Do you have an artist Statement?
The mere mention of the phrase "artist statement" makes most artists cringe in stress and anxiety. I've never really understood the stress many artists attach to creating artist statements; it's just talking about your work, and no one knows your art better than you. Still, I can see that telling artists creating our work isn't enough that we now need to explain our visual art in words is perplexing and overwhelming. It feels like we have a never-ending list of skillsets to develop and perfect so that we seem like a real artists.
Spoiler alert—you're a real artist. Having an artist statement won't change that.
BUT having an artist statement will help communicate who you are as an artist and what your art addresses to anyone who might see it (regardless of whether you intend to sell it).
Look, the truth is, saying "my art speaks for itself, and I don't need to explain it," or "people don't need to know about me to like my art" are lovely wishes but never going to be applicable in the real world. I hate to burst your bubble; most people need more information to connect to your art(and, in many cases, you), especially online. And if you intend to sell your art, an artist statement is required and essential to making those sales a reality.
Even I pushed back on this reality for a time. I resented the capitalist underpinnings of creating a statement to help sell my art. But honestly, I was focused on the wrong thing. I prioritized thinking about selling instead of using my artist's statement as a doorway into my art world; a way to enhance my art.
An artist statement doesn't need to intellectualize your art to death. In fact, your artist statement shouldn't be too academic or wordy; that won’t feel authentic to the people who want to know more about you.
Your artist statement should be honest, straightforward, and informative.
Here is an example of my artist statement:
"My art is like meditation. It's my touchstone back to the center. My practice helps me reconnect to myself over and over again."
I create art through deliberate exploration. My art examines the deep connections that happen through creation, and the process of creating art has saved me so many times in my life. Art-making has been a lifeline through emotional and physical pain. Deepening my practice has helped me get to know and explore myself more profoundly than anything else I've ever known.
My collages and paintings emphasize colorful, imperfect layers symbolic of the human experience. Creating art brings me peace and offers me a place to consider and convey the beauty of life's rich and layered complexity. My work gives considered attention to the organic process of creating. Over time, I develop rich, colorful layers full of history, which reveals completely distinct work that acknowledges the beauty of imperfection.
Remember, an artist's statement is just a way to let people see you and see your work fuller and more profoundly. Being an artist is vulnerable work; that might be the scariest part, but it's also the most necessary part of the process.
