Ok. That's maybe a little extreme. But not many things put fear in an artist's heart like being told "you need an artist statement."
Want some insight as to why I do what I do? You can skip to the bottom and read my artist statement. Or, you can keep reading.
How hard could it be to create an artist statement? Sounds easy, right? And once you write a few, five, or ten versions of your own, it does get easier. But that first one is tough. I won't lie!
Artists need artist statements to describe their work to wonderful patrons like you, art galleries, or even on art fair applications. They describe their intentions, their method of working and the "tools" they use. And since most artists' art isn't as straightforward as 1+1=2, this is where it gets tricky, even for people who don't mind writing. For those who hate to write, then it does really suck for them, or they hire someone. Or they write a really shitty statement.
Be patient with yourself. Once you get that first draft under your belt, it does get easier. It gets reworded, refined. And sometimes you just create a brand new one that better reflects where you are now as an artist. And different places have different requirements for length. The shortest one I had to write was 20 words. You try describing anything you're passionate about in 20 words! It's tough!
As for other artists reading this needing to write or revise their own artist statement, I suggest searching "writing an artist statement" in your favorite search engine. I also bought the book "Art-Write" The Writing Guide for Visual Artists"; I found some good information in this, too.
Artist Statement of Barb Kellogg
My journey is to create photography that is about something, not of something. Whether consciously or not, I ask myself, what do I want this image to feel like?
It's my responsibility to find the best way to present the meaning of what I'm interpreting with my camera. My vision collaborates with the camera (including digital or film choice, and the endless variety of shutter speeds, apertures, focal lengths, and compositions) and the digital darkroom to create meaningful images.
Photographing nature is my first love, especially flowers. Whether beautiful, ugly, colorful, full of texture, or completely subtle in how they look, they still present challenges to me to photograph them in different ways.
The process of photographing is very freeing for me. Creating an image allows me to express ideas or emotions much like an actor can when they become another character; I can express beauty, sadness, or anything I want, which can be very liberating. I also derive a revitalizing energy from the entire process of my art: from idea to the shutter clicking to creativeness on the computer. For me, there's nothing better.
Saturday Afternoon, by photographer Barb Kellogg. Available now in the Shop.