As a Type 2: The Patron...
Your life motto might be, We are Better Together. You are caring and generous with everything you are and have. You give more than feedback on other’s creative projects; you roll up your sleeves and help them become successful. You play a much-needed role in the creative economy, because without your backing some creative projects would never get off the ground.
However, if you aren’t careful, your strong desire to be needed can divert you from your own creative calling. You are a sucker for dead end creative projects that no one else believes in, even when there are objective reasons why no one should believe in them. You can waste hours, if not years of your time and energy, by saying yes to every request. This non-profit and that church service project and this extra assignment at work—they all pull you in different directions at once, splintering your unique purpose and calling.
Your generosity is your greatest strength while simultaneously being your greatest weakness, because taken too far you become a people-pleaser instead of a Creator-glorifier.
The Creative Enneagram Type 2, The Patron, has both healthy and unhealthy manifestations.
Healthy
You help others bring their creative dreams to life. You recognize that we are better when we create for change together. You image our Creator’s desire for generous community.
Unhealthy
You get swept up in other’s ideas and projects without listening to your own callings. You want to help others, but you sometimes neglect to objectively evaluate where to focus your time and resources; you realize too late that there is an opportunity cost to everything.
Famous Enneagram Type 2 – Daniel Fong
In 2017 two friends, Brian Chung and Bryan Ye-Chung, set out to create a Bible that would appeal to a demographic that was increasingly thought of as non-religious: millennials. But, they pondered, what would a Bible for millennials really look like? They knew aesthetic and design would be an important element because “Living in a more visually-centric generation, we judge a company by how their website looks,” Chung says. “We were interested in exploring that in a faith-based context.” [1]
They decided that the publishing company they formed, Alabaster, would print Bibles that would feel like art books. Using minimalist design and images even the most hipster savvy brand would appreciate; the duo began printing individual books and even individual chapters of the Bible tightly integrated in an artistic and creative new format. Working together, they soon discovered they were on to something when at their Los Angeles launch party, they sold out.
What they didn’t know was that one man bought every single copy.
Who would go to such lengths to support their fledgling new idea? Daniel Fong, an “unapologetically Christian” venture capitalist and the founder of the multimillion-dollar baby crib company Million Dollar Baby. He soon approached them with an idea: he would invest in their company, and mentor them, if they would treat Alabaster as a serious company and pursue it full time. The three of them struck up an agreement and by the end of 2018 had already sold over 10,000 individual books of the Bible in a new and fresh way.
Daniel Fong is a Patron who created for change and safe to say, without Daniel Fong as an ardent supporter, investor, and mentor, Alabaster would not be where it is today, reaching a new generation with the timeless message of God’s Word.
[1] https://trends.co/articles/how-one-company-created-a-niche-market-for-young-people-who-want-fancy-bibles/
Nest Steps: Where to go from here...
Did one of the Creative Types immediately resonate with you? While no one is “just one thing”, many people recognize both the healthy and unhealthy characteristics of their Creative Type quickly. Remember though, your personality type, or your Creative Type, is just one part of the amazingly intricate and uniquely created image bearer that you are. Your spiritual giftings, your life circumstances, your habits, your family, and countless other factors all play a part in shaping you into who you are and who you might someday become.
For all you personality test deniers, don’t overlook the patterns woven into you by your Creator. For all you personality test believers—yes, we see you posting your Type on social media—don’t let your type dictate to you who you are or what you are capable of, because God is changing and maturing each of us to be more like Him. So, let Him!
Just be forewarned, change is a process. Sometimes it’s a long and arduous path to understanding your creative calling, and learning your Creative Type is just the first step.
In the Created for Change community, we embark together on the adventure that is The Creator’s Journey.
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