How to write artist biography
by Jane Litchfield
As an artist, you may not be thrilled about writing about yourself, but you need an artist’s bio for your website, your portfolio, applications, shows, etc. So let’s make it simple, shall we?
Photo by Aaron Burden courtesy of Unsplashed
An artist’s bio is a short paragraph, written in prose, and in the third person. It tells more about the way your life has influenced your work than a CV, which is in point form. A bio is about you, the artist, as opposed to an “artist’s statement” which is more about the work and the themes behind it, and is written in first person.
In an ideal world, you would hire a professional writer to craft the perfect bio, but not everyone is ready to do that. (A great resource is PWAC, the Professional Writers Association of Canada, which has a Guelph chapter.) Here’s how to do it yourself, in five steps.
1) State the basics
The components of a bio are quite straight forward:
- Name and medium you work in; special techniques
- Key themes; what you hope to accomplish with your art
- Showing history; any collections your work is in
- Art-related education; any well-known teachers, influences
- Awards; other professional achievements
- Other art-related work, such as being a curator or art writer
- Media coverage
- Significant projects you are working on, upcoming exhibitions, collaborations
- Where you are from; where you live and work
Of course some of these may not apply to you, and you may want to change the order if, say, the fact that you are local is important.
2) Find your nugget
There is something about you that makes your art unique. Make sure it’s in your bio. Do you use unusual tools, materials, techniques? Are you tapping into an extraordinary childhood or event from your past? Are you inspired by a place, person, or issue that might resonate with clients or jurors?
3) Emphasize relevant experience
Who are you writing for and what is important to them? You may need a different bio for different event
An artist biography (or ‘artists biog’) is a paragraph or two about you and your career as a practitioner. It may also contain a line about the key themes to your practice.
Biographies are often confused with other tools used for self-promotion. A biography differs from an artist’s CV in being only written in prose. An artist statement talks about the work and the thinking behind it. A biography talks about the person themselves.
What to include in your artists’ biog
The sort of key information in an artist’s biography might be:
- Your name
- The medium you work in
- A line about the key themes, concerns of your practice.
- Your showing history
- Your art related education (degree level onwards)
- Other interesting information relevant to your practice or career as an artist (e.g. collaborations or arts collectives, other areas or aspects to your career that inform your practice)
- Where you live and work
Write the Perfect Artist Bio With These Five Simple Tips
50 words is all you need to get started.
Your artist bio is about connecting with someone and giving them a window into who you are. Keep it concise and engaging. If you focus on what is intriguing about your work, your artist bio can be a powerful tool to help your biggest fans become repeat customers. With your Society6 bio at the very top of your shop page, you’ll want to take advantage of it’s prime location.
We asked photographer Mallory Morrison to draw up her top tips on writing an artist bio. Her distinct blend of dance-inspired poses and underwater photography has kept her active in the art scene since she began shooting in 2007. She’s taught several workshops on how to shoot underwater and her work continues to be purchased, shown and licensed across the US and internationally.
1. Get straight to the point
For the basic info, stick to your highlight reel! While it might be important to you, most customers aren’t going make a purchase because they know your cat’s name, where you went to high school, or how much you have struggled to “get where you are today” (unless, of course, it’s obvious to a customer that it’s relevant to your artwork).
These are the items most important to your bio. It usually makes for a more interesting read to lead with your inspiration.
- Where you are currently based. Only mention where you were born or grow up if it informs your current work and is worth noting.
- Your art medium(s) and special techniques
- Inspiration and what you are passionate about
- Your biggest achievements. This can be awards, high profile clients you’ve worked for, or gallery shows
Bonus Tip: When describing how long you have been doing something, use the year you started. Example: “since 2013” vs. “for 5 years”. This way you won’t have to update it every year.
The Gallery’s Guide to Writing Good Artist Bios
1. Create a concise summary
An artist bio should concisely summarise the artist’s practice. It’s not about covering an artist’s entire CV or full biography. Focus on a few main points that you believe to best introduce the artist and their art. Always include the medium, themes, techniques, and influences the artist works with.
2. Use clean, simple language
Use clean, simple language and avoid academic jargon and exaggerated language. Readers respond to authentic, simple texts and will take you much more seriously than if you use over-embellished language.
3. Grab the attention with a creative first sentence
Try to start the bio with a first line that is not simply a standard biographical introduction. Instead, be more creative and write a first sentence that grabs your readers’ attention while also telling them what is the most important thing about this artist and their work.
4. Include the artist's date of birth and nationality
Always add the date of birth (and in the case of artists who have passed away, the date of death) and the nationality of the artist. Also mention where they are mainly based – readers are interested in knowing where an artist is living and working, as this adds to a certain understanding about the artist’s influences and way of working.
5. Keep the bio around 120 words
The bio should be between 80 and 140 words. An ideal artist bio is 120 words. Research at museums has shown that visitors lose interest in reading wall labels accompanying art works after 150 words. That’s why it’s better to limit your word count to around 120 words – your readers will get enough information and be curious to learn more on their own, without getting bored and leaving your page because they don’t want to read an unnecessarily long text.
6. Discuss medium, techniques and style
Include all the important tangible aspects of the artist’s practice including: the medium and tech