Sabine Lecorre-Moore - Red Earth (45"/22"), Fresco, 2010

Do you absolutely hate, detest and despise writing artist statements, submission letters or proposals?  I get anxious and break out into a cold sweat (well not really but I still don’t like it).  Do you find yourself saying “I have a visual language” or want very much to go with “a picture is worth a 1000 words”. Unfortunately that is not going to advance your art career or get the work accepted by galleries or the public.  In order to reach people artists are put into the position where they have to explain their art and if feels like you have to explain yourself.

To help in this daunting task I have compiled some links to people and sites that actually have some useful tips.

The Creative Edge – Cover Letters

Copyright Peggy Hadden

“When I first began presenting work to the art world, I sent slides out one set at a time, tentatively, without a cover letter.

Looking back now, it seems like I was trying to edge into a gallery unnoticed-when, in fact, just the opposite was true. I wanted very much to be noticed.

Sad to report, the slides would usually come back in the same condition, with no acknowledgment letter-an event particularly disappointing for an artist. I failed to grasp that if I wanted to receive a letter, it would help if I sent one.

In fact, the responses and what I learned from them improved dramatically when I began writing a few words to the person to whom the packet was addressed. Thus evolved a series of ideas for writing art-related cover letters more effectively.”

To read the rest of this article click here

Writing an Artist’s Statement - From ArtEmerging.com

If you’re an artist, chances are someone has said, “What is your painting about?” or, “Explain this photograph to me,” or, “What the hell is that brown thing?”

It’s human nature to try to make sense of what we see. Writing an artist’s statement is a great way to help your viewers understand what they’re seeing. Even if you never share your written statement with anyone, just taking the time to sit down and write it out will help you talk about your work more easily.

To read the rest of this article click here

Writing a bio from “Bio Camp Open Thread” by Edward Winkleman

“In discussing Open Submission exhibitions the other day, I noted that many gallerists consider them negatives on an artist bio, which led to a discussion about what makes for a good bio, which led me to think about it quite a bit over the past few days, which led to no very solid conclusions I’m afraid, because, well, the best bio is always one tailored to its viewer. Each potential viewer will be looking for different things.

To read the rest of this article click here

Writing an artist resume – From ArtEmerging.com

“Being an artist means not only making your art but of course promoting your art. But some would argue that you’re really promoting yourself. Regardless, you need to have a good resume. Edward Winkleman’s blog recently had a great post about resumes/bios with some really valuable information (be sure to read the comments, too). I’ll just add to it by telling you how I deal with my resume.”

To read the rest of this article click here

“How not to write an arts grant application” from The Artist’s Business Digest

“I’ve been around the grant writing block, hitting up arts councils, government programs and foundations for my individual art practice, as well as for various creative non-profits and charities, in a little over 15 years. Having sat on several arts council juries, what I’ve seen on the receiving end makes it glaringly apparent as to what makes a very strong application. Let me share with you what doesn’t.”

To read the rest of this article click here

Case studies of successful Canadian Visual Artists
By Chris Tyrell

Making It celebrates the business practices of twenty-three artists who model success either in the entirety of their career or in one aspect of their practice. In these stories, you will find inspiration or a comfortable methodology to apply to your own practice; they are narratives intended to inspire and provoke you.

Artist Survial Skills

How to make a living as a Canadian Visual Artist
By Chris Tyrell

Artist Survival Skills has earned its author remarkable success. It became a BC best-seller in its first year and is on its way to becoming a Canadian best-seller.

Artist Survival Skills is a primer on business and growth strategies for a Canadian visual art career. It is designed to help visual artists and crafts persons understand basic principles that can maximize the chances for success. It covers subject areas such as business planning, taxation, copyright, gallery representation, internet sales, and marketing.

I’d Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion

by Alyson B. Stanfield

Through sections based on common excuses, Stanfield describes how artists can promote themselves through communicating to others about their work.

How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul

by Caroll Michels

The classic handbook for launching and sustaining a career, with new and expanded resources for succeeding in the burgeoning Internet art market.

Creatively Self-Employed

by Kristen Fischer

Creative types discuss what life is really like when you take the plunge into creative self-employment. From waiting for clients to pay up and battling the lonelies, to gaining self-assurance and growing your business.

TAKING THE LEAP

by Cay Lang

Synopsis
Based on artist and teacher Cay Lang’s popular seminars, TAKING THE LEAP teaches artists how to succeed in today’s complex and competitive art world. Offering inside information on how to show at galleries, nonprofit spaces, and museums, as well as a host of nontraditional venues, this behind-the-scenes look at the art world reveals how decisions are made and what artists can expect and how they can create their own art scene on their own terms.

FEARLESS CREATING

by Eric Maisel

Eric Maisel’s interests are creativity and creativity coaching, mindfulness and mindfulness training, the art of making personal meaning, existentialism and freethinking, and the psychology of the creative person (including our challenges with depression, anxiety and addiction).

ART & FEAR: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Synopses Publisher Comments:
“This is a book about making art. Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like: all art not made by Mozart. After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people; essentially-statistically speaking-there aren’t any people like that. Geniuses get made once-a-century or so, yet good art gets made all the time, so to equate the making of art with the workings of genius removes this intimately human activity to a strangely unreachable and unknowable place. For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius.” –from the Introduction Art and Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn’t get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. The book’s co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is experienced by artmakers themselves. This is not your typical self-help book. This is a book written by artists, for artists — it’s about what it feels like when artists sit down at their easel or keyboard, in their studio or performance space, trying to do the work they need to do.

An excerpt: Today, more than it was however many years ago, art is hard because you have to keep after it so consistently. On so many different fronts. For so little external reward. Artists become veteran artists only by making peace not just with themselves, but with a huge range of issues. You have to find your work…

Thanks to Andrew for recommending this book!
Unfortunately there is not a website for this author.