Types of Allies you will Encounter as an Artist

As an artist, and in other roles too, there are different types of people that you will encounter. They may prove to be anywhere from extremely favorable to extremely unfavorable to you. Here are only a few (more might be added in the future). Not necessarily in descending order from best to worst, but grouped by how recommendable they are or not to be invested in. And under this category, as allies.

Recommendable
• The Champion
Loud and bold, they’re comparatively unafraid of conflict and going against the grain. They would take the lead and face the consequences before others, pushing forward while enduring the first hits for daring to stand out and fight for something. With them on your side, there is hope of making progress against the odds.

• The Compass
Moral and ethical, they’re in tune with what is right and what is wrong. And more likely than not, they would feel so strongly about it that they’d readily speak out if things are going (or seem) stray. They’ll watch for hypocrisy, too, looking into people’s principles and values and how consistently they adhere to them. During dilemmas, they are able to weigh and sort out matters and issues.

• The Strategist
Both theoretical and practical, they’re able to bring ideas to reality. Or at least as much as it is possible to execute and produce. They can make the hard decisions, knowing that sometimes compromising is necessary and that something is better than nothing. You may not like the options suggested to approach and solve a problem, but they would be realistic and effective. Perceives the underlying formulas and formulates plans.

• The Historian
Attentive and retentive, they’re basically archives of what happened, when, where, how, and why. Able to recall relevant information that could break or make an argument or policy. And whatever they don’t know or aren’t completely sure of, they’ll gladly research to be as informed and accurate as they can be.

Tolerable/Manageable
• The Affected
They may lack talents and skills, or even be handicapped in some way, but as someone personally affected, they can provide valuable input by sharing their first-hand experience through their own perspective. However, depending on the gravity of what they went through, they may be anywhere from easy to difficult to exchange with.

• The Unvirtuous
They lack the virtues that others possess, but are not necessarily ill-intended. They may be a blank slate that is there to learn, or someone with plenty to unlearn but who also is compelled to join and try. They could be successfully guided toward merit but not much can be expected of them until they arrive there.

Not Recommendable
• The Illusionist
They only care about their image. What’s underneath is, to them, of no importance. They can move and operate solely on impressions, staying on a shallow plane, and may even lack the awareness to realize that they lack substance. It is about “being on the right side” so that they can reap the benefits of that and avoid liabilities of otherwise.

• The Clouter
They collect “clout” like it’s a game. As if scoring points that, as they accumulate, put them in higher and higher positions of authority. So that their claims are less questioned and their statements treated as law. And in this pursuit, they could be quite underhanded.

• The Swayed
They switch sides like there’s nothing holding them in place. Influenceable and reactive, a few empty words or even senseless propaganda could be enough to change their mind. They might like to believe that they are being rational and accepting the facts, but they are losing touch and sight of all else that should be factored in as they are persuaded.

• The Vicious
They are only there for the excuse and justification to tear others apart. The cause is their shield for their cruel actions. They’ll look for any opportunity to lash out, attack, and destroy. Could mercilessly nitpick and make mountains out of a molehill. They’ll turn on you as soon as there isn’t anything else to take out their vices on.

Alternatively, as an ally, do you see yourself among the Not Recommendable or the Tolerable/Manageable and don’t like it? Start/keep working on your improvement.