How To Write an Artist’s Statement Without the Art-Speak

Artist statements are notorious for feeling like cover letters and for slipping into jargon. They may have statements that sound impressive, but often they don’t actually describe to anyone what it is you do.

You can write an artist’s statement that feels honest without getting too deeply intellectual about your own work. In a day where people are having artificial intelligence write their cover letters, speaking about the humanist aspects of art is more important than ever. Here’s how to talk about your art without outsourcing to AI for inspiration.

Start with your physical process

Many artist statements start too abstract. Instead, begin with the visible, tangible reality of your practice. Highlight your materials, what is visible when someone looks at your work, and what your studio looks like. Placing the viewer in the studio with you can often enrich the experience and serve as a touchpoint between you, as the artist, and your audience.

Starting from the physical helps you avoid drifting into vague, conceptual language. This is not meant to say that talking conceptually about your art is bad, but grounding the conceptual or philosophical parts of your art in the physical process provides a connection between the canvas and your audience’s minds.

Explain your “why” in plain terms

You don’t need to justify your art in academic language; you just need to tell people why you’re drawn to themes you return to consistently, if applicable. Think of this as explaining your work to a curious friend rather than a panel of experts. Consider what keeps you coming back to your practice. Interrogate yourself: why do certain themes or questions tug at you? What emotional or personal thread connects your work?

This section is where you can go deeper, but use concrete examples rather than universal or abstract language. It’ll help your work land.

Tell a tiny story

People connect more with stories than declarations. A short, specific moment does more than a paragraph of conceptual language ever could. You might describe the moment you became obsessed with your medium or materials, a conversation that shifted your approach or perspective, a mistake that changed your style, or a tiny detail that sparked a whole series. Stories make your work memorable, and they make you memorable as an artist.

Ground your art in lived experience, even if it isn’t your own. Authenticity isn’t about oversharing necessarily, but about connecting to the humans in front of and behind the art.

Avoid overexplaining

You don’t have to decode or dissect your own art – unless you want to. You don’t need to provide a cheat sheet for how to interpret your work. After all, art is all about connecting the intangible stuff of consciousness to the physical world. Your job is to offer a doorway into your work; good artist statements invite the viewer rather than pinning the work down.

Leave room for the viewer’s imagination and let themes emerge through example, not proclamation. Think of your statement as a conversation starter rather than a manifesto.

Simple language, not simple ideas

You can write profoundly without sounding like a thesis paper. A good way to check tone is to read your statement out loud. If it doesn’t sound like it would fit into a natural conversation about your work, consider rewriting.

Depth doesn’t have to be diminished by plain language – in fact, plain language gives your ideas more room to breathe.

The bottom line: sound like yourself

A statement doesn’t need to sum up your entire artistic life; it just needs to say who you are right now. It also doesn’t need to be dramatic, academic, or mysterious. Focus on letting people in rather than impressing a panel.

Make sure to end with where you’re headed. Clarity isn’t the enemy of complexity.