Why Do You Make This Type of Art? Why are you drawn to this subject? ...
What Does Your Artwork Represent? Does your art represent something about you? ...
What Inspires You? What connection do you have to your art? ...
How Do You Make It? Why do you use certain materials? ...
What Does Your Art Mean to You?
Answers
All the most profound feeling (both intuitive & emotional), deepest intelligence i.e. genius (& its components, creativity & intuition) or really all 9 types - The Nine Types of Intelligence all derive from the unconscious. The only systematized anything that deeply & consistently stimulates all of them is Art (all the Arts). Going through the unconscious mind at absolute best (& infrequently that) is a terribly long alternative.
The nature of Art is therefore elastic. Anything any one claims to be Art can reasonably be claimed to be. That hardly makes it good Art however. The act of even trying to make it ennobles the person doing so & makes them deeper & wiser. The aphorism beside my name, above, All excellence aspires to be Art could not be truer. To appreciate it requires useful amounts of introspection & self awareness . The heart of what all wisdom requires. We are rewarded its increase when we cultivate the ability to appreciate it. Not by a little.
Technology has increases accessibility & convenience by orders of magnitude but as in anything in life, nothing is free. It has simultaneously dulled our senses unless the greatest of care is taken to minimize that. Visual Art today is so readily available in so many forms, that there is arguably less inclination and/or sensitivity to seeking out laboriously made pieces by artists. Music too is taken for granted when it is so instantly available & extraordinarily ubiquitous. People much more frequently use it as aural wallpaper. Niel Young says that people collect rather then listen for this reason. When the music sounds so similar (in part due to the mediocre quality of the lower end earbuds & players frequently used) then one needs absolutely, vast collections of different music, to create any significant feeling of novelty. Higher quality headphone listening is making a comeback, which helps to combat this. High quality headphone systems can be purchased for a fraction of the price equal quality floor standing systems would cost. Recording artists (all of them) find it nearly impossible to earn income off record sales & must eternally perform. This is a really corruptive development. Film is the Art form of our age but the watching of them on personal devices and/or computer screens is fundamentally antithetical to how they were designed to be appreciated. Film is also expensive to make & finding ones that seek to rise above titillation alone can require work. Live drama & dance can be wondrous &is certainly an antidote to all of the issues raised, but it requires more of the viewer. They have to show up, listen & watch with real intent. The psychological laziness that all are prone to can hurt attendance. Especially when it is easier to devalue our most critical faculties by grabbing a little more superficial distraction from whatever is immediately available.
We all seek what we do not have or is hard to get. Technology today reduces both (or at first glance appears to) with Art. The imagination is what makes humans better and/or worse than all other living creatures so its nature is to work both ways. Exalting it in the form of the Arts while while simultaneously allowing ourselves to desensitize ourselves to all the crucial subtleties of it, by imagining that inferior replication of it or sloppy making of it is “just as good” or good enough. When less is required of the appreciator, the tendency is naturally to give less of themselves. Increased mediocrity in Art is the inevitable result. Critical thinking & self awareness so critical to art is on the downswing, but hardly gone. The ongoing death of the free press & the increasing disappearance of it’s foremost exemplar, newspapers is part of the tragedy (not too strong a word).
Answer:
1. Why Do You Make This Type of Art?
Why are you drawn to this subject? How do you choose a theme? Giving a behind-the-scenes look into what drives your art is an excellent way to begin building an emotional connection with your audience.
2. What Does Your Artwork Represent?
Does your art represent something about you? Does it represent a message about the world? Does it focus on a piece of history or look to the future?
Our tip: give just enough detail to keep readers interested and grasp your artwork better. Artist statements are intended to be an introduction. Like the old saying goes, always leave them wanting more. Too much detail up front and your readers’ eyes will start to wander.
3. What Inspires You?
What connection do you have to your art? What motivates you? Enthusiastically express why you create what you do and your audience will feel more enthusiastic about it, too.
4. How Do You Make It?
Why do you use certain materials? What techniques do you use? Is there a connection between your process and your artwork’s message? Explaining what goes into a piece can help buyers grasp the significance and scope of your work.
5. What Does Your Art Mean to You?
How do you interpret the meaning of your work? Now, this question should be handled carefully. Notice that this question has no intention of directing your viewers on how to feel or think. It’s crucial to focus solely on your own understanding here because everyone views art differently.
The goal of your artist statement should be to widen the reach of your audience. And, laying down the law on exactly how to process your artwork simply defeats the point and might turn away buyers.