Are you an artist and wondering of what significance an artist statement is? If you wanted to express yourself in words, why wouldn’t you be a writer instead? Why can’t your audience look at your art and get the experiences they are after? This is just a tip of the iceberg of questions that most artists ask themselves regarding the importance of an artist statement.

Why you need to explain your art

Actually, artist statements form an integral part of an artist’s career. And one doesn’t need excellent writing skills to come up with one. This statement basically serves purpose of giving basic introduction about your art to the audience. It is not an instruction on your experiences, your thinking, what you feel, your actions or your stand as an artists. People use words to communicate, thus an artist statement is rather a collection of factual words that introduce as well as communicate your art’s language component.

Those audiences that come across your art and would want to know more will definitely have questions. When you are available, you’ll simply answer those questions. But in the event of your absence, your art statement will provide those answers. Or sometimes it could be possible that you don’t feel like attending to any questions, or an audience is just too embarrassed to ask questions, then your buddy, artist statement will do the job. So, how do you come up with one?

Writing your artist statement

All artists want as many people as possible to know and appreciate what they do. A well written artist statement will work to achieve the same.

Language

One of the most integral parts of a good artist statement is the language. So when writing your statement, ensure that it is in the language that a layman can understand, not one that you and other artists in your niche can understand. Don’t use the language used in an art school either, use a simple language that is used to explain things on a day to day basis. An effective artist statement should welcome people regardless of how much they know about your art in the first place.

Write for art novices

Just like the introductory part of a book, your artist statement should present the foundation of your art. As such, you should write it for those who love what they’ve seen and would like to know more. It shouldn’t be for those who already know who you are and what your art is all about. Using about 3 to 5 paragraphs give a basic information such as your reasons for making your art, your inspirations, what your art represents, what is special about the way you make your art, and what your art means to you. Do not bog them down, instead, entice them so they’d want to know more.

Exclude too much details

But don’t give too much so they can make inquiries. Usually, people tend to have a reduced span of attention. When readers are overloaded with details, you’ll risk discouraging those who’d prefer when things are kept simple. You should address those questions that are commonly asked concerning your art. Do not worry about providing satisfaction to dedicated fans. Your statement should be about widening your audience, not maintaining it. You will have more time later on to provide your recent converts more information about your art, for the time being your focus should be about making new conversions.

Personalize it

Most importantly, the artist statement revolves around you and your art, so make it personalized. Write using first person, not like your abstractly talking about yourself. Make it more conversational, as if you are talking to an audience. Only a few readers wouldn’t mind burning calories trying to get the meaning of your complexities. Keep it simple, make it more fun and engaging.

Other considerations

• Not every artist can write perfectly, if you lie in that category, seriously consider hiring a skilled writer, preferably one who knows art.
• Always give readers the chance to either agree or disagree with you. Do not dictate outcomes.
• Avoid evaluative comments or comparatives made about you and your art by other parties such as critics, curators, gallery owners and so forth.
• Avoid vagueness.
• Don’t use obscure references that need detailed explanations.
• Do not compare your art with that of other artists. The statement is about your art so let it be yours alone.
• Actually, there’s a lot to be adhered to if you really need to come up with an impressive artist statement that explains your art clearly. The above points are however enough to come up with a standard artist statement that can do the wonders. If you need more, you might want to hire a professional.