PART 3: Three More Rational Reasons To Not Write Your Artist Statement…or, 

Are they really “rational?” 

In Part 1, I wrote about seven core reasons artists use to rationalize away any need for an artist statement. And then we dove into the first four in Parts 1 & 2. 

Here’s a quick review of those first four before we finish up with the last three of these seven arguments against writing an artist statement.

REVIEW of Parts 1 & 2: Four Rational Reasons To Not Write Your Artist Statement 

Reason No. 1:  I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because… 

#1 – My artwork speaks for itself! I mean, what is there to say that someone can’t already see? 

Under the hood:  

Fearing words have a power, when mis-used, that could negatively affect a viewer’s opinion of your artwork, speaks to a deeper mistrust of your own ability to use words effectively. 

When you approach words as just one more tool in your art career toolbox, this resistance relaxes.  

Reason No. 2: I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because… 

No. 2 – Reducing my intuitive, reflective, and emotional creative process to words feels like caging a magnificent beast. 

Under the hood:  

Here’s a variation of the “ tyranny of commitment” theme: Words have the unreasonable power to make whatever you write real and unchangeable. You become committed to them for life. 

Realizing you have the same control over which words you choose (and can delete or change at any time), gives you permission to use your artist statement words not just for your viewers, but to also deepen into your own consciousness about your intuitive ArtLife. 

Reason No.3: I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because… 

No.3 – I want my viewer to draw their own conclusions. I don’t want to interfere or impose on  their interpretation or experience. 

Under the hood:  

Of course you don’t want to trample on anyone’s experience of your work. But isn’t the work itself already setting the parameters for what you want someone to experience? 

It’s no different with your artist statement. Check out if there’s a part of you that has always felt unsafe being too exposed to others; so, putting your relationship to your art in words becomes a trigger for level of unsafe vulnerability. 

As I said in Part 2: Revealing the true spirit of your work does not mean you don’t have boundaries. This is not a free for all and nothing has to be revealed that doesn’t feel right. 

Reason No. 4:  I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because… 

No.4 – I don’t want my work judged by an artist statement when my true medium is visual. I want my work to stand on its own.  

Under the hood:  

Fear of “word magic” increases the fear of word power exponentially. Here, anything you say will be held against you and your art; the double whammy! 

Remember, the idea is for your artist statement to become a complementary support for your work. Not to replace it. Not to deflect from it. Not to overshadow it. 

As I said in Part 2: Revealing your relationship to your art creates a vibrant connection that keeps the story going after the artwork has been appreciated on its own. 

Now, let’s tackle the last three of the seven core Reasons To Not Write Your Artist Statement. 

************************************ 

The No.5 “Reason” Artists Tell Me They Don’t Want To Write An Artist Statement 

I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because… 

No.5 – I don’t want the magic of my creative process demystified by words and left open to criticism. 

Oh, goodness, two for the price of one: demystification and criticism (in other words,  judgment). 

In this “reason,” the assumption is that some things are better left unsaid (by the artist), while leaving the door open for all kinds of things to be said by the viewers, art critics, the peanut gallery, etc. 

I mean, heaven forbid that you, the artist, might weigh in on the discussion.  

Or that you, the artist, might actually lead the discussion. 

Because, what would you, the artist, have to contribute to the conversation (all done in words, btw…)? 

Never mind the assumption that demystification dilutes the magic. Of course, if artist statements are already suspect for you, then this No.5 Reason to not write one will be appealing. 

But, what if…  

Reason #5 – I don’t want the magic of my creative process demystified by words and left open to criticism. 

…isn’t what it seems to be? 

What’s Really Behind Reason No. 5?   

The concern that your art magic will be demystified by your artist statement is a cover story for the real culprit: the potential criticism, the fear of being judged. 

Even though most of us engage in judging others, when it comes to being judged, well… that is a beast with different stripes. Which means our fear of being judged is not entirely unfounded, because we know it’s a real possibility in human give and take. 

Also, being judged feels embarrassing. Most of us will go out of our way to keep from feeling judged or embarrassed.   

And if writing an artist statement leaves us open to either, we’ll figure out a seemingly “rational reason” for not doing it. 

Releasing the Resistance Inside Reason No.5 for Not Writing an Artist Statement 

First off, let’s demystify the demystifying-your-art-magic concern. 

One of the beauties of art is how it can transcend language barriers. The universality of images and color and spatial relationships between these connects people on a deep, intuitive level. 

This is uncontested. 

Words hold a different kind of power. Which is why it’s fruitless to compare them, as in “a picture is worth a thousand words.” 

Because word-language is basic to all of human interaction, it holds a primary place in our quest for understanding and meaning-making. It’s the basis of story, the oldest form of social connection. 

Words excite specific areas of our brain. Words excite our imaginations. 

The sharp tang of the cut orange peel rushed into my nose, even as it stung the cut on my finger, which had rested too close to the knife. 

Try that with paint, or marble, or metal, or fabric… 

You might execute the imagery, but the words ignite the smell and kinesthetic feelings that that translate into a direct sensation because of an odd truth about our brains.  

Brains do not distinguish between the physical experience, and the same experience played out imaginatively.  

It’s this kind of word power, when added to the power of your art, that creates the ultimate magic: exciting all of your viewers’ imaginations, visual and verbal (words). 

But what about the potential criticism you leave yourself open to when you write an artist statement? 

It’s important to remember that an artist statement is not an art critique; these are very different approaches to writing about art. 

Your  artist statement is a bridge between what the viewer sees and what the viewer thinks about your work.  You artist statement revolves around your relationship to your art, not a critique about your art. 

It reveals something (not everything) about this relationship that gives the viewer the sense they get to “peek into your studio while you’re working.” 

 It makes them feel more connected to you and what you do, not less. 

And whom, may I ask  is better qualified to do this than you, the artist? 

As I write in my book  

(paraphrasing…) In the end, the best protection against the embarrassment of being judged or criticized, is to arm yourself with the truth, and the skill to reveal it.  

You are the one who holds the truth about your art, no one else. 

***** 

The No.6 “Reason” Artists Tell Me They Don’t Want To Write An Artist Statement 

This reason smacks of visual-art elitism.  Art is everything; nothing else can compare. 

Ouch. 

I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because… 

No.6 – Words are too limiting while art is boundless. 

I suspect Reason No.6 arises from the fact that a visual artist , by definition, is attuned to visual expression in a very direct, very compelling way. 

What amuses me is that because of this overwhelming visual sensitivity (talent), artists dismiss or forget that word language has always been alongside their visual acuity.  

It’s been with them as soon after birth as they began to mimic the caretakers around them and “speak,” in whatever word or sign language (also words) was in their environment. 

So, maybe, just maybe… 

 Reason No.6 – I don’Words are too limiting while art is boundless isn’t what it seems to be… 

What’s Behind Reason No. 6? 

Words are your human birthright. 

But if the words you think and speak every day are so taken for granted, so commonplace, so universally accepted that they become, in some sense, less than your celebrated talent for visual expression, this sets you up to dismiss their potential contribution to your artistic process. 

And in this unconscious ignorance of the foundational existence and importance of words—every day of your life—you are more likely to misplace your visual talents as top dog in some kind of unconscious hierarchy of importance. 

And then you land here: art = boundless / words = unacceptable limits 

Releasing the Resistance Inside Reason No.6 for Not Writing your Artist Statement 

Take your art off the pedestal and let it stand side-by-side with your words. Think of words as an extension of your art that can increase the vibrancy and connection your visual talent has made for a viewer. 

Think of visual language and word language as partners in creating an indelible bond between you the artist, and the viewer who wants to own your work. 

Offer this viewer, wowed by your work, insight into who you are as the artist that created this magnificent piece of art. Offer them another layer of complexity that cannot be “seen” by the work itself. 

Give them more. Surprise them with an even richer connection. 

Surprise yourself. 

***** 

The No.7 “Reason” Artists Tell Me They Don’t Want To Write An Artist Statement   

I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because… 

#7– The canvass is my mirror, and the strokes of my brush reveal more about me than an artist statement. 

This reason has two flaws: 

1. This artist assumes their viewer can decode what’s behind the artist’s visual language, which is nonsensical on its face. 

1. This artist is also transferring the responsibility of bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness to their viewer. 

Only the artist knows what those strokes mean to them. Only if the artist uses words to articulate the connection between brush strokes and what is “being revealed,” will the viewer have any chance of understanding that connection. 

Hmmm, let’s see why Reason No.7 isn’t what it seems to be… 

What’s Behind Reason No.7:  

What I find most intriguing about this reason is how it speaks to truth. 

Indeed, your work of art is a direct reflection of you, the artist. The two of you are forever entwined in a creative experience; one cannot exist without the other. 

But… truths can be tricky, especially when one truth is simultaneously hiding another. 

In this case, the truth—that  your art is a mirror, revealing important aspects of your artistic psyche—fails to acknowledge that the “reveal” is private and hidden, only available to the artist. 

This means that writing your artist statement will directly and intentionally bring what is hidden into the presence of others. 

Which may unconsciously threaten an artist who feels, for whatever reasonable reason, unsafe. Or who feels vulnerability is to be avoided. Or who doesn’t want to be judged or criticized (sound familiar?). 

Let’s see what we can do with all of this, yes? 

Releasing the Resistance Inside Reason No.7 for Not Writing an Artist Statement 

I’ll remind you:  

You, the artist, are in control of the word language you choose. You are in control of what you decide to share in your artist statement. 

There is a soft landing on what will increase a viewer’s experience of your work, and the elements you choose to reveal  that feel right to you. 

You can pull back the curtain enough to create an expanded art experience for your viewer that also honors your privacy. 

This is not a win or lose proposition. It’s a win/win all the way around. 

Because, isn’t that what it’s all about: connecting to others, sharing your visions with the world? 

At least Reason No.7 admits that there is, indeed, something in the artistic process and production of a piece that reveals an artist’s psyche. 

Which is why I end all of my emails with this salutation: 

Revealing the true spirit of your work is the work. 

What’s Next: 

You know, I’m not really sure. I’m toying with writing about Art Sales next. But I may head in a different direction with artist statements. 

It’ll be a mystery to us both. 

Drop a line in the blog post comments below. 

I’d love to know if you see yourself in any of these 7 reasons why artists won’t write their artist statement! 

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! 

Part 1: Four Rational Reasons To Not Write An Artist Statement

When you hang around me, you will hear the following Origin Story a lot.

It is the beginning of my quest, and it begins with a question….

Why Don’t Artists Want to Write Their Artist Statements?

I stood on unfinished, wide, wooden planks staring at a trio of large seascapes: Before, During, and After a Storm. Outside, tourists were roaming this quaint, Maine town surrounded by inlet waters. Inside, a summer breeze poured through the open gallery door.

Inside, I stood transfixed. 

It was July 1992 and I was taking a break from the graduate school grind. This gallery had felt unimposing, a place to be quietly invisible. And, anyway, I loved looking at art.

But something other worldly was happening as I stood in front of these paintings. Even though the subject matter and execution didn’t seem exceptional, a force poured into me from those canvasses. From top to toe that force held me captive.

The longer I stared, the greater this force became. 

I began to merge with the paintings as if all the power of nature were dragging me into the riotous explosion that grew from an initial calm and ended in a salty tangle of driftwood, seaweed, and the deep thrumming of a storm’s aftershock. 

The energetic fingerprint of this artist was undeniable.

When I turned away, all I wanted was more connection with the person who sparked such a visceral response that the very boundaries of my skin were expanding out into the universe…

The gallery owner, inconspicuously attentive, immediately looked up from his desk and came toward me as I approached him.

I’d love to know more about this artist, I said.

Of course. And he walked over to a tall filing cabinet (do you even know what that is?), pulled open a metal drawer and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

Eagerly, I reached for the paper, excited to find out who had skillfully, and fully, used the elements of paint, brush, and canvass to affect me so deeply.

Only, instead of connection, I was met with the dry dust of resume names, dates, and references. It was like following a spectacular sip of fine wine with sawdust.

I looked up, confused. 

No, I mean, I want to know more about this artist. You know, what that’s all about. 

And I flicked my hand toward the seascape trio on the back wall.

Oh, he gave a wry laugh, you want an artist statement.

Please, and I held out my hand.

Sorry, I don’t have one.

Really… why not?

Because artists don’t like to write them.

Really… why not?

Because—and here he hesitated, looked up at the ceiling, gave a long sigh—it’s like pulling teeth. I ask and I ask and I ask.

Even if it makes the difference between a sale and no sale? I was struggling to understand.

Yes, he said, even that doesn’t move the needle.

And that, my dear artists, was when my graduate work in creativity took a long, winding detour down Artist Statement Lane.

Suddenly, in-between classes, I found myself popping in and out of galleries. Luckily, in Western Massachusetts, galleries are more abundant than colleges and universities!

Each time, I spoke with a gallery director or owner. And each time I heard the same story:

We love artist statements. Artists won’t write them. Or, if they do, they’re terrible. Full of art speak, convoluted sentences with arcane language, or self-deprecating, or wildly egotistical. They give us artist statements we can’t use.

Or they don’t give them at all.

Since most of the art in these galleries was really good, I knew these artists were professionals, which in my mind meant they were also mature, educated, and dedicated to their work.

So Why The Heck Do Artist Not Want To Write Artist Statements?

You might think that in the next round, I’d be talking to the artists, yes?

Sadly, no. Tracking down contacts, setting up appointments—all of this would take too way too much time away from my intense, Creative Behavior and Human Development doctoral program.

Instead, I became curious, even obsessed. For no reason I can sort out, statistics was the easiest class to think it through. I had two notebooks: one for statistics and one for Why don’t artists want to write artist statements? 

Not realizing it at the time, I was writing the nuts and bolts of my future book. Each time I had an aha about the why not artist statements, I would start imagining a simple process to turn the why not into a why, of course! 

Within a couple of months, I’d figured out a process I thought could move artists from reluctance and resistance to a finished, compelling artist statement.

Now all I needed was an artist laboratory.

I turned to my local arts association and offered to give a free workshop, even though I’d never given a workshop in my life.

Over five days, with a two-hour class, seven artists and I refined the process of writing an engaging, authentic artist statement based on the principles I’d crafted.

When the process worked for every one of them, no one was more surprised than I.

These seven artists proved that artists are perfectly capable of writing an authentic, engaging artist statement that hits all of the benchmarks.

Now, Let’s Unpack The No.1 “Reason” Artists Tell Me They Don’t Want To Writing An Artist Statement

I’ve been surfing the web, looking at the myriad of material different organizations have put together on artist statements.

A favorite seems to be the artist statement Dos and Don’ts list. Like this one that offers the kind of basic information an artist just starting out might consider. 

Or another one where the esteemed staff of the New York Foundation for The Arts (NYFA) backs up their basic list with years of experience reading artist statements. 

The challenge here is that so many artists are either beyond the beginner stage, or don’t consider their beginner stage a reason to undercut their intelligence or maturity with simplistic approaches—yet still find themselves resistant to writing an artist statement. 

Oh, dear, did I forget to mention that your artist statement is considered a professional addition to your portfolio? And that any portfolio is immediately diminished if your artist statement is missing? And when your portfolio is diminished, so are the opportunities open to you on your path toward selling your art. 

That said, simple lists, like simple explanations of an artist statement, aren’t going to crack the artist statement reasons de resistance. 

Why not? 

Because resistance is a cover story for so much else that’s going on in our creative psyches. 

Once I began looking under the artist psyche hood, I found seven core “reasons” artists use to rationalize away any need for an artist statement.

Today, we’ll look at four of these.

Far and away, the most emphatic and dismissive reason that comes up time and again is this: 

No. 1:  I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

#1 – My artwork speaks for itself! I mean, what is there to say that someone can’t already see?

Besides the overtone of confidence, and a deeply felt self-assurance and support for one’s work, there’s the paler undercurrent of arrogance—which many not be the best tone for engaging your potential buyer, m’ thinks…yes?

This No.1 reason for not writing an artist statement is a true push ‘n pull that offers little opening for another perspective. In fact, this “reason” has very much closed the door, if not actually slammed it shut.

This reason works by virtue of an unspoken hierarchy: visual language bests word-language, as in a picture is worth a thousand words.

However, since everyone loses when exclusion takes over, the more effective perspective is not this or that, but this and also that.

It reminds me of a lesson I learned in graduate school when I took a course in Group Dynamics that experientially proved how more brains are better than one. 

In this case, visual language and word language are better than either by itself. (I’ll make the entire case for this assertion in another post.)

So, maybe Reason No.1 isn’t what it seems to be…

Right now, let’s go through three more reasons (#2, #3, #4) you might give me for not writing your artist statement!

Reason No. 2: I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

No. 2 – Reducing my intuitive, reflective, and emotional creative process to words feels like caging a magnificent beast.

First, what’s up with “reducing?” 

Isn’t this what you do every time you choose one color over another? Haven’t you just “reduced” your color scheme?

Or you cut into the wood at this angle and not another angle?

Or you select the angular stone instead of the rounded one?

Or you layer in these coarser fibers instead ones with a finer weave?

Or you shift the angle of your camera this way instead of that way?

Or you slice the orange in your still life horizontally instead of vertically?

How, may I ask, is this any different than selecting one word over another? 

Pause. Think about it for a few seconds. Just think about the logic here.

Words have a range of characteristics in the same vein as the range of materials from which you select every time you start your creative process.

Maybe Reason No.2 isn’t what it seems to be…

Reason No.3: I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

No.3 – I want my viewer to draw their own conclusions. I don’t want to interfere or impose on  their interpretation or experience.

Goodness, such concern you seem to have over the power you hold when it comes to words, but absolutely no concern when it comes to your art?

And while I applaud concern when it makes sense, I can’t applaud the rationale.

For one thing, none of us are in control of what another experiences. Each of us brings a constellation of past conditioning—what our mood is that day, do we have a headache, or just backed into a car, never mind our complicated DNA—to the viewing of a piece of art.

For another, Reason #3 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 are doing it right, your artist statement is not telling, or explaining, it’s revealing your relationship to the piece they’re viewing.

Maybe Reason No.3 isn’t what it seems to be…

Reason No.4:  I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

No.4 – I don’t want my work judged by an artist statement when my true medium is visual. I want my work to stand on its own. 

This is Reason No. 1 (visual language vs the language of words), but with a couple of twists: judgment alongside the stand-on-its-own rationale.

Let’s start with the latter: I want my work to stand on its own. 

This one has always puzzled me because your work, from inception, does not have any way to stand on its own. You, the artist, are implied by its very existence.

The work is you and you are the work. That’s one of the powerful aspects of creative work: the creator and the creation are essentially inseparable. This is also one of the mysteries that draws people to you and your work.

What I really hear, here—and this is echoed by the “judged” aspect—is a fear of artistic intimacy vis a vi your viewer. You want your artwork to do all the heavy lifting—by itself.

And this when the best thing that can happen to your artwork is to have an extension of its magic in word language so the viewer experiences more bonding with what you do, not less.

Maybe Reason No.4 isn’t what it seems to be…

What’s Next:

Maybe all four of these Reasons  aren’t what they seem to be.

Next week, let’s peek under the artist psyche hood and see what’s simmering behind all these rational arguments against writing an artist statement.

There just might be someone under there whom you recognize…

———————————————————————————————————

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 it’s Ambitious Bundle takes you from head scratching to a polished, compelling artist statement. Check it out!

Art Career Reflections Blog

Part 1: Four Rational Reasons To Not Write An Artist Statement

When you hang around me, you will hear the following Origin Story a lot.

It is the beginning of my quest, and it begins with a question….

Why Don’t Artists Want to Write Their Artist Statements?

I stood on unfinished, wide, wooden planks staring at a trio of large seascapes: Before, During, and After a Storm. Outside, tourists were roaming this quaint, Maine town surrounded by inlet waters. Inside, a summer breeze poured through the open gallery door.

Inside, I stood transfixed. 

It was July 1992 and I was taking a break from the graduate school grind. This gallery had felt unimposing, a place to be quietly invisible. And, anyway, I loved looking at art.

But something other worldly was happening as I stood in front of these paintings. Even though the subject matter and execution didn’t seem exceptional, a force poured into me from those canvasses. From top to toe that force held me captive.

The longer I stared, the greater this force became. 

I began to merge with the paintings as if all the power of nature were dragging me into the riotous explosion that grew from an initial calm and ended in a salty tangle of driftwood, seaweed, and the deep thrumming of a storm’s aftershock. 

The energetic fingerprint of this artist was undeniable.

When I turned away, all I wanted was more connection with the person who sparked such a visceral response that the very boundaries of my skin were expanding out into the universe…

The gallery owner, inconspicuously attentive, immediately looked up from his desk and came toward me as I approached him.

I’d love to know more about this artist, I said.

Of course. And he walked over to a tall filing cabinet (do you even know what that is?), pulled open a metal drawer and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

Eagerly, I reached for the paper, excited to find out who had skillfully, and fully, used the elements of paint, brush, and canvass to affect me so deeply.

Only, instead of connection, I was met with the dry dust of resume names, dates, and references. It was like following a spectacular sip of fine wine with sawdust.

I looked up, confused. 

No, I mean, I want to know more about this artist. You know, what that’s all about. 

And I flicked my hand toward the seascape trio on the back wall.

Oh, he gave a wry laugh, you want an artist statement.

Please, and I held out my hand.

Sorry, I don’t have one.

Really… why not?

Because artists don’t like to write them.

Really… why not?

Because—and here he hesitated, looked up at the ceiling, gave a long sigh—it’s like pulling teeth. I ask and I ask and I ask.

Even if it makes the difference between a sale and no sale? I was struggling to understand.

Yes, he said, even that doesn’t move the needle.

And that, my dear artists, was when my graduate work in creativity took a long, winding detour down Artist Statement Lane.

Suddenly, in-between classes, I found myself popping in and out of galleries. Luckily, in Western Massachusetts, galleries are more abundant than colleges and universities!

Each time, I spoke with a gallery director or owner. And each time I heard the same story:

We love artist statements. Artists won’t write them. Or, if they do, they’re terrible. Full of art speak, convoluted sentences with arcane language, or self-deprecating, or wildly egotistical. They give us artist statements we can’t use.

Or they don’t give them at all.

Since most of the art in these galleries was really good, I knew these artists were professionals, which in my mind meant they were also mature, educated, and dedicated to their work.

So Why The Heck Do Artist Not Want To Write Artist Statements?

You might think that in the next round, I’d be talking to the artists, yes?

Sadly, no. Tracking down contacts, setting up appointments—all of this would take too way too much time away from my intense, Creative Behavior and Human Development doctoral program.

Instead, I became curious, even obsessed. For no reason I can sort out, statistics was the easiest class to think it through. I had two notebooks: one for statistics and one for Why don’t artists want to write artist statements? 

Not realizing it at the time, I was writing the nuts and bolts of my future book. Each time I had an aha about the why not artist statements, I would start imagining a simple process to turn the why not into a why, of course! 

Within a couple of months, I’d figured out a process I thought could move artists from reluctance and resistance to a finished, compelling artist statement.

Now all I needed was an artist laboratory.

I turned to my local arts association and offered to give a free workshop, even though I’d never given a workshop in my life.

Over five days, with a two-hour class, seven artists and I refined the process of writing an engaging, authentic artist statement based on the principles I’d crafted.

When the process worked for every one of them, no one was more surprised than I.

These seven artists proved that artists are perfectly capable of writing an authentic, engaging artist statement that hits all of the benchmarks.

Now, Let’s Unpack The No.1 “Reason” Artists Tell Me They Don’t Want To Writing An Artist Statement

I’ve been surfing the web, looking at the myriad of material different organizations have put together on artist statements.

A favorite seems to be the artist statement Dos and Don’ts list. Like this one that offers the kind of basic information an artist just starting out might consider. 

Or another one where the esteemed staff of the New York Foundation for The Arts (NYFA) backs up their basic list with years of experience reading artist statements. 

The challenge here is that so many artists are either beyond the beginner stage, or don’t consider their beginner stage a reason to undercut their intelligence or maturity with simplistic approaches—yet still find themselves resistant to writing an artist statement. 

Oh, dear, did I forget to mention that your artist statement is considered a professional addition to your portfolio? And that any portfolio is immediately diminished if your artist statement is missing? And when your portfolio is diminished, so are the opportunities open to you on your path toward selling your art. 

That said, simple lists, like simple explanations of an artist statement, aren’t going to crack the artist statement reasons de resistance. 

Why not? 

Because resistance is a cover story for so much else that’s going on in our creative psyches. 

Once I began looking under the artist psyche hood, I found seven core “reasons” artists use to rationalize away any need for an artist statement.

Today, we’ll look at four of these.

Far and away, the most emphatic and dismissive reason that comes up time and again is this: 

No. 1:  I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

#1 – My artwork speaks for itself! I mean, what is there to say that someone can’t already see?

Besides the overtone of confidence, and a deeply felt self-assurance and support for one’s work, there’s the paler undercurrent of arrogance—which many not be the best tone for engaging your potential buyer, m’ thinks…yes?

This No.1 reason for not writing an artist statement is a true push ‘n pull that offers little opening for another perspective. In fact, this “reason” has very much closed the door, if not actually slammed it shut.

This reason works by virtue of an unspoken hierarchy: visual language bests word-language, as in a picture is worth a thousand words.

However, since everyone loses when exclusion takes over, the more effective perspective is not this or that, but this and also that.

It reminds me of a lesson I learned in graduate school when I took a course in Group Dynamics that experientially proved how more brains are better than one. 

In this case, visual language and word language are better than either by itself. (I’ll make the entire case for this assertion in another post.)

So, maybe Reason No.1 isn’t what it seems to be…

Right now, let’s go through three more reasons (#2, #3, #4) you might give me for not writing your artist statement!

Reason No. 2: I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

No. 2 – Reducing my intuitive, reflective, and emotional creative process to words feels like caging a magnificent beast.

First, what’s up with “reducing?” 

Isn’t this what you do every time you choose one color over another? Haven’t you just “reduced” your color scheme?

Or you cut into the wood at this angle and not another angle?

Or you select the angular stone instead of the rounded one?

Or you layer in these coarser fibers instead ones with a finer weave?

Or you shift the angle of your camera this way instead of that way?

Or you slice the orange in your still life horizontally instead of vertically?

How, may I ask, is this any different than selecting one word over another? 

Pause. Think about it for a few seconds. Just think about the logic here.

Words have a range of characteristics in the same vein as the range of materials from which you select every time you start your creative process.

Maybe Reason No.2 isn’t what it seems to be…

Reason No.3: I Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

No.3 – I want my viewer to draw their own conclusions. I don’t want to interfere or impose on  their interpretation or experience.

Goodness, such concern you seem to have over the power you hold when it comes to words, but absolutely no concern when it comes to your art?

And while I applaud concern when it makes sense, I can’t applaud the rationale.

For one thing, none of us are in control of what another experiences. Each of us brings a constellation of past conditioning—what our mood is that day, do we have a headache, or just backed into a car, never mind our complicated DNA—to the viewing of a piece of art.

For another, Reason #3 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 are doing it right, your artist statement is not telling, or explaining, it’s revealing your relationship to the piece they’re viewing.

Maybe Reason No.3 isn’t what it seems to be…

Reason No.4:  Won’t Write My Artist Statement Because…

No.4 – I don’t want my work judged by an artist statement when my true medium is visual. I want my work to stand on its own. 

This is Reason No. 1 (visual language vs the language of words), but with a couple of twists: judgment alongside the stand-on-its-own rationale.

Let’s start with the latter: I want my work to stand on its own. 

This one has always puzzled me because your work, from inception, does not have any way to stand on its own. You, the artist, are implied by its very existence.

The work is you and you are the work. That’s one of the powerful aspects of creative work: the creator and the creation are essentially inseparable. This is also one of the mysteries that draws people to you and your work.

What I really hear, here—and this is echoed by the “judged” aspect—is a fear of artistic intimacy vis a vi your viewer. You want your artwork to do all the heavy lifting—by itself.

And this when the best thing that can happen to your artwork is to have an extension of its magic in word language so the viewer experiences more bonding with what you do, not less.

Maybe Reason No.4 isn’t what it seems to be…

What’s Next:

Maybe all four of these Reasons  aren’t what they seem to be.

Next week, let’s peek under the artist psyche hood and see what’s simmering behind all these rational arguments against writing an artist statement.

There just might be someone under there whom you recognize…

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