How Much Importance Do You Put In To Your Artist Biography?

I don't think it's that important here, I doubt many people actually read them. I just try to stick to the facts and let others decide how good (or not) an artist I am. Disclaimer, I have utterly failed at making a business out art, however I don't believe my biography has anything to do with that.

I suggest you (and everybody really) decide for yourself:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/hans-zimmer.html?tab=about

None here... Varied else where.

it is important. I know for a fact some customers do read them. I have no stats on how many though.

Mine is ok. I didn't write it.

Alan,

I am not a seller. My marketing in earnest has only begun. I much prefer to use Pixels because the to size increments, I have non standard sizes, and the higher end quality, while still being in the mass produced market. I am asking tougher to get gallery prices now. I need all of that to support my pricing.

I think HERE the bio matters for ME greatly. Reality is though, I am NOT marketing HERE. I am marketing my work here ELSEWHERE. Actually some of my FB stats put London as my best market, but it is early.

We have a basic set of choices in how any of us present ourselves. We can make, like I do, a minimalist statement, "Post Modern ~ Future Concepts ~ More Interesting", and then plaster that across our markets. Being engaged further in smaller numbers and ways, we can then explain ourselves repeatedly. Other people would take our small interactions and have very half baked ideas about any of us.

Or we can let them find our bios first. We can control who they see when they think of us individually.

I am not saying half truths or half stories. But a presentation. Not someone else's crazy assumptions before any of us even really get started.

Also there is a difference between people who could careless and people who care. Do you want to ask dozens of peoiple each week, "do you care to know more"? Or do you want to tell them more when they look?

I mix in my history so they can see a human being and empathize, then I tell them about my quest in the art world which tells them about my art.

I keep paragraphs short. I tighten what I write with one principle not to repeat myself in any way within my write up.

I think my bio can be very effective with anyone who wants to read it and then possibly buy my artwork.

Dave
Bridburg.com

There are those that want to buy art for investment purposes and those that just buy what they like and see, do you have in mind what type of customer or patron you are writing your art biography for?

Demanding higher prices for art, should be in line with the artist's biography, should it not?

The picture we paint of ourselves in a biography might not be appropriate, then is it better to have another person do it instead?

Alan,

Let's assume something radical for these parts. Let's assume people that invest want concepts. Let's further assume at modest gallery prices those people will buy quirky open edition prints to hang along side their signed originals.

If I go into the NYC or London markets with $200 prints most of them will ignore me and my ideas.

Now as far as the bio goes, no mention of price. After all at my prices I do not need to warn them. I am not expensive.

Dave
Bridburg.com

An Artist biography could be similar to a condom, better to have one and not need it, than to need one and not have one.

Not quite sure who you are talking to, do I need to worry as well?

A bio is not protection. It is an open discussion with people who are interested in your work.

Would you dodge that? Or leave it up to guessing? Or give out fragments of your story here and there with no clear idea where that was leading?

Dave
Bridburg.com

Let me put it to you another way David.

One of the first things a gallery curator wants from an artist is a biography, so better to have one ready or at hand than not.

Not a worry David just a precautionary measure LOL

Alan,

People curate their own collections for better or worse.....who is to say?

If the art reaches the audience for the artist with open edition prints........what gallery curator? Why a gallery curator?

A boy can dream.

Dave
Bridburg.com

I have a seller for my art, that raves about me to his customers, if he didn't know anything about me, as in any type of biography, what can he say to customers, if they ask, not much but shrugging his shoulders I suppose!

An Artist biography could be similar to a condom, better to have one and not need it, than to need one and not have one.

I would have to agree

Abbie,

When it comes to writing as a profession, not jotting down a few notes, I am way under powered. I barely got through any of my English classes, junior high, high school, college. I could not hear many of the lessons. I could not add things up. I truly struggled.

I respect your writing. I am kind of surprised you have not written your own.

I am very happy I have. I can not equate it to have a condom handy.

Dave
Bridburg.com

@Dave. Do you have an artist biography, if not why not?

If this is an uncomfortable question to answer, then please ignore it.

I thought we were discussing the bio on FAA and the AW?

I have written a lot of artists statements over the last four years. The practice was useful for what I have now.

I wont be dealing with galleries. No need for that.

Have you read the bio I have?

Dave
Bridburg.com

@Dave. Would you link your bio here for me to read?

It has been under your nose for an entire thread.

Dave
Bridburg.com
click the underlined last name.

Your art bio is impressive Dave.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming!

Dave
Artist

I have my own issue regarding English as in my mid 30's when trying to get in to art school, my English wasn't good enough to get accepted.

The only alternative was for me to get some English upgrading, the only place I could get some help with it was in a class for "English as a second language" I thought that was cool, as art must be my first language.

Personally having ADD to understand and accept it, is a way to go with it, than to fight it.

Art for me is a way to go with ADD.

Might be the reason why having ADD is a bonus for an artist and not a handicap, which is why I don't mention having it in my art bio.

Alan,

Usually ADD will cost you. Now is a time to use it.

The blind man's other senses are stronger.

Dave
Artist

You have said things Dave in your threads, that I have had empathy for, now it all makes sense why.

Being dyslexic also with ADD, not many dull moments for me.

Make progress not excuses, as there is always someone else having a worse time, as have been told.

Zero - I sometimes find other artists bio's interesting, however this has nothing to do with the merit of the artwork itself or the artist.

This is why it is important to have a professional write biographies, as if we do it ourselves we would most likely be far too honest or sound as if having a Narcissistic personality.

(Alan cannot write his own biography in the third person, as cannot help but laugh himself silly while trying)

I haven't written much of a bio, but on some level I do think it is important to put something in that about section.

All of the art bios thus far from the contributing artists to this thread are (in my opinion) all very interesting and unique.

From that, I can see it is better to say something than nothings at all.

As artists we would just love it if our art speak volumes for us, but that isn't the reality, so just a few words (even if it is in the third person) is far better than saying nothing at all.

I have an artist's bio written in the first person which, for this site, I think feels more personal to the those readers interested in a fairly brief history of how I got to were I am artistically.

I myself will read the About section of an artist I here out of my own curiosity as to who they are and what they have to say about their own artistic journey.

I know my bio can always be improved and when I have something significant change in my career, like being elected as a "Juried Member" of an organization or when I move to a different place of residence, I will update it as I did when we moved from Maine to Arizona two years ago.

Bill Tomsa

https://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

Hi Bill,

I like the, as you said...

"feels more personal to the those readers interested in a fairly brief history of how I got to were I am artistically"

A little off topic Bill, OK way off topic, but curious, why is your avatar, with the "stars and stripes" sitting in the opposite corner (upside down) than it usually is in USA, this is considered to be a big No No, am I right to ask?

On here, FAA/Pixels, not important at all - unless by a decorator or someone that might need to explain why they chose particular images. I doubt anyone, just looking for art to decorate their own walls ever read them.

I do see that an art gallery might want that sort of information so they can impress potential buyers with the artists they represent. In one gallery you "had" to have a bio and an artist's statment. The bio wasn't that difficult, although it got a bit of a frown, but the owner liked my work - they laughed at my artists statement - "Look at my work". I am really bad at "art speak" - as I, and some others will say, "the art speaks for itself."

Roy,

A stark example, one guy, ex mod, has a military background. He writes an extensive bio on his background. To military past and present, fire fighters, emergency workers, police, this is a critical thing to know about him. He sells widely. If all he did was show a Black Hawk helicopter, his sales would be far less of such an image and everything else he offers.

Dave
Artist .

Another woman, who has been I believe a top seller on FAA at times, has a very bouncy life is fantastic bio and WP pages. Her "life is fantastic" attitude in all of her written materials sells. There is no doubt about it. If she said nothing in her bio and left it to a few stray comments that she is "having an okay time of it", she would possibly sell much less.

Dave
Artist

i have a basic thing, with a blurb at the top describing what i am each month. i don't like to be too wordy, plus i'm not great that great at talking about myself. so i keep it to the point. i think its important not to bore a customer about trivial nonsense. like pet names, personal diseases, awards, money grabs, how new you are to this, hoping they will like it, that you weren't on planning on selling but your friends wants you to do so... and so on.


it should also be written in the first person. in the third - is very hard people mix the terms up. and they have a tendency to blather on about everything they think they are good at. if you must do it in the third, let someone else write it.

---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

wait are we talking about the blurb here? or that little card under a picture in a museum? i don't have one of those, and don't much care about it, i haven't an idea what i'd write for something like that.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Mike,

I think much of Alan's experience and work is selling in galleries. That is why bring up the topic here also confused me.

But Alan seems to have signaled that a bio is a bio whether for a gallery or for here.

Some artists also have bios on Wiki, which I think really calls for a third person description.

Dave
Artist

It depends on what the artist wants to communicate with their art.
If the artist is generating images for a quick sale and is not interested in communicating then I see no real reason why they would want to communicate their background as part of a narrative.

I think to concentrate on your backstory is more important today over your artist statement, and Barney Davey describes at the link

https://fineartamerica.com/blogs/art-promotion-power-of-the-backstory.html

https://pixels.com/blogs/art-promotion-power-of-the-backstory.html

Drew,

I agree, might term it as people who supply stock agencies.

Dave
Artist

By the fact that I've been around for many decades, the first thing I want my bio to say is that, "I Am THAT Guy"

And go from there

Love that, Roger. May have to steal it....except for the guy bit.

I need a new bio. Damn

There are only two real biographies for everyone.

One when you are alive that is a work in progress project and one when you are dead and there is no one to continue to edit it.

One is based on ever changing facts and the other is based on ever changing fiction.

One is to make you look good enough to yourself when you are alive and the other (by making some final adjustments) to make you look good enough to others when you are dead.

I can state for a fact that people read the bio and a LOT of them read it. MANY of my customers have mentioned it.

I will go one step further and say I have gotten sales and contracts specifically because of my bio.

"Do you write yourself up as a master artist or do you take the road of modesty, to tell your story?" - Alan Armstrong

I write it myself but don't necessarily over state it or "take the road of modesty" as you say. As Joe Friday was so often misquoted... "Just the facts ma'm.."

Bill Tomsa

https://billtomsa

I get into the journey in my bio. I get into things that would be of import in that journey, but do not digress into the harder stuff. I also do not digress into boring details. Like where I worked my way through school. Or my computer jobs. Or going to AA. Or working in restaurants. Or what my emotions are about my art. Or who has seen or bought my art. There could be an infinitely long list of things I could have added. I did not.

I get into how I came to my work. What my work is about in doing so as part of my journey.

Dave
Artist

LOL Alan! Master Artist?
Why not tell the truth and let others decide if you are a master artist or not!
Give an honest narrative and list your achievements.
First person or third person prose work just fine. Promote your areas of strength and DO NOT try to pass art off as one type of media when in fact it is another. Disclosure and transparency always works. If the work is a derivative then aknowlege the originator of the art!

Drew,

Do you think your bio promotes you art? Or has you selling?

Dave
Artist

My bio is incomplete. At this point in time, I am transitioning my focus therefore my narrative.

Art engineering as an educational and employment avenue for the young rising artist is the story I want to communicate.

Shifting the stereo typical perception of the suffering individualist right brain dominate starving artist to the whole brain complete human is the narration I want to communicate to the creative youth.

I should put a little more into mine.

I sometimes like reading other's statements but the long ones are so very boring.

I should also put more in to my bio also Lisa.

Another area that might need some revisions are the gallery explanations.

Looking at my own and others there might be some very important missing ingredients.

As the more quality content you have the more search engines (SEO) will place you as an authority on your chosen sublect/s.

This will put you closer or on the front pages of search engines.

Another point to consider with bios and gallery explanations, is to make them easy reading for the viewer.

One way to do this is to not write everything as a solid block; or a run on sentence.

These are two main areas that people complained about my writing style, that I have happily adjusted to.

The bio is very important as curators and business contacts find your work and want to see if you are a serious artist they might do business with. I've been in shows and made contacts with publishers after they found me via this site.

Thank you Ed for your valued opinions and contribution to this topic.