How to write an “Artist Statement”

Reeds at Dodd Lake. Boulder County, Colorado, 2012

This is a tough one. Those who are serious about art expect a few paragraphs on what exactly you do but, even more importantly, why you do what you do…what is unique about your vision…how you see the world…what drives you internally…and so on. My “artist statement” (can also be written as “artist’s statement”) is still very much a work in progress as I learn exactly who I am and why I do what I do.

Initially, I wanted to write something like this: “I make photographs because it’s fun.”

But I was quickly told that such a statement was a bit thin.

So I thought I’d get more creative, with this:

“As momentary replicas become distorted through frantic and critical practice, the viewer is left with a new agenda of the inaccuracies of our existence. What starts out as yearning soon becomes manipulated into a tragedy of defeat, leaving only a sense of chaos and the chance of a new synthesis. Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by the essential unreality of the zeitgeist.”

Actually, the above artist statement was created from phrases you can find on a really great and wacky web site called the arty bollocks generator. You can generate Tweets, official artist certificates and you can even order a T-shirt with your very own artist statement printed on it. Hilarious and worth checking out.

[NOTE: The “arty bollocks generator” link seems to be broken, maybe permanently, although you can try Googling it in the future in case the website is repaired. In the meantime, Michelle Mach has found three different websites that do something similar. You can find her suggestions HERE.]

Perhaps the best artist statement I have ever seen is the one below by Charlotte Young. In the video, she deadpans her “artist statement” while the subtitles reveal the real meaning of her spoken words. I choked on my Cheerios when I watched it because it was so funny–so avoid consuming food or liquids for the two minutes it takes to view.