1. a person who practices automatism, especially in art or writing, by allowing the unconscious mind to guide creative expression without conscious control
Usage: often used in art history and literary criticism; associated with Surrealism and related artistic movements
2. a person who believes in or advocates automatism as a philosophical or psychological principle
Usage: technical or specialized usage

Examples

• The Surrealist painter was an automatist who created works by letting his hand move freely across the canvas without planning.
• Many automatists in the early 20th century sought to bypass rational thought and access the creative power of the unconscious.
• As an automatist writer, she would sit down and write whatever came to mind without editing or revision.
• The movement attracted numerous automatists who believed that true art could only emerge from uncontrolled, spontaneous expression.
• Critics debated whether the automatist approach produced genuine art or merely random marks and words.