Writing the Artist Statement - beginning

Writing the Artists Statement: Reealing the True Spirit of Your Work by Ariane Goodwin is the guide I have started using to write my statement. 

Several years ago I stumbled across Ariane Goodwin’s book Writing the Artist Statement. I checked it out of the library, renewed it and, truth be told, I checked it out again. Her approach to the task is fresh, illuminating and reflective. So naturally, when I started thinking about writing about my artwork my thoughts returned to her method, her insight. 

I turned to the internet to see if I could get my hands on a copy. It's time I have a copy of my own. Score! There are copies to be had. In fact, the copy I got was brand-spanking new.

You can get a peek at the book at her website, the SmARTist Career Blog.

http://smartistcareerblog.com/

Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with her. Just a fan.

So begin my adventures in writing an artist statement. 

Initially, I began with confidence. I am relatively intelligent. I write well. I felt confident that I could write about my work. Sound familiar? 

Then I started. I had no idea where to start. Somehow writing that my favorite color is pink didn't seem to be all that impressive. Worse yet, what are the unifying elements of my work? Well, mastering a technique with paint took time and practice. Why should I expect talking about it to take any less time?

For me, and I suspect for most artists who have followed a meandering path to their art, thinking of our body of work as a cohesive unit is a new concept. A new way of thinking.While I think this book is helpful to anyone writing an artist statement, those of us who came stumbling toward this vocation, those of us without a guide, without a mentor and without a team of established artists guiding us to the fruition of our dreams, this book is more than about getting the statement required for a show, a sale or a publication written. The method helps connect us with our work in a more meaningful way. 

If you are in a hurry and need to get that statement written and on its way by the end of the day, there are plenty of sources out there to outline the minimum requirements for the statement. If you want to shine, and why wouldn’t you, taking the time to make this connection to your work is worthwhile. It’s not just about the statement. It’s also a way to go deeper into your relationship with your artistic self. 

My big take away? So far the most astounding thing I have gotten working through the book is the complete shift I had from focusing on the themes of my pieces to the actual concept behind them. There is a more elemental level concept at play than I had originally identified.

While I highly recommend this book, I am also looking at others that may be easier for people in other locations to get their hands on. Stay tuned. 

4th post in series Writing About Your Art

Documenting Artwork and Inventory Links

Post number four in this series. 

Learning about documenting artwork and applying what I learn to my own art continues. As I move forward with this it seems to me that providing links to the articles I find most helpful and reflecting upon that will be more helpful to others than me reinventing the wheel. It is also apparent that this series is better spaced out further. (The actual documentation takes time. More time than one would think.) So from here on out the Documenting Your Artwork series will post on the first Monday of the month. The Writing About Your Art series will remain the same.

Today's great find is GYST (Get Your Sh*t Together), a wonderful resource for artists about the business of art. While there are plenty of fine articles, the two that stand out as most pertinent for documenting your artwork are:

Documentation
https://www.gyst-ink.com/documentation/

and

Artwork Inventory
https://www.gyst-ink.com/artwork-inventory/


The Documentation article has plenty of good information about the visual documenting of artwork. This is particularly helpful to those who are planning to apply for publication, exhibitions, etc. I found the additional tips section had plenty to think about.

As a mixed media artist, I took note that labeling my work simply as mixed media is not very helpful for documenting purposes.

My big take away?

Document very soon after creating your piece. My latest piece includes a strip of plastic that came from the soba noodles I cooked for dinner one night, but it looks like washi tape. The likelihood that I will remember that in years to come is... questionable. The piece I finished the day before yesterday is still fresh enough in my memory that I can jot down the full list of materials.

Here's a picture of a fraction of the items I might use in a piece:

A fraction of the items I might use in a mixed media piece. 

What you see here is gelli print on deli paper, caught color on a piece of packing paper from a fragile purchase, stamps on tissue paper, a yellow, paper crown rescued from a cracker imported from England, a fortune cookie fortune, a prismacolor marker, a Stabilo pencil, two Sakura gel pens, a homemade stencil made from a pasta box, acrylic paint, liquid pearls, washi tape, embroidery floss, lace dyed with ink, and a Stays On stamp pad. 

Do you see how it would be hard to remember all of that later? 

As for the Artwork Inventory article, there's a lot of good information for me to chew on. Honestly, they got me in the first paragraph.  

Inventory number. As a librarian I have been used to ISBN (International Standard Book Number) numbers, Library of Congress numbers, barcodes and call numbers. So many numbers. So many ways to keep track of information, index it, retrieve it, sort it, and sometimes simply play with it. I've also been used to keeping data, tracking circulation, numbers of patrons checking in, checking out, renewing, over dues, collection age, collection value, collection circulation, etc. I am used to keeping this kind of information. 

And yet it never occurred to me to give my work an inventory number, much less assign numbers which would provide information. This is another task for me to consider and employ. Watch that google doc I posted, it just might have a few additions. 

Let me know what you think of these articles and the ideas. Were they helpful to you? Was any of the information new to you? 

Beginning the Documenting Process

How many of you start a piece with a concept, a title and a clear vision of what you want to express? That’s what I thought. Not a grand percentage. 

To document your work you will need to name each piece. It may seem difficult to work back and name each one, but if you are planning to track and catalog it must be done. 

Below are the categories I am starting with in my own effort to document my work. Are there other details to add? Yes. Yes, there are. Will I add them to my document later? Maybe. I have created a very simple Google document that you can copy and use for your own documenting. 

Title

byline (including collaborators, if any)

photos

size

medium/materials

date

location

description

artist’s statement

I have created a very simple Google document that you can copy and use for your own documenting. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BbREMeYYkTAHJOdRDclJu1WYMPR_fRGCkWkBoeEp6LA/edit?usp=sharing

The process seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Working through it takes time and perhaps more than one cup of tea. Personally, I am finding it empowering as I see my work together in one place, documented and looking official. 

I’m not berating myself for having not done this sooner and I hope that you will feel just as relaxed. Who knew when I started that this would be something I would feel was necessary? I certainly didn’t know where this art would take me. So the documenting begins in this season. It began when the time was right. I hope you enjoy seeing your work anew as you document it and that you will check in next week as we continue to explore. 

Documenting Your Artwork Posts

Do you have careful records of each piece of art you have ever created documenting all its aspects from creation to present? I don’t either. Don’t worry. I’m not going to judge. 

What has occurred to me lately is that I have not the slightest record about even my largest pieces. As a librarian entrusted with organizing information I realize what a problem this could cause me down the road. 

Maybe, like me, you create art and move on. Maybe you have not shown your work yet, maybe you are not even aware that you need to provide certain information about your work if you want to submit for publication, have a show or create a catalog of your work. Perhaps you half-heartedly say “I’m just a hobbyist. I am not a ‘real’ artist.’” Perhaps you are secretly hoping someone will protest and tell you that you are a real artist. Perhaps you dream of showing. Guess what? You will need to document your work. So you might as well start now. 

Full disclosure - I am no expert. I do not have a wonderful document full of the information I need to detail my art. I am starting now. That is great for both of us. As I start on my journey to find the way to do this that works best for me, I will be sharing that information with you. You can take the information you want and leave anything that doesn’t speak to you. 

I do, however, have a background in library cataloging, the importance of these records and a healthy interest in learning more. 

On Mondays, I plan to post about the process of documenting your artwork. Let me know if you are interested and if you have any particular areas of interest. If I don’t know the answer I will look for it. 

Meanwhile, make a list of your art. See how many pieces you can remember. Next week we will begin the process of document them.