Artist Statements Archives

9 Ways To Use Artist Statements

by Ariane Goodwin PhD | Jun 27, 2024 | Artist Statements, Selling Your Art

Let’s face it; no matter how much you decry, defame, or devalue writing an artist statement, you need it. I guarantee that somewhere along your creative-journey you will be asked for one.

Hopefully, you will outsmart the nay-sayers and not get caught in the same predicament as a painter who contacted me ten months after a prestigious New York gallery had accepted his work. He was a hard worker and a fine artist, and this was a pivotal point in his career. Yet, he had not shown a single piece of work in all ten months. Why?

The gallery asked him for an artist statement and he froze. He’s still painting, still producing canvass after canvass, but as far as I know, he hasn’t written the statement that will, literally, launch his career.

Savvy galleries understand the value of artist statements — that’s why they insist on them. Besides benefiting the artist, an artist statement saves a gallery owner precious time, even as it gives that extra emotional connection that can influence the perception of an artist’s collectability.

Something all creative entrepreneurs can use, yes?

Imagine, three measly paragraphs that can hold you hostage, or set you free.

But here’s the kicker: even if your creative entrepreneurship—as a visual artist, sculptor, a writer, dancer, musician, or a creative scientist/engineer/carpenter—doesn’t include galleries, you can steal their ideas and apply what they do to your artist statement.

Here are 9 ways galleries use selected sections, or an entire artists statement:

In their press releases
For announcing shows, or the addition of a new artist to their stable
On their websites
In the gallery’s portfolio/exhibition book
To give to writers or journalists for articles
As historical notes for a retrospective exhibition
In conversations with collectors and patrons
As support material on the wall, or beside the artwork
To hand out at shows for take-home information on a specific artist

A good artist statement gives off the glow of professional detail that makes any gallery owner’s life a bit easier. It also adds spit and polish to the overall effect of the artist-as-person, which in turn compliments the artist-as-artist and the artist-as-investment.

When you give a gallery your artist statement, up front, they credit you with being an organized, professional, and ambitious artist. If a portfolio is missing a statement upon acceptance, most galleries will ask for one.

As with all smart, marketing strategies, a rule of thumb is: know your audience. Each gallery owner has a different idea of what an artist statement is; where, or if, they will use one; and what distinguishes a fine statement from the mediocre.

9 Ways To Use Artist Statements lady sitting on bench in art gallery looking at 4 art pieces

Before you submit anything, call or write the gallery for their portfolio guidelines. What do they expect to see in your portfolio, and how do they want it presented? If a gallery doesn’t mention the artist statement, ask if they use them and if they have guidelines or suggestions. Many galleries are informal and will simply talk you through their expectations. Be prepared to take notes before you call. I recommend a simple, spiral notebook where you can collect all of your information from every gallery in one place.

When you call, be sure to ask if it is a convenient time for them to answer your questions. You’d be surprised how far a little courtesy like this will go.

Remember, your professional credibility is on the line the minute you open your mouth or send in your portfolio. Here are some suggestions to keep you from making 7 blunders that will cost you dearly:

Don’t use your artist statement to make up for work that doesn’t work. Get professional feedback before you send anything out.
Have at least three people, whom you respect, look over your writing for typos, grammatical errors, unclear phrasing, etc.
Stay away from evaluative comments about your work. Critics’ shoes do not fit artists’ feet.
Use language that is lively, clear, and accessible. Esoteric, arcane language will not impress anybody.
Beware of grandiose statements. Low self-esteem loves to dress up in loud outfits.
Write with details, the spice of life. Generalities generally are flavorless.
Keep it short (max: three paragraphs).

A gallery is one of your vital links to collectors. When galleries ask for an artist statement, they know what they are doing. Offering their audience more ways to connect with you increases the overall appreciation for what you do, and the perceived value of your work. Of course, if your statement isn’t well written the opposite will be true.

Before you start writing, I suggest a “gathering” stage. This is especially important for the artists who fear that they have nothing to say about their work. I assure you; you do. You have a specific art language, which you use all the time when thinking or talking about your work. The trick is to learn how to catch yourself in the act. Begin with the stated intent that you will listen to yourself. Then follow these tips

Carry around a spiral notebook or tape recorder for phrases about your work that come in:

A conversation
A daydream or night dream
In the car, in the studio, in the shower, anywhere inspiration strikes

(I don’t know about you, but the more years I tuck under my belt, the clearer I am that my mind lies a lot about what it will remember.)

Include reflective comments in your technical notebook. What were you thinking as you applied that final glaze, did a color study, selected the perfect marble, composed your latest song, or wrapped fabric samples around your model? Also, take note of which technical notes could make good copy.
Enlist a friend who is willing to talk with you about what you do and why — someone willing to take notes, or tape-record the conversation. Often we say the perfect thing to someone else
Let the experts do it for you: Pluck out quotes, of yours, that appeared in articles about your work. Or, if you are clear that you just don’t want to write about yourself, hire a professional writing consultant who specializes in working with artists. They can save you time and heart ache.

For the most part, gallery owners welcome artist statements with open arms. But every once in a while, you may come across a gallery that won’t. Some of these gallery owners/managers are also artists, who instinctively respond more to visual language than to the written word. They assume that the people coming into their galleries do the same thing. It is a common human error to think that everyone is just like us.

Another possibility is for a gallery to have a policy not to use artist statements. Perhaps the gallery likes to create a personal rapport through face-to-face meetings, conveying the sentiments of an artist statement, in person, to their collectors.

In either case, I suggest educating in a gentle, respectful way. Suggest that, since you have already “developed” a statement, you will include it for their “review.” If they “choose” not to use it, that’s fine. Then — and here’s the secret for having galleries end up loving you — when you send in your portfolio, include a TIP SHEET OF POSSIBLE USES clipped to your artist statement. (Just cut & paste the list at the beginning of this special report on how galleries use an artist statement. Be sure to put it on your letterhead. You do have a letterhead, don’t you?)

After you’ve been accepted, respectfully request that the gallery make your statement available for the public. Most galleries, no matter what their personal preferences, are not likely to turn down professionally developed, intelligent, and accessible secondary materials.

Want to take your artist statement to the next level?

Check out Writing The Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work for a step-by-step guide to your best artist statement ever!

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What, Exactly, Is An Artist Statement? Find Out So You Can Use Its Power to Sell Your Art

by Ariane Goodwin PhD | Jun 2, 2024 | Artist Statements, Selling Your Art

It was true in 2002 and it’s just as true in 2024:

The more ways you can reach your artience, the greater your chances for selling your art.

Yes, most likely, your creative strength lies in your visual language, whatever the genre. And words—the language of everyday communication, the language of our culture and family, the language in our thinking minds, the language we depend upon to clarify an image—hold a far more complicated place in our psyches, which I’ll explore in another blog post.

Most of us accompany any visual image with some word-language, even when the visual image is more compelling or dominant.

In fact, the very dominance of visual imagery often seduces us into believing that the visual trumps words, which is why the cliché “a picture is worth a thousand words” is quoted so often. And in my estimation, so thoughtlessly.

What’s important to remember is this: all humans respond to word language, be it verbal, written, or via thought.

And ignoring the power of words to amplify the power of your visual work means you are also ignoring a powerful pathway into the hearts and minds of your artience—the people who love your work and who only need one, extra push to buy it.

The most direct, and most elegant container for words that relate to you and your art is the simple, if challenging, artist statement.

But, where do you begin? What do you need to know before you tackle what I call a grain of sand in an artist’s shoe?

When you’ve read as many truly awful artist statements as I have, it begins to dawn on you that maybe, just maybe, the awfulness starts at the very beginning.

Here’s the most basic question—What the heck is an artist statement?

It turns out you need a definition to start, but there is far more at stake here than just a definition.

For a compelling, engaging artist statement, which truly catches the attention of your viewers instead of making them yawn, here are five major things to keep in mind.

First: Accurately Defining An Artist Statement

When you have an accurate definition, that becomes the very first step in deciding if you’re headed in the right direction or not.

I’ve tracked down ten different sites with ten different ideas about what an artist statement is. And, as far as I can tell, none them really understand three things:

What an artist statement does for the viewer who is reading it.
What an artist statement does for the artist who is writing it.
And how these two trajectories affect each other; both for what is written and for the statement’s final effectiveness.

During my years of one to one coaching, I discovered one of the most confusing aspects of an artist statement is deciding, exactly, what it is.

As I was working with painter, Bob McMurray, I asked if he had an old artist statement we could compare to the one he had just written.

Not really, he said. I wrote some things for a web site, but it’s not an artist statement. I’ve been thinking about writing one for ages, so I was primed and ready to go when I got your book.

Imagine my surprise, when I surfed over, to find a perfectly coherent artist statement on his site. True, a few touch-ups and a stronger central theme would be a plus; and, what he had worked. So, why was this clear to me…

…but not to McMurray, who, after all, wrote the artist statement that he did not think was an artist statement?

It’s Not Obvious, But The Answer Is Simple

Many artists suffer from LOI: Lack Of Information.

If you don’t know what an artist statement is, then how can you be sure that what you’ve written is an artist statement?

When I ask artists to tell me what they think a statement is, one of the most common responses I hear is: I’m supposed to tell my viewer something about my art.

Well, yes, that’s pretty much it in a nutshell… only who is telling you about this nutshell? Is it the hull of a hazelnut? An almond?

When you have a vague definition like this, it becomes subject to a steady stream of individual interpretations, much like the ten websites I just reviewed. Ten different, often vague and disconnected characteristics of an artist statement, but not the deeper purpose of it.

Consider This:

Does An Artist Statement Support Your Art Or Reflect On It?

The problem, when you don’t know exactly what an artist statement is, is that you end up cobbling together a statement out of resumes, biographical statements, and critiques about the artwork and technique. Or, you opt for academic mumbo jumbo.

This usually happens when how you use an artist statement—support material for your art—gets confused with what it is: a very personal reflection on what, how and why you do what you do.

Defining an artist statement has the same benefits as setting a goal: it tells you if you are headed in the right direction. If you don’t know where you are going, then getting there becomes a dicey affair.

You could end up driving aimlessly around for hours. On the other hand, if you establish where you are going, you have a marker for knowing whether or not you have arrived. This single step will save you hours of grief.

So, in case you blew past it a few paragraphs ago, here’s a definition based on your deepest truth that simultaneously holds the power of viewer engagement:

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An Artist Statement Definition:

An artist statement is a written, personal reflection on your insights about your relationship to what, how, and why you do what you do—from your perspective as the artist-creator.

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Its purpose is to give your artience a peek behind the scenes, to let them have a taste of what your experience, as an artist, is really like.

But wait… there’s more!

Counter Intuitively, It’s Not Just For Your ***Art*ience**

There’s another side to the artist statement that no one usually articulates: the artist statement is not just for art patrons and gallery owners.

It is also has the capacity to deepen the creativity in your ArtLife.

The very effort of searching for words, which reflects your relationship to your art, increases your creative flow. This is true whenever we engage in a form of self-expression that pushes us out of our comfort zone. Like sweat from physical exertion, the struggle to articulate an artist statement has the added benefit of getting your creative juices flowing.

Writing the Artist Statement focused my connection to my art in a new way. The whole process primed me, gave me a sense of direction.

Now when I’m faced with choosing what to paint out of hundreds of photographs, understanding what moves me, this core place of nostalgia, gives me the reference point I need. ~ R. McMurray, retired Pres. of the Federation of Canadian Arts

As Uncomfortable As It May Feel…It’s About You

We have been conditioned, in so many ways, to feel awkward saying anything complimentary about ourselves. While, conversely, our culture encourages us to make demeaning, belittling self-comments, especially under the guise of humor.

And because an artist statement is so deeply personal—as personal as your art—this tendency toward the Negative Self often pushes us in the opposite direction.

Keep in mind that a good many in your artience think you are magic and if they stand close enough, some of the magic will rub off.

With an artist statement, you give them permission to stand close enough to get a contact magic-high. At its best, an artist statement is honest in the same way that your art is honest. They both reflect a true expression of your being.

When an artist statement speaks from that place of what’s real, then, and only then, will the truth of your statement and your art effortlessly support each other.

Because It’s All About The Personal, Keep This In Mind …

An effective artist statement is as personal as your art. Which is why I insist that artists use first person, I, even though the very thought of writing “I” statements about your art might strike dread into your heart.

It’s very tempting (and artist do it all the time) to write your artist statement in third person because it feels as if that will keep strangers from judging you.

Even though you see artist statements written in the third-person (she/he) all the time, this is never a good idea.

Usually, an artist does this fearing that their statement, and by implication the art, doesn‘t have enough authority to be believed, respected or taken seriously.

Because authorities write about others in the third person, the artist tries to make it sound as if an authority is doing the writing.

But a third-person artist statement becomes easily confused with a critique, and as we have said, an artist statement is not a critique.

Third person also drops the artist statement squarely into a lie, since the artist purposefully sets the reader up to believe that someone else, besides the artist, is doing the writing.

Third person feels more credible, as if some expert wrote all this cool stuff about your work and isn’t that just too neat!

Unfortunately, that removed quality, which third person offers, is exactly what will kill the very reason for an artist statement in the first place: to give your viewer another way to bond with you because now they know something real about you and your art.

The Sticky Factor 

An effective statement creates a personal connection to the artwork and stimulates our human thirst for “story.” This, in turn, triggers longer memory storage, and increases the sticky factor about your art, by immersing the viewer in two languages: visual and linguistic.

Writing in prose works best because prose is a friendly, accessible form. Prose lends itself to narration and storytelling, which helps the reader engage with what the artist is saying, which in turn encourages the reader to engage with the art.

Once in a while, poetry or prose-poetry is effective, when an artist is comfortable and skilled enough to pull it off.

The content of a statement is simple: It’s made up of specific words, which the artist chooses, and their construction.

Details Matter

Even if collectors love your work, an artist statement that comes off as arrogant, naïve, pushy, academic, or fluffy taints your artwork by association. Why take the chance?

Your work deserves an artist statement that gives you the professional edge you need.

Even though Artdex’s definition of an artist statement is only partially accurate, this bit of their advice might motivate you: A compelling artist statement can break a tie in an art competition, an artist grant application, or secure your spot in a coveted artist residency program.

And, to help you with the “detail” end of things, here’s one tip I’ll share about compelling writing: always use specific details in place of generalities. 

“A tree” becomes “A gnarled oak with one branch blackened from lightening.”

“A sliced orange” becomes “One slice into the skin and the pungent, orange fragrance rose up from the cutting board.”

If you would like a comprehensive understanding of what an artist statement is—and how to leverage the purpose it serves for you and for your artience—alongside a step-by-step process for how to write an artist statement, keep in mind that the learning curve is similar to taking a class in a new technique for your artwork.

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Beyond the 9 to 5: How to Turn Selling Art Online Into Serious Income

by Ariane Goodwin PhD | May 25, 2024 | Artist Statements, Selling Your Art, Your Creative Mindset

Here’s what we know: about half of Americans consider themselves artistic and creative, so selling art online is a dream for a whole lot people. However, even as the art market has become more and more competitive, a significant number of creators rarely know where to begin.

Luckily, there are some fundamental, and actionable, steps you can take to grow the business side of your art career so you can sell art online. Check out the following three, commonsense recommendations.

No. 1: Only Your Best Work

A simple, yet profound truth: Every artist is unique, and the work they create is irreplaceable. However, even the best artists’ work is a mix of practice pieces, pieces that don’t work at all, and pieces that fulfill the artist’s vision. When it comes to selling art online, it’s critical to know the difference and select those top pieces that represent your talent at its best.

Whether you are an emerging, mid-career, or established artist, you want to showcase only the work that defines you; the work with your unique, artistic fingerprint.

Which pieces are most compelling for you?

Think about those, then check in and ask a handful of people you trust for their most honest responses. Chances are high that people who buy your genre of art online will find these pieces equally appealing.

Be careful that you focus on pieces with a consistent artistic fingerprint that identifies you, and only you, as the artist. Jumping around with multiple mediums to discover where your artistic passion truly lies, is perfect when you are in the experimental stage of your art business.

But once you have moved into the emerging artist stage, and you are ready to sell art online, make sure you have identified the medium and style that immediately tells your online art buyers that this is your best work.

No. 2: Sell Your Art on Multiple Platforms

You can explore the various websites designed for artists who are launching an art business. Or, you can create your own webpage and develop different strategies to market your work.

Set up an Instagram, Tumblr, and TikTok page to display your work. Think about who might buy your kind of art. If it’s landscapes, maybe businesses with outdoor sports. If it’s lyrical and abstract, maybe interior designers. Then, be sure to follow those people on social media, and use appropriate tags to reach the ones who might be most interested.

Another option for selling your art would be easily searchable, well-known platforms like Etsy and Redbubble. Millions of people like to peruse these websites, and your artwork will automatically go under predetermined search words so it’s easy for people to find them.

No. 3: Price Your Artwork Competitively

While many artists, along with their loved ones, consider their art priceless, it’s important to pay attention to the market. No matter how established you may eventually be, with a fan club of art lovers, at any art career stage your prices need to be in line with your art career level. That means setting prices for your art that people will actually be willing to pay to a beginner.

Research what other emerging, mid-career, or established artists, who work with your medium and at your scale, are charging. Look across multiple sales platforms and social media sites to give you a well-rounded view of average market prices so you can set competitive rates.

When You Are Ready, Start Selling Art Online the Right Way

With these three foundational recommendations, you can turn your creative dreams into a selling-art-online reality: Only your best work, Sell on multiple platforms, and Price your artwork competitively.

Ariane Goodwin, Ph.D. is an artist ally who leans into the mantra of Truth, Power, and Art when working with emerging, mid-career, and established artists. She has several options to help artists accelerate the business side of their art careers. Download her Writing the Artist Statement eBook and Ambitious Bundle so you can take action and keep your eye on fulfilling your artistic dream.

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The Ultimate Power Couple for Selling Your Art…The Artistic Fingerprint + Artist Statement

by Ariane Goodwin PhD | May 10, 2024 | Artist Statements, Selling Your Art, Your Creative Mindset

Let’s define our terms, shall we?

Before spring planting, I like to pull out weeds first. Sometimes definitions need this too.

Artist Statement:

Weed pulling… what it’s not.

It’s not: a bio, a resume, or a personal critique.

Planting…

Your Artist Statement is a process where word-language reinforces the visual language of your art.

Your Artist Statement is a process where word-language reinforces the visual language of your art.

Because we are all hardwired for visual and word languages, believing one is more powerful or important than the other burns down one of the most powerful bonds you can have with your viewers. Full stop.

Artistic Fingerprint:

Weed pulling… what it’s not.

It’s not your artistic voice (unless you’re planning an Off Broadway review).

It’s not your artistic style (unless you’re planning a runway collaboration during Fashion Week.) (Or you want to know where your work is on the historical art styles spectrum).

Planting…

You Artistic Fingerprint is what distinguishes you from the thousands of other artists all vying for visibility. It’s the X factor in every, single piece you create that tells anyone that you, and you alone, made this.

And like your literal fingerprint, no one else can truly duplicate what you do.

Besides the fact that most artists create their work, in some aspect or other, with their hands, a finger’s fingerprint is also a visual clue—not auditory, or kinesthetic, but physically visual.

The Artist Statement Half of… The Ultimate Power Couple for Selling Your Art

Here are two, little-understood, artist statement secrets: About Them and About You.

Secret #1 About Them: the people who see your art, who are moved by your art, and then immediately experience a very human desire to want more.

And the more they want is …

Secret #2 About You: the artist who gave them this moving emotional, aesthetic experience.

Sure, they can stand there, shifting from one foot to the other (or move their cursor around), and stare some more. Maybe even strike up a conversation with someone next to them about what they are seeing and feeling and thinking: Honey, come look at this. What do you think?

Sure, you can leave it up to them to wander into this never-never land of your art and take what from it what they will, until they move onto the next piece (maybe one of yours, maybe not).

Alternately, you could give them a killer artist statement that keeps them right there, next to your work, contemplating it even more. Spending more time with the experience your work has triggered for them.

Because, when you capture that next layer of insight and awareness – without detracting from your viewer’s perspective – you have built a psychological bridge between you (the artist) and your potential buyer.

your artist statement is a psychological bridge

Ah, you may be thinking, but how do I write an artist statement that doesn’t interfere with what my viewer is experiencing? Isn’t putting my spin on my work already inserting myself into their experience?

As it turns out, many artists I’ve worked don’t bother with the open-ended curiosity of a question, but go right for the declaration: I won’t write my artist statement because… I want my viewer to draw their own conclusions. I don’t want to interfere or impose on their interpretation or experience.

I totally get it. This resistance to writing an artist statement feels utterly reasonable, especially to those of us who already worry about inconveniencing or “bothering” someone else.

However, this misplaced concern completely misses the point of an artist statement, which is not an explanation of what your work means, or a roadmap to what someone should be experiencing when they see it.

If you want to dive into why this declaration is not actually protecting any viewer from anything, check out this blog post: Your Artist Statement… Why Bother? Part 1: Four Rational Reasons To Not Write An Artist Statement.

If you are doing it right, your artist statement is not telling, or explaining, it’s revealing your relationship to the piece they’re viewing.

your artist statement reveals the relationship

An effective artist statement is all About Them, about extending the experience you are creating for them!

It is about giving them a precious, word-language context that bonds to the visual-language you and your art have created.

It’s letting your viewer in on some aspects of your private relationship to your work, which, when done well, brings your viewer closer to the piece they are experiencing because they feel closer to you, the artist.

At the Core of Artist Statement Secret #1: About Them

… lies an uncomplicated truth: an effective statement creates a personal connection to your artwork because it stimulates our human thirst for story.

an effective statement creates a personal connection

This, in turn, triggers longer memory storage about you and your work by immersing the viewer in not just one, but two languages essential to our human experience: visual and linguistic.

At The Core Of Artist Statement Secret #2: About You

This secret is a bit sneaky because it’s not at all what people think an artist statement is for.

Besides the art patrons, gallery owners, residencies (and a dozen other applications), your artist statement is for you. Not the marketing-business you, but you the artist.

Writing an artist statement gives you another way to reflect on your work. When you dare to climb this small, professional Mt. Everest, a surprising view of your own work awaits you at the top.

The very effort of searching for words that truly, authentically reflect your relationship to your art increases your creative flow.

This is true whenever we engage in a form of self-expression that pushes us out of our comfort zone. Like sweat from physical exertion, the very struggle gets our creative juices flowing.

One of the great keys of creativity is to shake things up, get out of familiar mindsets, work against the grain. Sometimes it is hard for an artist — whose artwork is based on uniqueness — to realize how easy it is for any pattern to become familiar.

Writing your artist statement — the what, how, and why of your work — will draw art buyers closer to your work even as it deepens your own awareness.

As another sculptor, Norbert Ohnmacht, learned:

Writing my artist statement gave me a chance to focus on myself. It opened up more creative juice and self-expression than I had experienced in a long time. Taming my internal critic, and the roadblocks to my inner mind, gave me new skills to express my heartfelt emotions to others.

Working on my statement gave me the opportunity to delve into my inner soul and reflect on the science of “me.” When I took the time to evaluate what, how and why I do what I do, it refined my work and gave me a fresh, determined self-confidence that I had lacked before.

The Other Half of…

The Ultimate Power Couple for Selling Your Art: Your Artistic Fingerprint

We are all deeply familiar with the sensation that we are unique; there is only one of me, and only one of you.

And yet, even though we live in a culture that elevates individualism over the collective, celebrating our uniqueness is discouraged by a whole host of admonishments:

It’s not polite to brag.

Who do you think you are?

So, you think you’re better than others…

There’s always someone more talented than you.

You’re stuck up.

You sure do have a high opinion of yourself!

And then there’s the disparity between women being confidently themselves and men:

You’re too loud.

You’re a bitch.

You’re too dramatic.

You talk too much.

Don’t step on anyone’s toes.

Don’t be a (fill in the blank)… slut, loudmouth, and so on…

Our rational minds may have learned to compensate for, or overcome, this pervasive, persuasive cultural negativity to the point where we truly believe we are free of its subconscious undertow.

And yet, for a whole host of artists, this cultural mindset has poisoned the well of their Original Uniqueness of their Original Selves—some more so, some less.

The result is either a fuzzy, incomplete, or completely missing artistic fingerprint because the uniqueness of who we are and the uniqueness of our artwork are intimately, and forever, entwined.

When an artist is highly skilled, talented even, and yet it’s impossible to tell their artwork apart from dozens of equally skilled artists with similar work, that’s what the world of card sharks would call “a tell.”

Often these artists have settled for the ohhs and ahhs of family and friends; or the creative high that goes hand-in-hand with the skillful execution of a piece. All the while denying the world a true slice of their unique soul.

As I’ve said before, and it bears repeating, repeating, repeating:

Artistic fingerprints are the soft underbelly of our creative ArtLife. The direct flow between your work and your creative soul depends upon the willingness and courage to be raw and vulnerable.

And this, in large part, needs the appropriate personal boundaries and safeguards in place so vulnerability becomes risky enough to break through old patterns, but safe enough to stay real.

Every artist I’ve ever met has told me of the moments where they felt elevated they had entered a timeless, seamless flow where there was no distinction between themselves, the piece they were working on, and the process of creating. It was all One.

The universality of this experience goes unquestioned. And yet, each artist’s creative efforts have pulled from this realm a piece that looks unlike any other piece anywhere. Creative paradox.

Like the fingerprints on your fingers, your Artistic fingerprint holds this intriguing, creative paradox: it is at once unique and universal–always a fingerprint… yet never the same.

Creative Magic: when you give yourself permission to mine the depths for that which is truly yours, you lead the way for others to know themselves in equal measure.

Whether or not they take you up on that is their business. Yours is to always shine the light on your Original True Self.

your artistic fingerprint is the ultimate creative paradox

A Case Study For The Ultimate Selling Your Art Power Couple:

Your Artist Statement & Artistic Fingerprint

When one of my private clients held a solo exhibition of his sculpture, he followed my suggestion to display each, singular art statement, about an individual piece, alongside the artwork.

The typed statements were mounted at the top of thin, metal poles rising out of a stand to shoulder-height, so you could walk right up and read it. And because the font size was large enough, anyone else peering over someone’s shoulder could also read it.

I arrived at the opening early and made a point to be a fly on the wall. And what I saw truly surprised me. The oft-quoted truism—a picture is worth a thousand words—had all the air knocked out of it that night.

All evening, with its 200 plus guests, I watched the same scene unfold.

Someone would approach one of the sculptures, glance briefly at the piece, then immediately turn and read the entire art statement; some that were two or three paragraphs.

Then they would turn back, with an appreciative nod or smile, and really look at the sculpture, walk around it, talk about it, walk around it some more.

I could see on their faces how their brains first registered, and then organized, the words they read with the images they saw. I could literally see how the combination kept them engaged with each piece, and how it sparked conversations between the guests.

The result of that night was a selling-your-art success…

…and a triumph for the ultimate Power Couple for Selling Your Art:

Your Artistic Fingerprint and Your Artist Statement.

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If you are ready to write your ultimate artist statement, check out the all new, updated 3rd Edition of my eBook: Writing The Artist Statement: Revealing The True Spirit of Your Work

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Selling Your Art 2024, The Artist Statement, and Instagram

by Ariane Goodwin PhD | Apr 5, 2024 | Artist Statements, Selling Your Art

Does the artist statement help you in selling your art? Besides vibing on Instagram, your artist statement improves the process for selling your art in 20 other places.

When I stumbled upon artist statements it was 1992. The Internet was barely off breast feeding. Twitter didn’t exist, much less its decadent descendent.

In 2002, when my artist statement book first came out, the art world reserved career for an artist who had died (and were “given” a career retrospective), or a famous, old, alive artist also being “given” a career retrospective.

At that time in our culture, the collective perspective of artists was moving away from the maverick outsider to the more accepted, business person, albeit one with a flair. At that same time, the artist statement was an elusive element in an artist’s portfolio that no one considered overly consequential (including artists), much less worthy of a whole book.

In 2002, all that changed with the first edition of Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work,

In 2002, all that changed with the first edition of Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work, where I uncovered the logical, practical, and reversible flaws in the artist statement resistance movement. You know the one… where artists proclaim with bravado that they have nothing to say that someone can’t already see in the work.

Never mind that this was silly on its face since what the artist sees and what a viewer sees, in spite of any overlap, is essentially a deeply personal “seeing” that arises out of the unique experiences of each individual.

Spin forward into 2007, when I realized that, for artists, the concept of selling your art had zero professional support. So, I created and produced held the first smARTist Telesummit conference for visual artists. Over the next six years, thousands of artists from 16 countries and over 40 US states, attended the first ever, annual, online, 7-day, art-career conference.

At the time, art, artist, and career were culturally clipped by a perceived incompatibility because career was reserved for a certain class made up of doctors, lawyers, educators, etc.

The collective WE had already concluded that Artists were too… flaky, too creative (i.e., not dependable), independent (i.e., not stable), marched to the tune of their own drummer (i.e., not reliable)…starving (by definition)…and certifiably crazy (you know, the Van-Gogh-minus-one-ear syndrome)… you get the vibe.

The sad part back then in 2007?

Artists got the same vibe. And so, as self-fulfilling prophecies always go, artists failed to considered themselves career viable. A business, yes, as artists began wrestling with the idea that they could at least sell their art if they had the right venue, usually galleries or local art fairs.

Now, in 2024, all of this has changed. Search online for “art career coaches,” and they are everywhere. In 2007, there were only a handful of us.

Search online for art career and you’ll come up with a plethora. Back in 2007, all you would find is one or two “art career retrospectives,” or art as a career in other fields: design, education, cartoons, etc.

But now, in 2024, Instagram has turned visual fine art into a financially viable career with coach after coach focused on selling your art to the exclusion of anything else that might, or might not, be part of your viable art career.

Some argue, now, that the artist statement is no longer needed. It’s passé. Some galleries don’t even require it. Well, that’s not new. Some galleries, even before Instagram, resisted and questioned the need for artist statements—a standpoint I logically wrestle to the ground in my book.

Here’s what you need to know: Artist statements deliver a fundamental function that impacts how well you are selling your art, which the current naysayers are thoughtlessly ignoring.

A unique-to-only-you artist statement can never go out of style in the same way your art isn’t going out of style. Fashion… style… trends… these come and go. But the language of your soul remains as authentic and engaging today as it will 500 years from now in 2524.

The trick is to understand how to use your artist statement in any venue.

Let’s take Instagram for starters, and answer this question:

why use an artist statement on instagram

Here’s three:

It lets you vibe with your social media followers so the word-language of your Original Self becomes as consistent and strong as the visual-language of your art.
It gives you a signature-language bond between art, artist, and audience that encourages more engagement because it reveals the true spirit of your work.
Once written, it can be repurposed, expanded or miniaturized, and adapted for multiple channels.

Even on Instagram, it’s a rare artist who throws up an image, but says nothing below it, right?

An artist statement, like your art, establishes who you are in a sea of other artists.

An artist statement, like your art, establishes who you are in a sea of other artists.

But its usefulness goes even further.

Here’s an excerpt from the “just released” 3rd edition of my book:

Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work

WHY WRITE AN ARTIST STATEMENT?

Because an artist statement affirms what you do, and by extension affirms you. And none of us can ever have too much affirmation.

Because an artist statement calls out for you to recognize the true faces of your deepest self: truth, beauty, and goodness.

Because an artist statement invites you to experience another level of awareness about yourself and your art.

Because an artist statement strengthens the relationship you have with your work.

Because an artist statement builds a compelling bridge between your audience and your art.

Because an artist statement enriches the connection between the artist and the art.

Because it is practical. You can use your artist statement for:

Websites
Portfolios
Brochures
Galleries
Catalogs
Press releases
Media articles
Craft shows
Contests
Grants

Social media posts/reels
Art festivals
Exhibition/performance notes
Biographical notes
Applying for grants
Applying for teaching positions
Applying for artist-in-residence
Degree applications
Your local chamber of commerce
Journalists/Writers

And then, there is my favorite reason for writing an artist statement: Personal Power, which I elaborate on in Chapter 6 of Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work.

Here are the two sidebars in that chapter:

Personal power is the power emerging from our deepest connections to life: of feeling, embracing, creating, and celebrating.

The only way to expand our personal power is to embrace ourselves exactly as we are; neither more nor less, but as someone in a state of constantly changing grace.

When you have your own encounter with your own artist statement, then you will come face to face with your personal power…

=========================================

Oh, btw, the brand new 3rd edition of Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work is now available along with the 3-Part Ambitious Bundle to help you reach the end of the book with an artist statement in your hand!

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HOW TO RELISH YOUR ARTIST STATEMENT

by Ariane Goodwin PhD | Jan 18, 2024 | Artist Statements

Here’s two things I know to be true about artist statements:

An immediate, very human desire arises when someone is moved by your art: to know more about the person who moved them. Simple. Undeniable.
At the outset, an artist statement may be used for art patrons, gallery owners, websites, applications (grants/residencies, etc.), press releases, etc., but more than that, it’s also for you, the artist. Here’s an Artist Statement Stress Test: A True Story
I suggested to one of my private clients that he display an “art” statement beside each of his sculptures for an major exhibition.

Wait… let’s back up. What’s an Art Statement?

An Art Statement is an artist statement tailored to an individual piece of art. Instead of a succinct, overview of your artistic vision, the Art Statement sticks to a single piece.

Now, Back To Our Artist Statement Story…

Before his solo, sculpture exhibit, he and I talked at length about presentation strategies.

If you’re going to the trouble of writing a statement, then making sure it’s easy to access and read just makes sense.

I was pleased, when I attended the exhibit, with how he’d mounted each typed “art statement,” on handmade paper, at the top of a thin, metal pole set in a simple disc on the floor.

Those typed statements were assembled at the perfect height. A viewer could walk right up and read it. And, even if someone else was peering over the first person’s shoulder, the font size and word placement allowed that second, or even third, person to read it too. 

His presentation followed all the best practices I’d put together. But what I observed, as over 200 guests mingled in and around his pieces, truly astounded me.

Written Artist Statements Are Innately Compelling.

The caveat: when presented well!

I make this claim because of my first-hand experience during a long evening of quiet observation.

As I too mingled with the guests this happened: whenever someone approached a sculpture, they would glance at his piece, then immediately turn their head to read his art statement for that piece.

After reading, they would turn back to look at the piece with an appreciative nod or smile. These weren’t cursory observations. They would lean in and study the sculpture, walk around it, talk about it, then walk around it some more.

Once in a while, they would return to the art statement again. Then back to the sculpture.

You could almost see, on their faces, how their brains were connecting with what they saw (visual language) with what they read (word language).

And this happened over and over and over again… confirming what I’ve suspected all along…

The Heart of an Artist Statement Embraces a Deep Truth…

When your statement is effective and presented with care, that statement creates an engaging, meaningful connection to your artwork because it ignites our human thirst for story.

Blog 4 Ariane Goodwin The Heart of an Artist Statement Embraces a Deep Truth

And that’s not all it does.

Once you fan the flames of an engaging story, that goes on to trigger someone’s long-term memory.

Connecting your visual language with word language builds neural connections in the viewer’s brain about you and your work, because it immerses the viewer in not just one, but two languages: visual and linguistic.

As the viewers read those art statements that night, and then looked more closely at the sculptures, they also began a conversation with the people near them about the connections they were seeing between what they read and what they saw.

Between these two, different forms of creative expression.

This highlights some of the brain research in science communications that shows how thinking about a narrative, and talking to others, reinforces our memory and, over time, can drive a broader change in attitudes—quite literally changing aspects of our world.

In an interview with Liz Neeley, a scientist working in science communications, the host of NPR’s Short Wave podcast, Maddie Sofia, gave Neeley the opportunity to make two points:

Word narratives are so powerful they can “shift stereotypes” about who we are.
Research data suggests that people remember things better, and are more engaged by stories, over a list of facts, like a resume or artist bio.

Blog 4 Ariane Goodwin Word narratives are so powerful quote

Imagine the implications of these two points for the people in your world who love your work.

An Artist Statement can, subtly, alter some of the artist myths and stereotypes floating around. And simultaneously, help you and your work stay longer in your viewers’ brains.

Why would any rational artist give up learning to wield this kind of power?

It’s a question that haunts my sleep.

Artist Statements: What’s Good for the Viewer is Even Better For the Artist.

Writing an artist statement is not easy.

Oh, I know, all kinds of artist advocates might use the “5 Easy Steps to Writing Your Artist Statement” to persuade you otherwise.

And, if you’re a surface-level kind of artist, who doesn’t enjoy digging into their psyche for hidden material, I suppose you could write an artist statement that would hit all the surface benchmarks.

What a surface-level artist statement can never do is give you the kind of insight into your own artistic process that signals to your viewer, “Ah, now this is fascinating. This is compelling…”

At best, it passes English 101. At worst, it comes off trite, inauthentic, and padded with generalizations.

Once you’ve decided to use writing your artist statement as a way to deepen, enrich, and expand your relationship to your artistic process, you’ll find the exercise gives you a surprising and new way to reflect upon your work.

It’s not at all unusual, when I’m working with a private client, to get some variation of what my most recent client, a mid-career professional artist, said to me:

I didn’t think I would have anything to say but there are all these words and phrases and sentences coming out now…L.A.

And that was followed by pages of material she’s uncovered, all waiting inside her psyche for permission to show up.

It Takes Courage to go Into the Heart of Your Artistic Process…

… and bring the intuitive into consciousness.

The magic happens when you search for words that truly reflect your relationship to your art, and experience an upsurge in your creative flow.

Surprising benefits show up whenever we tackle a form of self-expression that pushes us out of our comfort zone. Like sweat from physical exertion, the very struggle gets our juices flowing.

One of the great keys to creativity is to work against the grain, get out of familiar mindsets, and shake things up. And for artists, whose very practice is founded on being unique, it can be hard to recognize when a pattern has become familiar.

For prospective art buyers, your artist statement will draw them closer to your work. For you, the artist, writing your artist statement gives you an opportunity to deepen your own awareness.

I mean, what’s not to love?

Working on my statement gave me the opportunity to delve into my inner soul and reflect on the science of “me.” When I took the time to evaluate what, how and why I do what I do, it refined my work and gave me a fresh, determined self-confidence that I had lacked before.

~ Norbert Ohnmacht, sculptor

*****

Nine Reasons to Banish Resistance & Relish Your Artist Statement

For The Artist:

Writing an artist statement asks you to, once and for all, recognize the faces of your true self: Truth. Power. Beauty.

You may feel the relationship you have with your work is already pretty strong. But once you write your artist statement, I promise you’ll lift way above your level.
Writing an artist statement affirms what you do, and so, by extension, also affirms you. And who would give up being affirmed?
Self-trust can be hard to come by. Writing your artist statement makes another statement about you: that you trust yourself enough to flow into another realm of creative expression.
Writing your artist statement invites you to experience an expanded awareness about yourself and your art. Given a chance to update your own art experience, why wouldn’t you?
Writing your artist statement is a rare and precious time to engage your artistic soul.

Digging deep into the artist statement reveals more about your work than even you suspected. Surprise yourself!

Blog 4 Ariane Goodwin writing artist statement affirms what you do quote

For The Viewer, Your Potential Buyer:

Your artist statement builds a compelling bridge between your viewer and your work. Of course your art is the real deal. But when connecting to your potential buyers on more than one level increases their interest, and thus the likelihood of a sale, why wouldn’t you?
Your artist statement enriches the connection between the artist, the art, and the art patron, and influences how long the memory or your work stays in your viewer’s long-term storage.
Because it is a powerful experience for your viewers when you use the tool of language to support the art you love giving to the world.

Drop a line in the blog post comments below.

I’d love to know what stage you’re in of the writing-your-artist-statement process.

Do tell!

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Whenever you’re ready to update your artist statement, or even write your first one, join my waitlist for: Writing The Artist Statement eBook & Ambitious Bundle.

It’s not enough to know what an artist statement is. You need to know how to write one!

This new 3rd edition eBook with its Ambitious Bundle takes you from head scratching to a polished, compelling artist statement. Check it out!

« Older Entries

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Selling Your Art 2024, The Artist Statement, and Instagram

HOW TO RELISH YOUR ARTIST STATEMENT

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