[karaterobot]

I'm not sure how I'd use this. I think of someone like Bob Dylan, who has arguably fit into all of those categories at various points in his career. Where would I put him? Does it just depend on what era you're talking about? But there's no concept of evolution within that model, no way to use it to predict whether someone will change categories, or how that could be done.

I'm also not sure what "cool" has to do with artistic contributions. Many great artists aren't cool, as I understand the word, and many cool people aren't artists, as I understand the word. And the thing it's tracking doesn't seem to be coolness, but artistic... prominence... or something along those lines.

Finally, it's not a continuum, it's a set of discrete categories. There's nothing in that model that talks about (for example) being mostly a rebel, shading a little bit into innovator. So the name is confusing as well.

[tonguetrainer]

There's a "natural state" where an artist's dominant traits stand out and their impact is most felt. Frank Black of the Pixies is one example of an artist who started as a Level 4 Innovator but settled into being an Artisan later in his solo career. But ChatGPT and I both agreed he's primarily an innovator. That's where his impact is felt most, is his work with the Pixies.