Write Your Own Artist's Statement

I'm a big fan of the arts, especially in my hometown, Indianapolis. And whenever I go to see different art shows and exhibits, I always take the time to read the artist's statement. I know some artists struggle with writing their artist's vision statement, so here is a helpful template to help any artist come up with one they can use at their coming shows.

My name is __________ (my real name / a nom de guerre / something I saw on a label in an Asian food market), and I __________ (am an emerging artist / am an artist with many a year's journey / found a brush and a can of paint last week). I ___________ (create / give birth to / slop together) my art in order to ___________ (engage / inspire / cause vomiting in) the __________ (observer / community / homeless guy outside my studio). The underlying theme of my life's work has been inspired by __________ (the light of our souls / man's inhumanity to man / come on, does anyone really say 'man's inhumanity to man' anymore?).

I ____________ (paint / sculpt / draw / pile crap on top of other crap) for __________(clients / art aficionados / soulless yuppies who buy art to show off their status) so they can __________ (admire and appreciate it / consider their place in the universe / give me a shitload of money). In return, I use my __________ (artist's vision / soul's eye / ability to run a good scam) to __________ (find the beauty in the world / tell the world's stories / get a shitload of money from stupid yuppies). As a __________ (traditional artist / mixed-media artist / bullshit artist), I seek my inspiration by (watching the world around me / listening to the voice of God within my soul / going through the homeless guy's duffel bag when he's passed out).


You can read the rest of the artist's vision template at the Laughing Stalk blog.