
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so/sx
This thread doesn't seem to be about using MBTI to see if someone is athletic, to me. This is more about Se in non Se-doms when they play sports or practice arts because these things require awareness of the outside nuts and bolts of the world.

I don't think the issue is about coordination or liking arts but about how paying attention to the outside world/the physical plays a part in being good at sports. A person can like sports, this is more about how they use their Se in sports and how does it differ from someone who has developed Se.

As it relates to art (and sports) this is about how you see the world; is it one big blur or can you pick up how things literally/physically come together and make other things?

I know for most Se is way down on the list for most of us but a cognition test I took yesterday puts my Se and Fi almost neck and neck.

:yes:

yeah, it wasn't my intention to say type determines how coordinated you are. it's just about asking how NF use of S differs from SP use of S, for those of us who do have high S, Se in particular.

or just for any type that's not Se dom/aux and does things like sports or art or music which require explicit attention to sensory detail.
 

Stanton Moore

morose bourgeoisie
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
3,900
MBTI Type
INFP
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

MBTI has NOTHING AT ALL to do with whether or not you'll be coordinated or not, period!

I've always been coordinated, was forced to play team sports my entire child/teenhood though I hated it.

Been dancing since I was five, because I LOVE IT.

I am creative, maybe that has to do with being an NF, but my ability to dance, catch and throw a ball, and paint has NOTHING AT ALL to do with my type.

:doh:

Stop trying to destroy typology. Hater.
 

scortia

New member
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
201
MBTI Type
INFJ
Being INFJ has screwed around with my artistic endeavors a great deal.

I'm a classical pianist and I gave up performing publicly because my mind goes in two directions when I perform a memorized piece. My S feels the notes, the order and weight of them, the feeling of the music... then my N kicks in randomly and I start to think almost subconsciously. I can't turn it off and it sort of knocks my S for a loop and my hands have messed up on their muscle memorization because of that a few times.

With painting, it's sort of odd as well. I don't know how it relates to N and S, but I get super into the process itself but then start to ignore the importance of the art actually being aesthetically pleasing. It's more about the feel of the brush and the flow of paint. Then I get tired of the work really early because I've tired of my concept and the detail work makes me care even less.

And writing, ugh, so much internal thought... so hard to avoid doing internal thought all the time.
 

stalemate

Post-Humorously
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May 6, 2010
Messages
1,402
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ENFP
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7w6
I suck at any kind of sports (besides eSport maybe, haha). I don't realize what people wear for clothes; if you ask me what a person I saw one minute ago weared I will not remember. I won't notice when people were cutting their hair, they will look to me "as usual". I cannot describe places with many details although I visit them nearly every day. Sometimes I realize changes at our house like a year after it was changed. I am not interested in sightseeing etc.
All of this stuff describes me perfectly but I'm good at and enjoy sports (not so much in a competitive way, but just for myself), and I love photography and am ok at it I think.
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
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Mar 20, 2009
Messages
7,626
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4w5
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sp/sx
I think I qualify pretty well for sensortardation in my everyday life with my inf Se. I'm usually oblivious to things in my way, things that cause me discomfort (or rather should be causing me discomfort) etc. It takes very active mental work for me to become acutely aware of my surroundings. I often have to 're-ground' my mind when I'm getting by because I can be accident-prone in my "absent-minded" state (as my all-S family observes :eek:uch::laugh:).

I'm an artist. I'm also a horse-rider and I like outdoorsy activities. In my artwork, I also seem to be drawn to fairly detailed work, esp. portraiture. I lose myself in the activity for hours.

In terms of how my art differs to say my close ISFP friend, I usually take a long time thinking about a work before I start. I have a tendency to lean heavy on the conceptual stuff, but I'm learning to make my works less complex and just enjoy the process and appreciate the aesthetics of it all. My ISFP friend is more free-flowing in her style, experiments first, and has an eye for the overall composition and balance. Me, I'll spend hours perfecting an eyelid or the slight curve of a mouth until I can finally see through the expression. I often ask her advice on things I'm working on because she seems to fill in my blind spots and see things in a way I don't.

I pretty much relate to this....I do realistic art pretty well, but getting myself to do it is hard as I usually need some concept to motivate me, even if it's not a concept for the artwork itself, but something that gives me a reason. I have a pretty good eye for color and space (color is definitely my strong suit), but if I have no concept, I feel lost. ISFPs seem to dive in a lot faster - they don't over-think it.

As much as I can be oblivious to my surroundings, I am also REALLY affected by my physical atmosphere. I think this may be an enneagram 4 sp instinctual type thing....my mood is very affected by the aesthetics of my environment. It's like I NEED to be surrounded by beauty of some kind, even if it's a broken down, dark or strange kind of beauty.

Because I am so affected by aesthetics, I am also really aware of my appearance, but my idea of what looks good can veer into strangeness at times. That side is kept in check a lot, and if I were to indulge in it, I could probably appear somewhat eccentric.

In addition, I feel disconnected from my body a lot. It makes me feel awkward. Happily, this does not come across to other people as much as I feel it. I think because of my lithe body type, people assume I am somewhat graceful (or so I've been told), but I'm actually quite clumsy and I have a very slow reaction time. I'm not very good at sports because of this, but part of it is that I also just don't care. I am pretty good at yoga though, but I notice what a different state my mind is in when I am focused on the physical movements & holding a position - it's so foreign it's refreshing, but definitely not "natural".
 
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