My art philosophy



Artist statement - the detailed guide how to write an artistic statement
Each artist sooner or later faces you the necessity of drawing up his artistic statement if he is focused and passionate about his work. This is the author’s statement with the general message that gives viewers an idea of the artist’s thoughts about his work.
Sometimes artist statement can include a description of his work, sometimes the term can be interpreted more broadly and explain the style and techniques, sometimes it can be a brief creative credo, leading the viewers “straight to the point “. An example of the latter is the “Treatise on Painting” by Leonardo da Vinci or “The Point and the Line on the Plane” by Kandinsky. In his statement, the artist can also describe his creative path, what inspires him and what he aspires to.
An author’s statement is your creative credo that points to facts; This is an introduction to your work, and not an instruction on how to perceive your art works or how to analyze them correctly, but what was the main motivators for you to create the work, and how to feel, how to behave or where to stand in order to better understand the image. And if you precisely follow the instruction, then it’s better to rewrite the entire text.
We communicate through words, so the author’s statement should convey to the readers the language common to your work.
Art lovers who first get to know your work want to discover more and the more they explore, the more questions they will have.
In your presence they will ask a question and get an answer. But when you are absent, the author’s statement is aimed to help them to find an answer. Unless if you do not want to answer, or you are too busy, or someone is too embarrassed to ask you questions, or you are too embarrassed to answer ... your salvation is an authorized statement that will do the work for you and ease the process of recognition.
Question: Why should I write an author’s statement? This is silly. If I want to express myself, I would become a writer. The main idea of my art is a visual expression of feelings and thoughts. Why can't you just look at my work and understand everything that I wanted to say?
Answer: A copyright statement is not a stupid step. On the contrary, it is very important. The good news is that learning how to write it is easier than you think. And you do not need to be a writer or a blogger. And people, indeed, will look at your creations in more respectful way and draw conclusions that you treat your job professionally.
While writing, the following difficulties can pop up:
1. self-determination.
2. recognition of your own uniqueness.
If you have a radical idea, and you fight for world peace or for feminism or for the rights of minorities, then this sounds bright. And if you focus on painting the cute landscapes, and you still need to tell and present your art on the most attractive way. In fact, it is a sign of maturity and self confidence when you realize that you know the reasons why and what you want to tell the world. And when you could formulate it in a bright and concise text, Artist’s Statment is ready.
How to write artist statement?
Usually, writing the art statement starts with defining the goals - why and for whom do you write this text? In most cases, the goal is to receive a grant, participate in a program or competition for artists.
Another motive is much less common - to understand for yourself who you are and what you do, a kind of self-reflection. If you are preparing an art statement for a particular institution, then you need to know the exact requirements and format. If the format is free, then you can follow the example and include the following sections:
How to start? Think it over.
1 Be honest with yourself. Before you start writing, take the time to think about yourself and your work. Before explaining to someone the idea that you want to convey, try to understand it by yourself.
Ask yourself what are you doing? What does your creativity express? What makes it extraordinary?
Ask yourself why you are doing this. What drives you? What emotions or ideas are you trying to convey? What does your creativity mean to you?
Ask yourself how you create it? Where do you get inspiration from? What tools and materials do you use to create?
2 Take a look at what affects you. Think what are your daily influencers: art, music, literature, history, politics or the environment. Think about how these factors affect you, and how then they manifest in your work. Try to be as specific as possible.
3 Create your associative map. Creating such a map facilitates the flight of thoughts and helps you to connect all these thoughts into a single whole.
In the center of the blank page, write the main idea that runs through your entire work with a red thread. Then, take 15 minutes to write down any words, phrases, feelings, methods and so on. Related to this thought.
Another way is a free writing technique that can stimulate your creativity. Take 5-10 minutes to write down everything that comes to your mind when you think about the object of your creativity. You will be surprised at the thoughts that come into your head.
4 Decide on the main idea that you want to convey to people. Think about what they can learn from your work. What message or emotion are you trying to convey to them?
Consolidation steps********
1 Create a statement explaining why you engage in this creative field in particular.. The first paragraph of your statement should be an intriguing introduction of what motivates you to be creative. Try to make it as emotionally intimate as possible. Tell us about what your goal is and what you would like to achieve with your creativity.
2 Describe the creative process. In the second part of your statement, tell the reader about the immediate process of creating your work. How do you choose a theme? How do you choose the materials to use? What equipment do you use while creating? Make the story simple and sincere or simply “trustful»
3 Tell us about your current job. In the third paragraph, tell us a little about your current work. How is it related to the previous one? What life experience inspired you to create it? What did you understand or rethink in the process of creating this work?
4 Be concise, presentable and specific. Your statement is a preface to your work, its brief analysis. It should be disclosed in one or two paragraphs and not exceed one page in volume.
Your application should hanswer the most frequently asked questions about the subject of your creativity. Do not oversaturate the text with unnecessary facts and details.
The brevity and information content of the language is the key to success. A well-written statement will help get your audience interested.
5 Use plain language. A good statement by an artist attracts and puts people to your work of art, regardless of their initial level of knowledge in this field, and this must be taken into account. Your work will be more understandable if it is not written in confusing language, and you do not abuse professional terms.
Write in a simple, intelligible, everyday language.
Focus on your own perception, not on the perception of the audience. Tell us about how you see and evaluate it, and not about what the viewer should understand.
Finishing touches
1 Your statement by an artist is an important part of a very personal one. After you finish writing, set it aside for the night before re-reading it again. This will give you the opportunity to impartially look at the text with a fresh look and edit it without changing the main idea.
2 Get feedback. Before presenting your statement of the artist to a wide audience, show your work of art and the statement of the artist to friends, friends of friends and, possibly, several strangers. Ask them to rate your work.
Make sure that they correctly understand the meaning of your statement that you want to convey to the public. If the audience does not understand the meaning of your statement, and it requires further clarification, rewrite the text by making the necessary adjustments.
Remember that you know better than others what meaning you put in your work, but feedback on its lexical, stylistic and spelling literacy will also not hurt.
3 Edit the article. In most cases, only a small adjustment is required to make the statement clear and understandable. If you have any difficulties, then you should turn to the services if curators who can help in writing or editing the text.
4 Use your application. Devote the good part of your statement by promoting your work to gallery owners, museum curators, photo editors, print media and the general public.
5 Save all notes and drafts that you have made. Subsequently, from time to time, you will want to review and update your application to reflect changes in your work. Having at your disposal initial notes and drafts, you can immerse yourself in your previous thoughts, which will allow you to feel the continuity of creativity.
A clear and meaningful statement by the artist will allow you to stand out from the crowd and show your deep inner world. Writing a statement by an artist can be challenging, but it is also an incredibly valuable experience that can help you better understand yourself as an artist.