How to Write an Artist's Statement
Are you a visual artist? If so, you need an artist statement, a short document that introduces your work to the world. Usually between 300 to 500 words, an artist statement declares what you do, how you do it, and why you do it.
A strong artist statement can smooth your pathway to galleries, grants, residencies, and art calls. It convinces adjudicators to take a chance on you and your art.
Not all artists find creating an artist statement easy and they want to skip it. Perhaps you’re like them, an instinctive artist who understands your art through sight, feel, and intuition. You find it hard to put your feelings into words. Your art makes perfect sense in the studio, but not on the page. Even so, remember that prospective clients will want to know what drives you and inspires you. The messages and themes you explore, and the details of your process are important to them. An artist statement reveals these elements to your public. It opens doors.
If you’ve tried writing an artist statement and you’re confused and overwhelmed, try the steps in this article. They’ll help you find your content, develop your voice, and write your statement.
Content—What to write?
First, decide what you’ll cover. A good way to do this is to forget about the finished statement and brainstorm. Instead, think of ideas you’d like to include. Jot down everything, no matter how straightforward or how complicated. You can winnow out the bad stuff later. For now, hunt for concepts, connections, and themes.
• Make an overview of what you do. Use diagrams, notes, maps, and word clouds. See what connects, repeats, and stands out.
• What should people learn from your artwork? Will they make fresh connections or feel something?
• What skills and techniques do you use?
• What does your artwork mean to you? How do you express these ideas?
• Do other artists influence you? Do themes from alternative subjects (science, the environment, pop culture, history) play a part? If so, state them and tell how they affect you? How do these influences and motifs appear?
• Have you started something new? How does it fit with the rest of your artwork?
• Describe what you do as if you’re speaking to a child. Keep it simple and clear.
Watch out for:
• Abstract ideas like love, success, and freedom. They foster vagueness and imprecision. Be specific as you can. For example, think not merely of love, but love of what, in which situations.
• Extreme ideas that cross an entire spectrum. For instance, can your work be both classical and modern?
• Clichés. Describe your work in original ways. Some overused adjectives are exciting, meditative, insightful, and ground-breaking. Stay away from them.
• Jargon and artspeak unless you know for sure your audience expects it. Too much jargon may confuse them, but not enough can bore them.
Voice—How to say it?
Image courtesy of Patty, via Creative Commons License, some rights reserved.
Your artist statement is you on paper, so it should sound like you. Write like you talk. Keep it plain and personal.
You may have to create several drafts to find your voice. Freewriting can help here. Write without rules and forget about grammar, form, usage, or spelling. Give yourself permission to write whatever you want and ignore the fears and critics that howl in your imagination. Simply write and write and write. After lots of uninspired and tedious work, the valuable and astute stuff will appear.
If you’re stumped, put down “I can’t think of anything to write and…” or “I’m sitting here writing about my art and….” Repeat this until you think of an idea and then follow it. And don't worry. Something will turn up.
Remember, both the visual arts and writing work in the same way: allow yourself to follow and explore an idea as you trust in the practice.
Statement—How to write it?
Image courtesy of Sean MacEntee, via Creative Commons License, some rights reserved.
When you have enough material, give it form.
Create an outline and decide where the concepts fit. Leave out unrelated and repetitive details and reduce your ideas to their essentials. Organize everything else into a coherent structure.
Here’s an example of a framework with four paragraphs:
• Paragraph 1: Why?
o What excites you in your art? What inspires and moves you? Why did you choose your medium?
• Paragraph 2: What?
o What is your medium? Describe what you do and what materials you use.
• Paragraph 3: How?
o What’s your artistic process? Describe how you approach it. Do you have a certain attitude while you work? What do you prefer as a subject? What themes do you explore?
• Paragraph 4: The Final Summation
o Revisit why again. Emphasize what you do and offer a call to action.
Create a first draft of your statement that follows this design. If it ends up too long, pick the best ideas and give it another go. This could take a few drafts: writing means rewriting. As you rework and edit the text, read the entire piece aloud to yourself. How does it sound? Natural? Logical? Persuasive? Change it to reach your goals. Soon you’ll have a new artist statement!
Resources
If you need help with your artist statement, please contact me.
Many of the ideas for this blog are from the articles below. They have brilliant advice for your artist statement, so please read some of these!
How to Write an Artist Statement by Rachel MacFarlane
How to Write an Artist Statement by Sarah Hotchkiss
Artist (Self) Interview Questions by Teresa Cochran
5 Questions Your Artist Statement Should Answer by Jeanne Bessette
5 Tips for Writing a Memorable Artist Statement by Jeanne Bessette
"Don't Quote Deleuze": How to Write a Good Artist Statement by Loney Abrams
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