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Writing about your own work is genuinely hard. Here's how to craft an artist statement that connects with buyers without feeling pretentious.
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Before you can scale your business, you need to understand the economics of what you do. Calculate your true cost per piece—materials, time, overhead, packaging. Many artists underestimate the cost of production because they undervalue their time. Your pricing should cover:
An artist statement is a short piece of writing that explains who you are, what you make, and why. It lives on your website, your market signage, your grant applications, and anywhere else you need to introduce your practice quickly.
Most artists dread writing them — because writing about your own work feels exposed and the language can tip into pretension easily. But a good artist statement doesn't need to be lofty. It needs to be true.
Answer these three questions in plain language: What do you make? What materials or methods do you use? Why do you make it — what draws you to this work?
Don't start with abstract nouns like 'identity' or 'the human condition'. Start with what you actually do. 'I make hand-thrown ceramics inspired by the coastal landscapes of southern Victoria' is better than almost any sentence that begins with 'My work explores...'
Specificity is what makes a statement memorable. Generic statements sound like every other artist. Specific statements sound like you. What neighbourhood do you work from? What's the first thing you reach for when you start a new piece? What do you hope someone feels when they look at your work?
A market audience has about thirty seconds. Your statement should be readable in that time — two or three short paragraphs at most. If you can say it in fewer words without losing meaning, do.
Before you finalise anything, read it aloud. If it sounds like something you'd never say in conversation, rewrite it. The goal is to sound like yourself, not like a press release.
