1. Writing an artist statement
LESSON PLAN 03
by Zoe Martin
zoemartin.com.au

2. Objectives Identify 2 different writing styles
Interpret existing artist statements breaking down format and information
Recognise various ways to write an artist statement
List situations which an artist statement can be used for
Apply knowledge to write notes and own artist statement

3. Free writing
You have 2 minutes, don’t stop, theme is you as an artist, ready, set, GO…!

4. “Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths.”
Henry Miller

5. Differences...
Here we are using the term artist statement to be a biography about you as an artist, your influences and career.
And we use the term didactic to be the informative writing about a specific art work.
This is just one way of separating the terms to make it simpler to understand – divide and conquer! You can combine the two uses in various ways.

6. Third person (limited)
Jane’s creative influences…
Less direct but more formal
Longest existing means of conveying
Perhaps most effective
Detached enough to get out of comfort zone
More difficult to write
Can sound pretentious
Flexible
Be an observer of yourself
Attempt to describe yourself by stepping outside yourself
Objective and critical of your own processes

7. First person My creative influences… More direct More personal
Literary preference
Daunting because it is so personal
create a character who’s viewpoint you take
Focus on ideal self
Temptation to be pretentious
Can provide critical examination
Interview yourself
Viewers can feel more emotional connection to you
Can be a lazy way ‘I, I , I’
Personal memoir/ icing on the cake
Sympathetic reinforcement to your work

8. Why is it hard to write about yourself?
Looking in the mirror
See stuff you probably won’t want to see
Other people have to read it
Sort of a personal performance
Speaking for yourself
Cue video – Gwenn Seemelhttps://

9. Why Oh Why? What artist statements are handy for… Exhibitions
Gallery proposals
Competition entry forms
Grant applications
Articles/ press releases
Your website
Your CV
Relevant job interviews
Crowd funding
Philanthropy

10. Try it for yourself...
Look at your free writing from earlier
Highlight or underline anything/ words, phrases that stand out
Note them separately
This can be a basis to which to piece together something unique
Just start! Start in the middle, write notes for the end… don’t think you have to start at the beginning and struggle through it until the end
This should be an organic process unique to you!

11. “The first draft of anything is shit.”
Ernest Hemingway