An artist statement is a written description of your work that gives the context of who you are and how that relates to the work that you make (or will make in this class).
Things to keep in mind:
- Your artist statement will likely change over time – and that's great! You might not have a ton of experience right now (or even consider yourself an artist!) and the way you approach your work may evolve, but write about what interests you, how you are approaching your creative work right now and/or how you plan to approach your work this semester and beyond. You can always go back and edit later.
- Your goal is to communicate your internal process to an external audience. Make sure it makes sense to someone besides you. Ask a friend to read it over if you're not sure.
- Don't worry about impressing your audience or name-dropping famous artists unless they actually influence you. If you want to mention someone as an inspiration, that's great, but try to focus on the specific aspects of their work that you like and are trying to incorporate into your own work. People should be able to see the influences you mention in your work.
- It's easy to get self-conscious about the work you do, but learning how to talk about it is part of the creative process. Don't be shy!
Ask yourself:
- Are there any particular moments or experiences that have shaped who I am? How does that influence the kind of media I want to make?
- What inspires and influences me?
- How am I approaching my work? What's unique about it?
- What sort of themes does my work often address? What questions am I trying to answer?
- What does it mean to me? What do I want it to mean to others?
Examples:
Examples from students:
Additional resources:
