Q: Why do I have to write an artist statement? It's stupid. If I wanted to write to express myself I would have been a writer. The whole idea of my art is to say things visually. Why can't people just look at my art and take away whatever experiences they will?
A: Artist statements are not stupid; they're more like essential. And you don't have to be a writer to write one. And people already look at your art and take away whatever experiences they will. Your artist statement is about facts, a basic introduction to your art; it's not instructions on what to experience, what to think, how to feel, how to act, or where to stand, and if it is, you'd better do a rewrite.
On this planet, people communicate with words, and your artist statement introduces and communicates the language component of your art. People who come into contact with your art and want to know more will have questions. When you're there, they ask you and you answer. When you're not there, your artist statement answers for you. Or when you're there, but you don't feel like answering questions, or you're too busy to answer questions, or someone's too embarrassed to ask you questions, or you're too embarrassed to answer questions, then your pal, your artist statement, does the job for you. So let's get busy and write the damn thing...
Just about all artists want as many people as possible to appreciate their art. A good artist statement works towards this end, and the most important ingredient of a good statement is its language. WRITE YOUR STATEMENT IN LANGUAGE THAT ANYONE CAN UNDERSTAND, not language that you understand, not language that you and your friends understand, not language that you learn in art school, but everyday language that you use with everyday people to accomplish everyday things. An effective statement reaches out and welcomes people to your art, no matter how little or how much they know about art to begin with; it never excludes. Rest assured that those who read your statement and want to know more will christen you with ample opportunities to get technical, metaphysical, philosophical, personal, emotional, moralistic, socially relevant, historical, environmentally responsible, political, autobiographical, anecdotal, or twisty with jargon-- LATER, NOT NOW.
Like an introduction to a book, your statement presents the fundamental underpinnings of your art; write it for people who like what they see and want to know more, not those who already know you and everything your art is about. In three to five paragraphs of three to five sentences each, provide basic information like WHY YOU MAKE YOUR ART, WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO MAKE IT, WHAT IT SIGNIFIES OR REPRESENTS, HOW YOU MAKE IT, WHAT IT'S MADE OUT OF, and perhaps briefly, WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU. Don't bog readers down, but rather entice them to want to know more. As with any good first impression, your statement should hook and invite further inquiry, like a really good story is about to unfold. Give too little, not too much.
People have short attention spans. When you overload readers with details, you risk drowning them in minutia, and discouraging those who might otherwise persevere if you keep it simple. Address and answer commonly asked questions about your art. Save the complicated stuff for those who progress to the next level. Don't worry about having to satisfy your dedicated fans. You won't bore them and you won't lose them; they already love you. And if they have questions, they know how to get them answered. Remember-- your statement is about broadening your audience, not keeping it static. You'll have plenty of time to give your most recent converts the grand tour-- LATER, NOT NOW-- you have to convert them first.
Plus this... you're statement is about you, so personalize it. Write it in the first person, not like you're talking about yourself in the abstract. Infuse it with your unique perspective. Whenever possible, make it conversational, like you're speaking directly to readers (note: a good editor can work wonders here). The more complicated, theoretical, arcane, inscrutable, bloated, pompous, elitist, egotistical, bombastic, arrogant or impersonal your statement, the more trouble people will have trying to hack through it and connecting with you and your art on meaningful levels. Few readers want to burn calories trying to decipher complexities; they burn 'em all day long. For now, they just want to see your art, take it easy, have fun and enjoy themselves.
Additional considerations:
* Not all artists can write well. If you're in that category, think seriously about hiring a professional writer or editor, preferably one with an art background, to help you convey what you want your statement to convey in language that ordinary everyday people can understand.
* Make "I" statements rather than "you" statements. Talk about what your art does for you, not what it's supposed to do for the viewers. This doesn't mean you start every sentence with "I," but rather that you respect people's autonomy and allow them to respond to your art however they wish.
* At all times, give readers the option to agree or disagree with you. Never pressure them or attempt to dictate outcomes.
* Avoid comparative or evaluative comments that have been made about your art by third parties such as gallery owners, critics, collectors, or curators. These belong in your bio, resume or curriculum vitae. In your statement, they're name-dropping; in your curriculum vitae, they're testimonials.
* Connect what your art expresses with the medium that you're expressing it in. For example, if your art is about world peace, and it consists of twigs protruding from pieces of clay, explain the connection. Arbitrarily stating that twig/clay protrusions represent world peace leaves people wondering. If of course, the object of your art or your statement is to leave people wondering, then that's OK. In art everything is OK, but in order to succeed as an artist, someone beside yourself generally has to get the point of what you're doing.
* Be specific, not vague. For example, if your art is "inspired by assessments of the fundamentals of the natural world," tell which fundamentals you're assessing and how they inspire you.
* Avoid obscure references to music, art, literature, history, or anything else that requires detailed explanation or gobs of previous knowledge. If you have to make such a reference, explain it fast so that people know what you're talking about. If you can't do it fast, do it later.
* Tell the story about what led up to your art ONLY if it's short, compelling, and really really relevant. People are generally not interested in progressions of antecedent events. Something leads up to everything; we all know that.
* Avoid comparing yourself to other artists. If other artists influence you, fine, but don't say, "Like Picasso, I do this" or "Like Judd, I do that." Instead, say something like "Picasso's Blue and Rose paintings influence how I use yellow." Better yet, leave other artists out of your statement altogether. Let the critics decide who you're like. Plus you don't want to invite comparisons between yourself and the greatest artists who've ever lived. We all know who the victor's gonna be there.
* Don't instruct people on how to see, feel, behave, respond, or otherwise relate to your art. Nobody likes being told what to do. Instead of saying "You will experience angst when you see my art," say "This art expresses my angst" or "I express my angst through my art." Or go see a therapist and work it all out.
***
Before you go public with your statement, get feedback. Show your art and statement to friends, friends' friends, and maybe even a stranger or two. Make sure they get it, that they understand what you want them to understand. When they don't, or you have to explain yourself, do a rewrite and eliminate the confusion. If you need help, find someone who writes or edits and have them fix the problem. Many times, a little rearranging is all that's necessary to make your statement a clean clear read.
No matter how good your statement is, know up front that most people will read it and move on; only a few will want to know more, fewer yet will want to know everything, and fewer yet will ultimately progress to the point where they actually buy something. That's simply the nature of art and personal taste. Having said that, never underestimate the power of an effective statement to intensify, enhance and advance how people experience your art.
Writing Your Artist Statement, By Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D.
An artist statement is an essential part of a good portfolio. Gallery owners respect the professionalism of a good statement. A good statement allows people who love your work to find out more about you, offers your audience more ways to connect with you, and increases their appreciation and perceived value of your work. Equally important, an artist statement gives you the opportunity to see what you do through the eyes of language, to validate your creations from a new perspective. However, artists attempting to write their statements are faced with the daunting problem of coherently organizing all those words!Words are a completely different experience from the tactile world of art making. Paper and paint inhabit the world of our senses, while words remain the detached curios of our minds. Once in a while, when the two worlds connect and words entice our senses, we love it.
So what stops us from using words to describe our art, the same words that have been with us since we could walk? Why are we so suspicious of language, one of our fundamental connections to being human?
The answer, in part, relates to a fatal combination of art critics and education. Art critics use language as scepters of judgment; if their words determine our self-worth, then by all means, kill the messenger. Formal education uses language as a means of control; we are taught when, where and how we can or cannot use which words, and, consequently, we grow to mistrust our relationship to language. The mistrust smolders underground, mostly unnoticed, until our words are thrust into containers, like the artist statement. Suddenly, words make us visible targets for judgment and criticism.
An opportunity to write an artist statement often causes us to second guess every idea we ever had about our work. We convince ourselves that we have nothing to say, or certainly nothing to say of value. Our first instinct is to either turn off the light and head out of the studio or pump ourselves up to overwrite. But running away confirms our fears that there must be something to run away from. And pumping up encourages us to use flimsy or pretentious words to smooth over our mistrust of language. This, in turn, fuels our perception that language cannot adequately describe our art.
Luckily, you have an alternative to giving up on your statement before you start. Instead, pretend that you have a lot to say that is neither self-important nor trivial, but is rather relevant, revealing, and wonderful. Imagine that all of your objections to writing have been overcome and you are simply going to write whatever you believe to be true, at the moment, about your work. The good news is that by letting yourself go, you can discover and create a working artist statement.
There is an unselfconscious language about your work which you use all the time. Every time you talk or think about your work, you experience a relationship between words and your art. The trick is to learn how to catch yourself doing this, and then faithfully write it down.
A Few Tips For Getting Started:
Treat your artist statement with the same care that your treat your art. It's all about you.
Use a notebook that is lovely or practical and keep it with you at all times-- in the studio, in the car, beside your bed.
Find and use a writing pen or pencil that flows smoothly across the surface.
Take a few weeks to jot down any fleeting thoughts that come to you about your work. Give yourself permission to gather. Selecting and sorting can come later when you have enough in your basket.
Make specific times and dates with yourself to transform your notes and write your statement. Respect these times. Do not tolerate interruptions.
Prepare your internal space. Close your eyes and conjure up your worst critic. In your mind's eye, lead this person out of the room. Give them another task, besides breathing over your shoulder, say, climbing a tree, or skipping stones, or going to the local library. Tell your critic not to come back until you are ready. Critics are terrified of being abandoned, that's why they are so tenacious, so reassure yours that there will be a place set just for them at the editing and revision table. Critics are also stubborn. You may have to do this more than once.
Write more than one statement. Like different works of art, an artist statement also thrives on change and rising out of "the moment." What suits this month's work may not work for next month's work.
Give yourself permission to make mistakes. Let yourself write badly. Crumple up lots of paper balls and throw them in a corner. That's the beginner's way. Then, when your statement comes out great, which it eventually will, you will know the difference.
Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D. is an Artist Career Coach and writer. Her website is Artist-Statement.com.
Keep Your Artist Statement Short and Clear
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Related article: How to Write Your Artist Statement
Q: When anyone asks about my art, I refer them to my artist's statement, my resume, and some representative images of my current work. Several people have told me that my statement is a little hard to understand and that maybe I should simplify it a bit. My response is that it accurately represents what I do and, although I never say this, the ones who make these kinds of comments don't usually know that much about art. Any suggestions?
A: Clarify your statement (and while you're at it, lighten up on the attitude). You have to consider anyone who asks about your art as a potential buyer and when they ask, you should do everything in your power to answer their questions. The fact that some people have difficulty understanding you could very well mean that a lot more have similar experiences as well, but just don't say anything. After all, most people keep contrary opinions to themselves.
Think of those who comment on the complexity of your statement as trying to help you rather than as not knowing enough about art. Many artists spend so much time around other artists and art people that they're often out of touch with what average buyers do or do not know. In addition, most people who buy art do not have formal art educations. Artist statements that are peppered with art jargon or artspeak may sound great to you and your friends, and make perfect sense to insiders, but mean little or nothing to everyone else. And what happens when you get too complicated for average individuals who like and sometimes buy art to understand what you're up to? You lose potential sales.
So keep your statement and other introductory materials clear and to the point. Your goal should be to hold readers' attention without being confusing or intimidating. You want to give them a chance to understand and enjoy your art, to at least have enough basic information to establish some sort of connection with it, to draw their own conclusions, and to learn about it at their own speed. The better people understand your statement, the closer they'll feel to your art, the longer they'll spend looking it, and the best part? The greater your chances of making sales.
If you decide to rework or simplify your current statement, ask people outside of informed art circles where they get confused and how they think you might explain yourself better. Pay special attention those few brave folks who come forward and voluntarily share their feelings with you. They probably have the most well thought out suggestions of anyone. You don't have to do every single thing everyone says, but if you ask enough people, the types of changes you need to make will become clear.
Several additional pointers:
* Be brief. A good length for an introductory statement is two to four paragraphs of no more than three sentences each.
* Tell what your art is about, what it signifies, or what you intend for it to communicate.
* Appeal to viewers; get them involved with what you're doing. Give them reasons to care.
* Avoid complex explanations, obscure references, and artspeak.
* Try not to catagorize your work or compare yourself to other artists or art movements.
* Use language that everyone can understand.
