The dreaded artist statement. Nobody likes to write it. Crafting a good artist statement takes time, thought…work – and it’s so easy to just go with the old one or put it off to another day. The thing is though, as humans we are constantly evolving, every single day. Our art is evolving. The way we think about things changes over time. If it doesn’t we have another problem.
Often when the chore of writing it is finished, we think either it’s good enough, or that it’s brilliant. And it sits. And sits. For years, sometimes.
And all the while we are creating new work.
Revisiting past works of art, if we are evolving, we usually see things we’d do differently now. That doesn’t detract from the value of the art that we did, but it shows how our thinking about it or the artistic process has changed.
Sometimes getting a little perspective helps. During a casual conversation, a friend mentioned a particular ongoing motif in my own work. It was a revelation to me, how certain elements of nature called to me and that I had repeated them over and over in different ways without even thinking about or realizing it, yet it was so obvious to someone else.
Looking at work through fresh eyes or getting an impartial opinion from an outside source can reveal a trove of information that can be mined for raw material.
Some artists make notes during or at the end of the working day – to track color notes, to remember what details they need to fix tomorrow, snippets of ideas for new work that pop into their heads while they are busy working on a current project. If you’re a note taker, it’s worth looking over your old notes for possible inspiration.
A book that I have found particularly useful and that I always recommend as a place to start is Writing the Artist Statement – Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work, by Ariane Goodwin. Her method is well thought out and organized. Trust the process!
If you still need help, please contact me. When I write your statement or bio we have a conversation in which I ask you a series of questions. These questions are not the same for every artist, From the information you provide, I write your statement using your words and your voice and of course, you have the final approval. Check out these testimonials from my clients.
Recent Comments