7 Tips for Writing a Memorable Artist Statement

This post about writing your artist statement is a guest post by Bridgette Hernandez, freelance writer and blogger. Check out her profile below!

As an artist, you face many challenges. From reinventing yourself and exploring new ideas, to beating creative blocks, you’re always looking for ways to overcome obstacles. And one of the challenges you’ll have to deal with eventually is writing your artist statement. 

So many artists are afraid that they’ll fail at putting their relationship with art into words. It’s something that comes from deep within and can be hard to explain. Still, you’ll need your artist statement to apply for scholarships, exhibitions, grants, etc. Luckily, we’re here to help you.

Here are 7 best tips to help you write your artist statement with no trouble at all.

Explore Ideas

The most important thing when writing your artist statement is not to rush things. If you think you’ll be able to write the whole thing in one sitting, you’re mistaken.

The best thing to do is to just take things slowly and allow yourself to explore different ideas.

So, take a couple of days to:

• brainstorm  
• think about you and your art
• explore emotions
• recall memories

Whenever you feel like there’s something worth mentioning in your artist statement, write it down.

After a couple of days, you’ll have a list of things to potentially include in your artist statement. This is a great starting point.

Include Your Art Work

Now it’s time for you to reconnect with your art and take the road down memory lane.

Gather everything you’ve created so far in one place and expose it to yourself. Make sure you include all your pieces, regardless of the phase they were made in or their quality.

Now that you have it all in one place, it’s time to:

• analyse your work
• engage with each piece
• think about the process of creation
• explore emotions, stories, and motives behind each piece

Kristin Savage, an art lecturer and contributing writer at Supreme Dissertations and Classy Essay, agrees: “It’s important that you connect to your entire artistic journey by looking at what you’ve created so far. This will make it easier for you to write that artist statement from your heart.“

Turn to your art for help in writing the best artist statement.

Create an Emotion

The best artist statement carries a certain emotion. This emotion is not something you should choose but rather something that you feel.

After thinking about your art and your journey so far, think about the way you feel and make sure you transfer this emotion to those reading your artist statement.

It could be:

• pride
• melancholy
• joy
• spirituality

Whatever you’re feeling about your art, it needs to be visible in your artist statement. Make sure it’s the main emotion and motive.

Name Your Medium

You must state what medium you are using to create art. While it should go without saying, many artist forget to mention this.

It’s best to open with this information so that those listening would have a better idea of who you are.

Tell them what medium you’re using:

• painting
• sculpting
• photography
• drawing
• etc.

Also, try telling the story of how you’ve discovered your talent and why it became the primary choice in your artistic life.

Describe Your Process

Your audience wants to know about your process of creation and how you turn your ideas and emotions into pieces of art.

This is why it would be a great idea to describe your process in your artist statement.

Of course, there’s no need to go into great detail.

Look for the most important facts and expose them to those interested:

• how you find your inspiration
• what is your greatest challenge
• do you have a routine or are you spontaneous
• what drives you
• what tools do you use
• how you feel about your work

Tell your audience something that is truly unique to your creative process and make them feel like a part of your story. 

This will make your artist statement memorable and specific.

Include Your Audience

Every artist is great in himself, but their audience still makes a huge part of their story.

The same goes for you and your audience.

Your artist statement should include them and give them a place under the spotlight. Include your audience in your statement and write about:

• who they are
• how they make you feel
• whether you think about them while creating
• why they matter to you
• what are you trying to tell them

This will make your story more complete and will give it a depth and a shape that you as an artist need.

Write Professionally

Finally, there’s one more thing you have to consider before calling it a day and finishing writing your artist statement. It needs to be written professionally.

To put it simply, you have to:

• proofread
• remove grammar and spelling mistakes
• improve structure
• use proper vocabulary

You can check out Trust My Paper or Best Essay Education if you need help with any aspect of writing.

Otherwise, just make sure you’ve polished your artist statement to perfection.

Final Thoughts

Writing your artist statement is a personal process that takes time. You need to take a deep look inside yourself and decide what portion of your story you want to share with those reading it.

The tips above will help you write your artist statement the way you think it should be. Use them and follow your instinct. You’ll be more than happy with the results.

If you have questions for Bridgette about writing your artist statement, comment below!

Want to write for The Part-Time Artist? Check out the submissions page!

Bridgette Hernandez

Bridgette Hernandez is a freelance writer and blogger. Her main goal is to give applicable advice to her readers and help them reach their goals. She covers versatile topics from self-improvement to professional aspirations. She currently works as an editor at Grab My Essay and Top Essay Writing.