DEAR WRITER: Here's why every writer should have an artist statement...
Artist statements explain your creative vision to someone who is not you.
They can also act as the roadmap to the manifestation of your artistic desires. Because when we write things down—they have more of a chance of becoming real.
It’s very easy to become derailed and discontented during your writer life. Unexpected circumstances will pop up. You’ll be lost in the woods sometimes. Sometimes your fear, jealousy, anxiety, or comparison will temporarily obscure your desire. Life will life.
When you identify your why, the big purpose-driven reason you decided to write your book in the first place, you will come back to center with way more intention, ease, and follow-through.
You’ll feel better able to weather the nadirs of your journey because you know where you’re going.
Artist statements are the articulation of your why.
Once the province of visual artists, artist statements are increasingly requested from writers—especially when applying to graduate school programs, residencies, teaching opportunities, fellowships, literary contests, and ambitious writing workshops.
Artist statements are your personal roadmap. You are writing in your own words about what drives you to create.
The Artist Statement Defined
Imagine a committee of artsy strangers with piles upon piles of applications.
In these piles are hundreds of artist statements.
One of those statements is yours explaining your vision in 12-point Times New Roman and five paragraphs.
Typically, written in the 500–1000 word range, artist statements are often submitted with a work sample to residencies, workshops, contests, graduate schools, and fellowships.
They are the WHAT, HOW, and IMPACT of your vision.
Artist statements explore the personal history, creative philosophy, material choices, overall artistic vision, thematic considerations, and practices of the artist.
(Please keep in mind that most of the attention from a selection committee is on your work sample (the sample project you submit, past published work) proven track record, and the feasibility of your project when submitting for grants, fellowships, and residencies. In other words: always put the most focus on your actual work.)
But artist statements do matter!
I’ll be sharing some info about the power and how-to of artist statements coming up soon.
Stay tuned!
Love,
Hannah
P.S. I am an award-winning writer and a book coach. I will be offering 1:1 book coaching in the Fall and Spring. 4 months. Deep work. Perfect for all of you who desire accountability, support, and a space that really gets you. This offering is strictly for the writers who are serious about writing a book in the next year. Keep your eye on this space and on my IG (@hannah.eko) for announcements and waitlists and dates.
In the meantime, I’m hosting The Lit Club (think book club + writing circle + weed) every month and Flower Hour (cannabis-friendly coworking, co-creative lab, and writers’ café every Wednesday at The Artist Tree in WeHo, and writing a newsletter every week. Hope to see you there.