An artist statement is not like a typical business résumé, but rather your own perception of your work and how you wish to present it to others. Everything in your statement should be relevant to your art, so save personal...

By Linda Plaisted

An artist statement is not like a typical business résumé, but rather your own perception of your work and how you wish to present it to others. Everything in your statement should be relevant to your art, so save personal details for a bio if requested, and information about things like past exhibitions, education, and publications will find a home in your artist's résumé. Your artist's statement acts as a bridge between you and your audience and can enrich the viewer's experience of your work. You may ask- why can't my photographs just stand on their own, after all isn't a picture worth a thousand words?

Yes and no.

A written statement about your work helps gallery staff, publications and wider audiences understand, explain, and even sell your work when you are not there to comment on its behalf. A statement can also help when it comes time for the press or critics to write articles and reviews about you, so this is your chance to explain your work the way that you'd like it portrayed. The prospect of writing your artist's statement may seem daunting at first, but really it is a simple thing that , if done correctly, should ultimately compel people to stop reading and return immediately to look at your work.

Since photographers tend to be visual thinkers by nature, it can often be difficult to explain something visual with words. For that reason, the very process of writing an artist statement can be quite enlightening about your own work. During the process of writing your statement, you may experience an "aha" moment that enables you to see new links between your thought processes and influences and how your body of work has grown over time. In this way, not only is your statement a link between your work and your audience, but it can serve to enrich your own vision and propel you onward to further development.

The result of this introspection becomes a document of affirmation, and a place to allow connections to emerge between unconscious themes in your mind and your conscious efforts to create images with your camera. The idea of digging beneath the surface and bringing to light what we do can cause us to run away in terror because it seems to rip away some of the mystique of the creative process and frankly seems too much like hard work.

In reality, it's not much different than the process of taking a photograph. A photographer makes choices: this angle, this aperture, this lens, this technique in post-processing. When we use words to describe our work, we are making the same kinds of choices. What do you want to say and who is your intended audience? When you share your photographs with a larger audience, you are creating connections with people. An artist statement is another kind of connection which adds depth to the images you create. If done authentically, this can create a feeling of alliance with your audience and ultimately increases the perceived value of your work.

The structure of your artist's statement

When it comes to writing an artist's statement, there are no simple formulas. Before writing, take into account your audience, your specific body of work, your chosen medium, subjects, and themes that influenced your work.

Gather a pen and some paper and start making some notes about your work. Write down everything that comes to you without censoring yourself. Mine your Flickr comments for words that have been used to describe your photographs. Don't stop writing until you have a decent amount of notes to work with, then start grouping these ideas into the "who, what, where, when, why and how" of the work you do.

Some starting points in your brainstorming process:

Who are you and how does that influence your work? Who or what inspires you?

What is the work about? What subjects do you prefer? What are your goals and aspirations as an artist? What do others say about your work?

Where was this work created if this is relevant? Where are you in your development as an artist or in the evolution of your themes or style?

When was the work created? This could be a date relevant to its inception or a period of inspiration in your life. Is the work in series? How does it connect to your past work?

Why did you create it? Is there a message or reason for its conception? Why do you choose to use photography as your medium?

How was it created? Elaborate on the processes, or the type of media used.
Once you have brainstormed on these questions and arrived at your answers, try using the following structure as a guideline:

How Long Should an Artist's Statement Be?

It is better to err on the side of brevity than to run on too long with an artist's statementâââpeople simply won't have the patience to keep reading for too long. Aim for around one hundred words or three short paragraphs. Your statement should be brief, clear and devoid of cryptic artspeak. Keep your sentences direct, using the present tense ("I am," rather than "I was," "I do," instead of "I did.") Now is your opportunity to be kind to yourself, but if you find that yourself at an impasse, try writing a few paragraphs about an artist whose work you admire, then go back and give yourself the same due.

How will my artist statement be used?

Many galleries and publications request that you send a copy of your artist's statement to accompany your submissions. You will also enclose a copy of your artist's statement whenever you send a press release, a letter of interest to a gallery, or when someone purchases your work. Enclose an additional copy with shipments of your work so it can be displayed wherever your work will be exhibited. Keep in mind that you and your work will change over time and therefore so should your artist's statement. You should review your statement every time it is used to make sure it's suitable for a particular exhibition or audience. I f you have several different bodies of work you might want to have a separate statement that deals specifically with each. Above all, keep in mind that successful artists need to be articulate about their work, so use this exercise in writing your artist's statement to learn about yourself and grow from the experience.