How To Write An Artist Statement: Ultimate Heartfelt Guide
Evening Glow, Jökulsárlón, Iceland
The artist statement is one of the most important written works a photographer, or anyone else involved in an artistic endeavor, can produce. Here’s my guide to crafting an Artist Statement that will help you better understand and articulate your own, unique creative journey.
An artist statement allows the photographer to articulate their place in the world by exploring what, how and why it is that they create the photos they do, as well as what’s unique about their images and the creative journey they’ve embarked upon through the art of photography.
Photography can be considered as a metaphor for life. Making photos is very much a journey, with its share of ups and downs, challenges and rewards along the way.
My own life in photography has been creatively rich with lots of amazing experiencing along the way.
I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that, just like life, our journey in photography involves constant learning.
What Is An Artist Statement?
Usually written in the first person, an artist statement makes use of words like I and my to build a personal connection with the reader.
The exception to the rule is when a more formal or distant approach is deemed appropriate. Under those circumstances it’s acceptable to write an artist statement, like an artist bio, in the third person.
Your Artist Statement should explore the following:
The subject matter that features in the exhibition or book in question.
Your connection to the subject matter.
The nature of the photos you create and the primary concepts and themes those photos explore.
The process undertaken and the output chosen.
The main motivations, intentions and objectives that underpin the project in question.
What’s unique about the images you make.
While a serious undertaking, you should never think that the document your crafting is in any way permanent.
The artist statement is not written in stone, and it's completely up to you whether or not you share it with anyone.
Furthermore, if you’re like me, you’ll need to rewrite it numerous times before you’re happy with it.
You might then decide to publish your artist statement, on your website or favorite social media platform, as a way of gauging audience response and, potentially, initiating feedback.
Artist Statement Template
You can also use it as a template from which to create a variety of different Artist Statements for the various projects, books and exhibitions you’ll create over time.
You see, by its very nature an Artist Statement is organic and open to change. It should, therefore, be re-read and amended often.
Writing an Artist Statement is an important undertaking. But that doesn’t mean the process should be particularly difficult.
I remember going about crafting my very first artist statement, back in my days as a student studying photography.
Back then my spelling and grammar weren’t all that great. And I had little experience structuring sentences and paragraphs.
But I recognized that an artist statement was a serious endeavor and I wanted to do the best I could.
I constructed it, a bit at a time, by writing down a series of thoughts and ideas.
I didn't worry too much about spelling, grammar or even structure (e.g., paragraphs and sentences), knowing I could amend all that later.
I simply wrote down a series of dot points which I then re-arranged into an order that made sense.
The next thing was to take each of the points, one at a time, and turn them into sentences. Sentences that seemed to belong together began to form paragraphs.
Before I knew it I had the basis of my very own artist statement.
Finally, I added images to illustrate the text and subheadings and bullet points to break the text up into a form that’s easier to read.
Most of us work intuitively, by which I mean we start a creative project because we’re interested in exploring an idea, subject or technique.
It’s perfectly natural to do so without, necessarily, knowing what the final outcome will be.
It’s important to understand that expertise is a destination and all experts start as novices.
Because we gain expertise through the process of repetition and by continual failure, starting your artist statement without a clear idea of how it will look or read, when it’s actually finished, is completely normal.
Once you understand that, there should be no need to feel any pressure.
Starting can sometimes be hard, but once you start writing or typing you’re on your way to realizing a document that will announce to the world, and to yourself, who you are and what you’re all about.
That kind of pressure is enough to stop most creative folk dead in their tracks. It’s an example of the kind of paralysis that afflicts creative folks.
Believe me, as a very experienced teacher of photography, getting people to take action and move themselves forward is critical to helping them achieving their own creative goals.
I was a student, and not particularly strong in written English, when I was tasked to write my first artist statement.
I knew I had to find a way to get it done.
So I chose simplicity.
Rather than trying to write a beautiful expressive and well articulated artist statement, I simply wrote down a series of dot points which I then re-arranged into an order that made sense.
The next thing was to take each point, one at a time, and turn them into sentences. Sentences that seemed to belong together came together to form paragraphs.
Before I knew it I had the basis of my Artist Statement, which I then rewrote numerous times, all the while striving for improvements in clarity, tenor and xxxx.
Finally I added subheadings and bullet points to break the text up into a form that’s easier to read.
When published online in blogs or social media I’d also include images to illustrate the text, whether directly, or perhaps in ways that open it up to more poetic understandings
Most of us work intuitively by which I mean we start a creative project because we’re interested in exploring an idea, subject or technique.
It’s perfectly natural to do so without, necessarily, knowing what the final outcome will be.
It’s important to understand that expertise is a destination and all experts start as novices.
Because we gain expertise through the process of producing art, starting a project without a clear idea of how it will look or read, when the job’s done, is completely normal.
Once you understand that there should be no need to feel any pressure.
Starting can sometimes be hard, but once you start writing or typing you’re on your way to realizing a document that will announce to the world, and to yourself, who you are and what you’re all about.
Overtime, you might also consider producing several versions of your artist statement.
One that you consider as a more permanent document, that you come back to and amend, again and again, over the years.
Several simpler and more transient versions of your primary artist statement could be generated to suit particular projects, competitions or exhibitions, including group exhibitions, where you tailor the content of the document according to the specific subject matter, theme and audience you’re addressing.
How to Write an Artist Statement
The first thing to understand is that, just like your photography, an artist statement is an ongoing and evolving process.
A good place to start your artist statement is by introducing the subject matter featured in the project.
In the case of an exhibition, you might also find it useful to choose a title that does some of the work for you.
You can then start to expand upon the title by describing what was required to complete the project. The first step to doing so is by outlining what it is you actually photographed.
I remember an exhibition I held many years ago titled Statues and the Landscapes Between.
The photos, made in Central Australia and various parts of Asia, showcased spectacular natural landscapes and statues associated with Buddhist and Hindu belief systems.
I’m sure you can see how that quite straightforward title helped to introduce the subject matter in question.
The next step was to talk about the specific statues and landscapes featured, and their relevance to the project.
In simple terms, the concept behind the exhibition was the value of ancient cultures to contemporary Western societies.
When it’s your turn to describe how you went about making the photos featured in your own exhibition, be sure to outline the materials, processes, techniques and output (e.g., framed silver-gelatin prints) used.
Most important are the motivations, aspirations and themes that underpin the photos you create.
Speaking to these points will allow you to describe why it is you do what you do and what you’ve achieved by doing so.
As a case in point, take a look at the above photo made at the spectacular Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon in southern Iceland.
It’s a backlit landscape, reflecting the golden and pink light of a spectacular sunset, juxtaposed against the cool, bluish light from an approaching storm.
Duality, a major theme in my photography, is expressed by the blissful beauty of a sunset contrasted against the brooding menace of an approaching weather front.
Throughout this post you’ll see evidence of my quest for beauty and the transient, transforming and transcendental nature of light, whether in the landscape or in the faces of the people I photograph on my travel photography adventures around our world.
To that end, the mission of the Travel Photography Guru website is to share the beauty of our world and its people with an ever wider audience.
A portrait of a young boy, with his father watching on, in front of their store in Kolkata, India.
What, Why and How You Make Photos
I'm convinced that, once we've gained a sense of technical competency, our photographs become less about what we're photographing (e.g., people, landscapes, architecture, objects) and more about why we make the photos we do.
This is why it’s useful to differentiate the what, how and why behind your photography practice.
Having said that, these factors are actually more closely intertwined than we might otherwise think.
You see the reason why it is that we do what we do is going to be based around the following:
The story (e.g., growth) we want to tell
The message (e.g., forgiveness) we want to impart
The metaphor (e.g., broken heart) we want to suggest
The concept (e.g., transience) we want to explore
How you go about achieving these ends (e.g., the techniques, styles and approaches we apply) follows on from and is informed by why, far more than from what, you photograph.
And that's as it should be.
Undertaking a major project, like an exhibition or book, only amplifies the challenges and the commitment required.
The amount of time, money and effort needed to successfully complete a major project, like a book or a solo exhibition, should not be underestimated.
Careful consideration as to what, where and how your photos will be made and, when there’s a budget and a deadline involved, the time and cost needed to be invested into planning, photographing, post processing, printing and display (e.g., framing).
Needless to say, costs could balloon when travel and living away from home costs, such as food and accommodation, are involved.
If you set yourself definitive and achievable goals you’ll find that a realistic timetable will help to keep you focused and accountable.
That’s how deadlines are met, on time and on budget.
I spent nine years formerly studying photography. And I did so while working in the photograph industry.
One of the reasons I studied so long was to ensure that I wasn’t completely consumed by my job at Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd.
Despite an extremely busy working life, I progressed through the various university courses I’d enrolled in by staying focused and disciplined and by choosing courses where assessment was based around the production of exhibition quality portfolios.
When it came to my Post Graduate Diploma and Masters studies, major exhibitions were required.
Fortunately, the techniques, workflows and the need to submit major bodies of work throughout my undergraduate studies, made completing my post graduate degrees far less stressful than would otherwise have been the case.
And that’s despite a blossoming and increasingly demanding career at Kodak.
My own life in photography has been creatively rich with lots of amazing experiences along the way.
But photography, just like life, involves constant learning. It’s how we evolve as artists and as creative beings.
I think that once we get to a particular level of technical competence (e.g., exposure, composition, post processing) we can hit a bit of a rut.
It’s at such times that we’re likely to ask ourselves, “Is this all there is?”
To keep the ball rolling we can try to inject some more excitement into our photography by embarking on new projects, learning new techniques or buying more gear.
But none of that matters if there's not a reason that underpins why it is we do what we do.
Ultimately, why is always the most important question.
Design prinicples of symmetry and repetition explored in this photo of a high-rise apartment block in Singapore.
About To Travel?
This is the best photography course in Melbourne. Learn photography, master your camera and realize your creative potential by making beautiful, life affirming images.
I’m Glenn Guy, an experienced teacher and owner of the Travel Photography Guru website and blog.
Here’s the private photography course that’s specially designed around your needs, your camera and the photos you most want to create.
Best Artist Statements
A little bit of structural finessing with headings, bullet points and images, that represent the work you produce, will bring a higher level of professionalism to your artist statement and enhance the reading experience.
As the creation of an artist statement is a highly personal endeavor, you might want to avoid publishing it for a time.
Instead, come back to it, regularly, re-reading and amending it so that you're able to say as much as you like within a relatively short space.
It’s important to understand that, if you actually want people to read your artist statement, it needs to be concise, no more than a single page in length, uncluttered and built around short sentences.
Try to think of your artist statement as a visual work as much as it is a literary work.
Print it out and look at it. There needs to be a balance between text and empty space on the page. Doing so will provide a visual impression that the text can breathe.
To do this limit the length of each paragraph so that they contain no more than three sentences.
“Perfectionism is fine, it just takes longer”
I believe that economy of words and clarity of thought are critical factors that need to be considered when editing an artist statement.
Reader fatigue should always be considered. After all, you’re not writing Magna Carta.
With that in mind I strongly advise that your artist statement should not exceed one page in length.
This is particularly important if you decide to put it on the wall at your next exhibition.
To encourage folks to actually read your artist statement, whether it’s on a gallery wall or published in a A4 size exhibition catalog, you’ll need to ensure the text is well laid out and uncluttered, and that the font and text size can be easily read by older folks.
One of my favorite books is In Patagonia by famous travel author, Bruce Chatwin. It’s a seminal work and a classic in its genre.
At around 200 pages in length it’s a physically compact and easy to read book showcasing the author’s journey through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia during the 1970’s.
The discoveries he makes and the stories he tells make for fascinating reading.
But what immediately struck me, all those years ago, when I read In Patagonia was the extremely spare nature of Chatwin’s writing style.
Sentences and paragraphs were deliberately short and very much to the point.
Clearly, he’d read and rewritten the text many times to pair it done and reduce it to the minimum amount of words required to say what needed to be said.
In that regard, the writing style showcased throughout In Patagonia is the exact opposite to the rambling, drug-induced style featured in the famous novel On the Road written by 1950’s beat poet, Jack Karowack.
Both books are absolutely worth reading. However, as a study in how to write in a concise manner, utilizing spare syntax, then I highly recommend Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia.
As well as being a great read, it’s also a study in the art of restrained, minimalist writing.
Please remember that, if what you’re saying is important you’ll want to encourage your audience to read and comprehend what it is you have to say.
An economy of words is important in that regard.
But that doesn’t mean you should avoid being poetic.
Quite the contrary.
In fact, I recommend you find a way to merge an economy of words, short sentences and paragraphs, with some really beautiful, life-affirming words that point to the expressive nature and communicative power of your very best photos.
A traditional sheep shelter on the island of Bordoy in the Faroe Islands.
Artist Statement | Putting Words to Work
For your own Artist Statement to be of value it must both inform and underpin your work. Read and think about it regularly.
Do the words reflect who you are, as a person and as an artist?
Once you've tapped into your creative self and allowed the creation of art to outline your creative journey, are you staying on track and is it helping you navigate your way through life?
Can you see this is about far more than photography, the vehicle by which you produce art?
Is it not, ultimately, about your worldview and your own unique way of seeing the world around you.
Photography is a wonderfully expressive vehicle by which we’re able to do the following:
Act as a kind of passport into lives and worlds beyond our normal everyday experience.
Document the world, not just as it appears to the general public, but how we respond to it as creative, meaning seeking beings.
Place attention on aspects of beauty, courage, disadvantage and injustice and, by promoting greater awareness, help change the world, one photo at a time.
A nature based image that explores abstraction through an out of focus plant backlit by warm sunset light near Harcourt in Central Victoria, Australia.
Just as a poor diet can tell the world something about ourselves, as we currently exist, our photographs tell the world whom we are, at our very core.
Let's be true to ourselves and, through our photography, recognize our value and begin to realize our true creative potential.
Once you're finished your artist statement, be proud of what you've achieved.
You may even want to matte and frame it and display it on a wall at home, close to where you organize and post process your digital photos.
Sample Artist Statement Example
I hope you've enjoyed this post. Simply click on the link to read my own Artist Statement.
I do hope you'll consider creating one for yourself and that it will help you on your own, unique creative journey through life.
Please feel free to share this post widely and wildly.
The artist statement is one of the most important written works a photographer, or anyone else involved in an artistic endeavor, can produce. Here’s my guide to crafting an Artist Statement that will help you better understand and articulate your own, unique creative journey.