You've got personality!

Here are the other Personality ATCs I have made so far.

For the sake of those who haven't come across ATCs or ACEOs before, I'll explain. The cards are the same dimensions as baseball or other sports trading cards, 2.5"x3.5" or 64x89mm. They can be done in any medium you can think of -- acrylics (as these are), watercolors (as Fawzan specializes), collages, limited edition prints, etc. I've even seen ATCs that were sewn in cloth!

What's the difference between ATC and ACEO? They are different only in the intention of the work: ATCs are to trade for other ATCs, and ACEOs are to sell. For a primer, check out CedarSeed's ATC page. That page by a young Lebanese artist is the first introduction I had and still is quite inspiring. As a matter of fact, her whole site is a delightful inspiration, especially for those of us who admire Art and Lebanon.

So what's this about Personality? I based these cards on the MBTI Personality Types, planning to eventually depict all 16 types. MBTI is a scientific personality typing system used by psychologists worldwide. You may object to being a "type," but after taking a test and upon seeing the description of your four letter type, you may be surprised how accurate it is. (A self-test can be found here and here's a quick summary of the 16 types.) The first time I read my results, it rocked my world! It explained me to me so well, my quirks, my strengths, my general attitudes. In turn, it led me to a deeper understanding of other types. Reading about types may help explain why, for example, your spouse drives you crazy with his need to have quiet time after having guests over, or how you drive him crazy by your leaving your shoes in the middle of the floor.

Ultimately, different types make their own contribution to the world (and sometimes adds to the aggravation of the other types). But don't worry; you are unique. The world is still full of infinite variety, even if there are only 16 types. (I once read that Einstein and the UnaBomber were the same type. Definitely different takes on being an INTP.)

I loved learning about types and it changed the way I looked at the people around me. I can't guarantee this, but maybe reading about types you'll even grow to understand that your spouse was born to naturally to be half an hour early to every appointment.

Or half an hour late.