How to write content for your Artist About Page
This step is for those of you making a website for the very first time and who do not have these things. If you've already got them, check if it's time to give it a refresh, or skip to the next module.
Few of us are natural writers, and though writing an Artist Statement, Bio & CV can be mighty tedious, there's nothing like preparing this text to become more adept at explaining what it is you do, why and how in a concise way.
It's also a great moment to dedicate time to reflect on how far you've come, what you're work is saying and maybe also where you'd like to go!
The most important thing when beginning is to keep it short & relevant (i.e. No high school education or acting classes need be mentioned... unless, you know, you literally just finished high school or you are a performing artist!).
Below attached are templates to help guide you write your Profile, Artist Statement, Bio and CV. Keep in mind all of these should be refined and updated whenever your career changes. I go back to mine every few months and adjust it.
Use the template attached below to help get you started writing.
Please don't forget: If you're just starting out, maybe it's too early for a fully blown artist statement as you're still establishing yourself, so for now you can refer to 'Part 1. Profile' of the attached doc for writing a simpler intro statement you can use on your website for now. It's better to keep it short and brief than to make up some fluff to fill a page. So if this is you and you're in the beginning stages of your art career, consider writing just your Profile for now, save your Artist Statement, Bio and CV writing for future. Don't let writing these things stall you completely from creating your website. If you think it will, write something simple and accurate, move onto the next module, and come back and refine later!
Part 1. Profile
An Introduction Statement
An extremely helpful resource:
Art / Work: ‘Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career’
Writing a profile specifically helps you write a short statement to serve as an introduction to your website or as your statement for general use. It can also help you introduce yourself and talk about your work concisely.
Writing a profile is great if you’re a very new / emerging artist and maybe you’re not ready to make an artist statement or bio just yet. The profile statement is a combo of both. Two birds, one stone! Knock it out and move onto the next module of the course. Save this document for writing your longer artist statement & bio when you feel developed enough for it.
Let’s keep it simple and build the bones of this profile from the Who What Why framework:
Who are you and What type of artist are you?
e.g. Hannah Sutton is an Australian classical realist painter
What type of work do you make / are known for making?
e.g. known for her figurative works, still life and portraits in oil.
Why or How do you make it? (If notable & necessary)
e.g. created from life in her studio in Florence, Italy, where she is inspired by the methods of the Old Masters to create works with a time-old narrative
Answer these questions, and use it to structure a beginning for the statement that you can refine from there. If you are known for something in particular, then make sure people are getting that from your artist statement (if you are known for your post-apocalyptic landscapes, or that is how someone else would begin to describe your work in order to immediately put an idea in someone’s head, then don’t waste time talking about all the still lives you make)
Profile Goals:
This is a mini version of your Bio & Artist Statement.
Useful if you're not ready to write a full blown artist statement or bio
Think of it as what someone would say if they could give you the perfect 30 second introduction in a podcast interview.
Keep it direct, simple & short. It should be 1-3 sentences.
You can use this for the Home or About Page in lieu of a Statement/Bio/CV (while you're working up to those)
Some Examples of actual Artist profiles:
“Michael Joseph Winkelmann, known professionally as Beeple or Beeple Crap, is an American digital artist, graphic designer, and animator. He is known for using various mediums in creating comical, phantasmagoric works that makes political, social commentary while using pop culture figures as references.”
“Miles Johnston is an artist and atelier instructor currently working out of southern Sweden. Using predominantly graphite on paper Johnston slices away and deforms his figures. The works are made to function as open ended visual metaphors for the viewer to contemplate and place themselves within.”
“Jeremy Lipking is an American realist painter, born in Santa Monica, California on 2 November 1975. Lipking was inspired by the figurative tradition of nineteenth century European painters. He was educated at the California Art Institute. Lipking's works include landscapes, still lifes, and human figures.”
Pt 2. Artist Statement
A super helpful resource:
https://www.gyst-ink.com/artist-statement-guidelines - outlines and a review service for your artist statement
Let’s write a general-use artist statement for your website. This artist statement is where you actually describe your work, how you make it and why you make it in the first person. You can use it on your website, for grant & award applications, for shows and galleries. This statement will be edited constantly as it should be tailored for every purpose – we all need one sooner or later. Artist Statements can be quite long, as exampled in GYST-ink.com (link above) however for now, if it is easier, you can practice writing a briefer one first.
An example structure to get you started:
Describe an overview of your artwork in the first person: What ideas do you explore in your work, what subjects / themes do you focus on?
Then touch on, briefly, how the work you make fits into the world around you, or its place in art history, any notable materials/ technique you use to create it, sources of inspiration or your drive & philosophy behind making the work.
Example: My work is echoes the practice of the 19th century painters in the days before photography. A time when all the image makers bore a pencil or paintbrush and it was their eyes and hands who directly interpreted and recorded the world around them.
Pt 3. Bio
A brief narrative of your CV in 1-2 paragraphs (150-250 words)
Start with your name, where and when you were born, where you are currently based/ work, Key points in your training and highlights of your career. It may also include a sentence or two describing your influences and work.
Write in the third person (this is helpful as it might be used by third parties such as Blogs, Magazines, Instagram Influencers, Podcasters etc, to introduce you) Otherwise, you can re-write in the first person ‘I’ when you’re applying for prizes / competitions, so as not to sound too pretentious (wink)
For self-taught artists; Don’t be too preoccupied with the education segment. If you haven’t had any defining training moments that have shaped how you create, perhaps you have a style or movement of art that has influenced your art? You might want to write ‘…whose work is influenced by the [work/movement]’ and go on to write a profile style as detailed in pt.1. You can also mention how many years you have been creating to turn the focus to your level of experience.
An Example Bio Structure:
[Full Name] was born in [Town/City, Country] in [Year]. They received a [degree] in [subject, University, year]. [Name] has exhibited in solo exhibitions [title, venue, city, state, country] and group shows including [title, venue, city, state, country]. [Name] was the recipient of the [name of Award/grant/prize/scholarship] in [Year]. Their work is [known for/ influenced by] the [common theme in your work / art movement you are influenced by]. Upcoming shows include [title, date, venue, city, state, country]. [Name] lives and works in [city, state, country].
Pt 4. CV
Art relevant things only (and the more concise the better)
Write in REVERSE chronological order (start with most recent dates)
Add the states AND country when you list your education, shows, etc. (in case someone is reading it outside your home country)
Keep it consistent; use the same formatting everywhere (e.g. starting with year, title, place for each listing)
Proof read: No spelling errors
Tip: Look up the CVs of established artists you respect and take note of their formatting.
Use the template attached below to fill in!
Goals for all 4 parts:
Spell check & proof read!
Update as you evolve, don't set and forget
Get someone you know, like another artist / someone knowledgeable about your art or who can write about art to review your statement, bio & CV. If you're not sure you have someone, the folks at Getting Your Sh*t Together have a review service for just $20. (What darlings!)
Great Resources:
ART/WORK 'Everything you need to know and do as you pursue your art career' Available here.
Getting Your Sh*t Together: The Ultimate Business Manual For Every Practising Artist. Available here