It’s been a little while since we talked about writing-specific issues here on the blog, so I thought I’d return to something I’ve mentioned before and which I get asked about again and again – whether to write your artist’s statement in the 1st person or 3rd person. In my opinion it doesn’t matter which you choose so long as the writing suits the audience you are writing for and the work that you make (see my post on this topic). You can write a superb artist’s statement, that sounds professional and engaging, in either.
So, let’s assume you’ve thought about who and what the writing is for, and have decided which point of view works best for your work… and it’s the 3rd person. Now what? Here are some tips to help you get started and write that awesome artist’s statement.
1. Pretend you are writing about someone else
Let’s imagine you’re not writing an artist’s statement about your own work, you’re writing a short article about another maker. Draw up a list of questions you need the answers to, for example:
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Who is your name here?
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What sort of work does she/he make?
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What materials does she/he use?
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How does she/he make the work?
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What inspires her/him?
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What is her/his current collection/project/piece about?
Now, answer those questions as if you are writing about another person. [In the following examples I’m going to pretend to be fictional textile artist Eliza Beadle so you get the gist.] For example:
Who is Eliza Beadle? Eliza Beadle is a textile artist.
What sort of work does she/he make? She makes woven pieces inspired by weathering and change in natural environments.
What materials does she/he make? She uses hand-spun wool from the environments she is inspired by. She incorporates natural materials and man-made ephemera that she finds.
How does she/he make the work? She uses a loom.
What is the current collection about? It is inspired by a trip to Cornwall where she saw the erosion of cliffs, which is leaving homes and buildings stranded, precariously balanced on the edge.
Once you’ve got your answers, put them together to create a statement. You may need to re-order them, expand some of them or link some together so that the text flows and things make sense:
Eliza Beadle is a textile artist whose woven pieces explore ideas of weathering and change in natural environments. She works with hand-spun woollen yarns from the environments she is inspired by. She works on a loom, incorporating found natural materials and man-made ephemera within the weave. Her current collection is inspired by a recent trip to Cornwall and the erosion of cliffs along the coast, which leaves homes and buildings stranded, precariously balanced on the edge.
2. Take an abstract approach
For this method you are going to start by writing an abstract statement about the ideas/concepts/materials/processes that drive your work. It sets the scene.
Imagine you’ve been asked to write a paragraph about why this idea/concept/material/process is so important and how it relates to your work.
(Remember to keep it in the 3rd person!) Start off with a general statement about this idea and then show how the work responds to it:
There is a quiet beauty to weathered surfaces. The effects of sun, wind and rain on natural materials produces unexpected textures and colours – often in contrast to the pristine surfaces of new or man-made objects. These contrasts and surprises inspire the work of textile artist Eliza Beadle, who translates these influences into contemporary woven pieces for interiors.
Working on a loom, using hand-spun woollen yarns…
You can see how this initial statement works well as an opening which can then be followed by more detailed information about how and why you make your work.
If you struggle to put your ideas into words on paper, why not try talking about these abstract ideas to someone, or record yourself? Try to start your sentences in an abstract, 3rd person way, with ‘There…’ or ‘It is…’ or ‘The such-and-such…’ By talking out loud you can start to hone in on what it is that’s important much quicker than thinking and writing about it.
3. Cheat!
This method isn’t fool-proof but it is one way to quickly get some writing down in the 3rd person if you are struggling.
Start by writing your statement, or answering your questions, in the 1st person. For example: ‘What inspires this collection?’
Walking on a beach in Cornwall I noticed these houses which had been built on top of the cliff quite a while ago, but the cliff had been weathered away underneath and now the houses are left really close to the edge. I found this really unsettling but there was something about the closeness of the solid buildings to the crumbling cliffs that fascinated me. I wanted to explore this contrast, of the expected stability of home and the unstoppable force of nature, in the new collection.
Then, change all the ‘I’s to your name or she/he. This won’t necessarily sound right and you will probably have to change some words or add bits to have it make sense:
On a trip to Cornwall, Eliza noticed houses which had been built on top of cliffs, a while ago, but the cliffs had been weathered away, leaving the houses close to the edge. She found this unsettling but something about the closeness of the solid buildings to the crumbling cliffs fascinated her. She wanted to explore this contrast, of the expected stability of home and the unstoppable force of nature, in her new collection.
4. Don’t use the 3rd person at all!
This is a handy trick which can work really well if you are happy articulating the ideas behind your work. You can write a 3rd person statement that is mostly in the 1st person by quoting yourself!
Again, I recommend having a list of questions that you’d like to answer, but this time answer them in the 1st person (either straight on paper or talking out loud and recording). Once you have your answers, it’s up to you how much of the original 1st person text you include, but it can often be useful to describe, in your own ‘voice’ the ideas behind the work:
Eliza Beadle is a textile artist whose woven pieces explore ideas of weathering and change in natural environments. She works with hand-spun woollen yarns from the environments she is inspired by. She works on a loom, incorporating found natural materials and man-made ephemera within the weave. Her current collection is inspired by a recent trip to Cornwall and the erosion of cliffs along the coast, which leaves homes and buildings stranded, precariously balanced on the edge:
“walking on a beach, I noticed these houses which had been built on top of the cliff quite a while ago, but the cliff had been weathered away underneath and now the houses are left really close to the edge. I found this really unsettling but there was something about the closeness of the solid buildings to the crumbling cliffs that fascinated me. I wanted to explore this contrast, of the expected stability of home and the unstoppable force of nature, in the new collection.”
As ‘Eliza’ I could have easily quoted myself in the first paragraph when I talk about the general themes in my work, or in the part where I describe the materials and processes I use. I would caution against using too much quoted text (it will start to sound a bit odd) but one or two sections in your own words can provide a nice balance to the slightly more detached-sounding 3rd person elements.
You may have noticed that by using a combination of these tricks and approaches it’s possible to create quite a nice, clear artist’s statement in only a few paragraphs. Test them out, save all the writing you create and don’t be afraid to use a collage approach to put your statement together. Ultimately it doesn’t matter how it was written, just that the writing sounds like your work and shows off your work.