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The next questions to ask as you approach the writing process are:

Does my artist statement reach the level of my current body of work?

Does it prompt action on the part of gallery directors, journalists, collectors and buyers?

Does it underperform in competitions?

Read aloud, does my current statement compel intimacy or simply fall flat on the ears?

Does it lack authenticity or personality?

Do I dread the act of distilling the essence of my visual work into words?

Do if feel unprepared to speak in front of groups or industry professionals?

Do I feel at a loss for what to write (or say) about my work without rambling on?

Is my artist statement “stuck in the mud” because it pains me even to start?

Does the the writing process itself sends my thoughts into a tangle of confusion?

 

This concise step-by-step guide shows artists like you how to:

Break the artist statement down into essential contents, paragraph by paragraph.

Sift out the gems from the raw, organic soil of your creative “voice.”

Choose what (and what not) to include in your artist statement.

Distill the essence of your visual body of work and recast it into engaging verbal form.

Elevate your artist statement to reach your current level of accomplishment.

Craft each paragraph of your artist statement to be sharp, concise, and dynamically alive

To imbue each phrase with your authenticity and personality.

 

Sample the Introduction:

The well-crafted artist statement invites a special intimacy with your viewers that the rest of your presentation is not designed to achieve. Written in the first person, the artist statement is a uniquely personal narrative about your work, and why and how you create it. It has a story-like rhythm and spine, and is the primary instrument for communicating your true artistic voice. It differs from the resume, which lists your career trajectory in a standardized form. It differs also from the biography, which highlights the strengths of your resume, most often written in third person format. The artist statement is an essential tool in your presentation to gallery directors, collectors, museum curators, the press, and viewers attending your pubic exhibitions.

The actual writing of the artist statement can send ripples of dread, or at least tangles of confusion, up the artist’s spine. It can seem daunting to cram an entire career into a concise, one-page snapshot. However, when guiding artists through the completion of an outline, I notice that even the most apprehensive artists begin to enjoy the process…

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