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[NT] Aesthetics

Orangey

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How important are aesthetics to you, NTs?

I ask because in my experience, many NTs don't really give a crap, so to speak, about how stuff looks, be it their person, their clothes, or their surroundings/belongings. I, on the other hand, find aesthetics to be very important. I have a definite sense of what is beautiful and what is not, and I definitely prefer for things to be on the beautiful side of the spectrum. I chalk it up to having a 4 wing on the Enneagram.

So what role does aesthetics play in your lives, if any?
 

Haphazard

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I find them very important, though someone who looks at me or my space wouldn't think that.

I guess it's an idiosyncratic sense.
 

Engler

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While I don't find aesthetics to be terribly important, I do appreciate them deeply.

(Of course, I may not be an NT, so you can disregard my post altogether.)
 

Tewt

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I think they can be very important. When I first started out on my own, I just didn't have furniture until I could buy what I want etc. However, I would wear my pj's in public. Guess it depends.
 

01011010

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If I have to buy something, I will go for the most attractive item in the same price point. As someone else said, I appreciate beauty. I just don't go to great lengths to surround myself with it.
 

INTP

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I care 0.01% about aesthetics normally, but 100% when its about art.
 

Llewellyn

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Aesthetics can be a prime motivator in my choices, so they are important.
 

kathara

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Aesthetics are very important to me, although I do not express it through my clothes or my surroundings. I appreciate them in their highest form, which is art.
 

The_Liquid_Laser

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I appreciate fine aesthetics, but when I'm buying something I'll rarely pay more just to get the thing that is more aesthetically pleasing.
 

tinkerbell

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aestetics are important in many ways in my life, and in many places, but in many they are not.

I prefer to date men I find aestetically pleasing, but it's not a total deal breaker.

I keep an untidy desk and hire based on skills and aptitudes not looks.

I like to make food look nice if it is for other people but less so for myself. I like to buy pretty things for my home but I don't have a co-ordination gene....

So in places at times....
 

paperoceans

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IDK about you, but I'm pretty vain. I'm obsessed with hair, makeup, body hygiene, clothes, etc. :D I actually consider it a hobby. Most of my money goes towards clothes, perfume, or M.A.C.; actually, I think that's all I spend my money on... cough.

I think it depends on the person. Everyone does not like the same things. Like, I can spot Louboutin shoes or anything by Alexander McQueen, when the average person cannot. I choose to spend my time obsessing about these things and I am guilty of following several fashion blogs. All because I'm a NT doesn't mean I only care about science or whatever. Science is OK, but I prefer the fashion world.
 

mockingbird

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I care 0.01% about aesthetics normally, but 100% when its about art.

I don't want to overgeneralize NTs, but this quote seems to represent what I've observed about them. They may have a profound appreciation for art, but they aren't going to go out of their way to make sure that their towels are color coordinated with their shower curtains.

Actually, when it comes to the appreciation of pure aesthetics in fine art, NTs do have one distinct advantage over Feelers that I can think of. Although one must appreciate emotion to a degree to appreciate art, the biggest hindrance to people in understanding the complexities of aesthetics is often sentimentality. An NT is less likely to look at a painting and say,"The dog in that painting reminds me of my dear ol' Blue. So therefore, it's a great work of art." Granted, I'm a Feeler, and I am not this sentimental, but I'm just speaking in general here.
 

kathara

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IDK about you, but I'm pretty vain. I'm obsessed with hair, makeup, body hygiene, clothes, etc. :D I actually consider it a hobby. Most of my money goes towards clothes, perfume, or M.A.C.; actually, I think that's all I spend my money on... cough.

I think it depends on the person. Everyone does not like the same things. Like, I can spot Louboutin shoes or anything by Alexander McQueen, when the average person cannot. I choose to spend my time obsessing about these things and I am guilty of following several fashion blogs. All because I'm a NT doesn't mean I only care about science or whatever. Science is OK, but I prefer the fashion world.

I have noticed the ENTPs I know - male and female - have a thing for fashion and being popular.
 

Orangey

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Okay so I see that there is inconsistency with what area of your lives has the greatest aesthetic focus, but there is consistency in that most of you value aesthetics asymmetrically in your lives (so, strongly in one area but not in another). I wonder how true this is for most people, though. I mean, is there anyone (NT or not) who values aesthetics in an overarching way, applying it to all aspects of their lives? And is there someone who has no care for aesthetics at all? This is difficult to boil down into a type-related thing after all.

I have a very strong sense (and appreciation) of aesthetics when it comes to art, but like many of you have said, I don't focus too much on aesthetics when it comes to my clothes or home decor or anything like that. I mean, I do moderately, but I don't go out of my way to always make my appearance (and the appearance of my surroundings) an aesthetic production. I like to look nice within reason, though. And my surroundings need to be aesthetically appealing in some way...not necessarily absolutely beautiful...but in some way tolerable.
 

mockingbird

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^
Yes, on second thought, maybe this isn't type related. In describing the sense of aesthetics that Ive observed in NTs, I have also descibed myself in this regard.
 

Not_Me

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Like, I can spot Louboutin shoes or anything by Alexander McQueen, when the average person cannot.
Why is this important? The aesthetics is arbitrarily dictated by mass marketers. The system is designed to extract a constant revenue stream from the controlled consumers. What payback do you get from conforming to this standard?

This is not intended as an attack. I am simply trying to understand a value system that is so different from my own.
[/QUOTE]
 

OrangeAppled

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I was friends with and briefly dated an INTP photog and he obviously valued aesthetics as an artist. He was definitely an enneagram 4 also. I am quite sure he was not INFP though. He was Ti-dom, and even his photos showed it. His photos had this removed feeling in the way they used color and space - and he never photographed people's faces. I don't know why, but I found that significant. He was also very conscious of his own appearance - he was obsessed with his weight and would spend like an hour going over shoes he wanted to buy with me ("do you like these better?" "what about this pair?"). It crossed into obsession at times, and yet other times, he didn't care at all and would look like a mess.

My ENTP dad will also put a lot of effort into his appearance when he wants to (he's a musician, so his stage image is important to him). For him, it seems like there must be a purpose though. He has a good eye, but he uses it selectively. His everyday dress can be pretty bad, and he'll just throw a baseball cap over his uncombed hair.
 

Blank

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He has a good eye, but he uses it selectively.

I feel like that sums me up pretty well too.

I don't go out and buy clothes that "pretty" me up. I buy clothes that are comfortable and get the general gist that I'm a smartass across. If I'm going to buy furniture, I'll take my time and actually select something I find appealing.

This is a bit of a side-tangent, but do any of you have any fucking clue how hard it is to find a pair of solid black tennis shoes, size 12.5+ (wide) that aren't butt ugly or expensive as shit? It's fucking ridiculous.
 

INTP

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His photos had this removed feeling in the way they used color and space - and he never photographed people's faces.

Do you know if he has a flickr or da account? Id like to see how removed feeling shows on picture.

Portrait photography is something that meny photographers dont like that much. I dont think its some mbti thing, its just that some people see portraits more boring to shoot or to watch than for example landscapes or street photography.
 
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