HAVE YOU MADE A STATEMENT?

AN ARTIST'S STATEMENT, THAT IS...

Recently, I realized I needed an artist’s statement. Being a writer, I had to make it the best I possibly could. Only one problem - I didn't know where to begin. So I did a little research (I love you internet!) and collected these tips...

Explore you

Be honest

Don’t be a cliché

Use powerful words

Give yourself credit

Write in first person

It will evolve as you evolve

More specifically, I learned a neat process - a self-interviewing technique - that really helped me uncover what was most important to convey in my statement.

As a writer, I learned long ago to completely spill every thought out onto paper - with total disregard to spelling, grammar or completed thoughts. Then go back, fill in the blanks and rearrange it into a masterpiece.

It’s like carving a whistle out of a branch. Build up your branch until there’s nothing left to say. And then start whittling it down, making sense of it all and connecting thoughts and ideas. That’s how I write. And that’s pretty much what I found through my internet research on writing an artist’s statement.

Here are two sites I found that had the most comprehensive help for someone with my specific needs:

Lapidary Journal, The Business Side

Molly Gordon, Master Certified Coach

I hope you find them helpful!

P.S. Here’s my statement. It's a one-pager, intended for hard copy use. Let me know what you think, or better yet, share your statement with me by adding a comment to this article (click on the word "comments" at the end of this article).

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Deanna L. Roux
Jewelry Artist
Fancy Free Jewelry Design
P.O. Box 456
Belchertown, MA 01007

www.fancyfreeme.etsy.com
www.fancyfreeme.blogspot .com


ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I can't help it. Creative juice runs through me. I love to create! Among my original works of art are: written works (news articles, poetry, short stories, children's stories), glass murals, wall murals, acrylic paintings, watercolor paintings, collage art, tile paintings, storybooks and jewelry – my favorite wearable art.

For me, the best thing about creating artful pieces of jewelry is two-fold: one is the personal satisfaction I feel when creating something out of raw materials, using my own hands and imagination; the other is watching someone pick up a piece I’ve made and compliment me on it by asking how it was made and listening to the story behind it.

The recurring theme in my work is an organic design using organic materials. I don’t like plastic and faux jewelry. So I’ll never use anything but natural stones, glass, sterling silver, seashells, leather and paper – things that began in or on the earth. I love to work with natural, organic-looking stones – stones that have blemishes; tumbled stones that resemble the way they looked when they were found. When I place a strand of these stones on my skin, they somehow make me feel connected to the earth. I begin a piece by observing the materials and letting them guide my interpretation of their beauty. Sometimes I don’t see it and have to put it down. Sometimes it never works out, but it’s hard for me to give up trying.

The number three comforts me. My two sisters and I make up a power of three – separate and strong, yet intertwined. Some of my pieces use a tri-dangle – each a solid individual, but when combined, create a beautiful, unique unit. And many of my tri-dangles hang from a circle – for me, a symbol of coming around to a full rotation of thoughts and behaviors. When I end up back where I began, the journey has fed me in a way that broadens my thinking and changes my behavior.

When people see my work, I'd like them to know it is an extension of who I am and what I feel; that I’m tactically translating my emotions into something personal and tangible – offering it up for someone else to own.