How to Write an Artist Bio
This has been especially set up to support Neurodivergent artists with writing an Artist Bio.
The questions have been written in a way to support Neurodivergent artists.
How to Write an Artist Bio
Answer the questions with 1 -2 sentences only. If this feels too difficult, simply answer the questions fluidly and then edit your answers to approx 50 words each. Some of your answers might be longer than others.
1) What is your name, where are you from/where are you based, and where did you grow up? How has your culture or background influenced your art practice (if at all)?
(Here you can mention your pronouns, sexuality, ethnicity and other stats that you deem relevant - you can also choose not to add them in.)
2) If you could sum up your art practice in 3 words, what would those 3 words be and how do they fit you as a person or artist?
3) Did you study art or are you self-taught? How do you approach you art or performance practice?
4) How long have you been doing your art, what are the key themes in your current practice and what are you currently focusing on?
5) If you’re using a bio to match an opportunity for an application etc, then match how your art or the themes in your art fit with the theme of the opportunity.
6) Look at the opportunity or your goal or aim for your art practice and decide how to powerfully close your artist bio by showing how your attendance to writing, art materials, how you use words or create performance ultimately emphasises the messages, your goals or aims for your art practice.
Example template written by Elinor Rowlands to show you how to answer the questions:
(1) Eloise Sampson was born in Leeds but grew up between New York and London. Her father’s own art practice particularly influenced her growing up because of his fascination with botanical gardens. Her own art practice is driven by her fascination with cacti and orchids. (2) Her intrinsically feminine and overtly sexualised fauna makes her art practice question the internal fleshy landscape within the queer and neurodivergent female landscape and form. (3) Studying at Dartington College of Art meant that she could attend to the closed off and isolated parts of herself and really delve into the moments that are hidden and unseen. Choosing to bring them out through cut out pages from found books, discarded at the roadside means that Sampson can attend to the parts of ourselves that we leave behind in the bathroom. (4) She has been using found objects in her art practice since childhood when the moves between countries meant she could never own anything for longer than the short stay between cities and states. These link to the key themes in her work about displacement, body and mapping the missing links between what belongs to women and what is taken.
Examples:
(5) These themes link to this opportunity because one can only be united if one is able to draw links and make suggestions or signpost toward answers that might offer one hope in a moment of despair.
(6) By using found objects, I am never quite the owner of what I take, lose, or give away and therefore whilst I might miss an object, there is never an act of grieving which ultimately might only be found in the art pieces I create, and will be the closest I get to that human experience.
Top Tips!
We have created Verb/Vocab Bags for you to find words to best describe you for you to use to answer the questions above.
Click on the button for categorised ones or see below for a mixed list.
Verb Bag (Mixed verbs!)
accurate
enthusiastic
focused
detail-orientated
active
experienced
adaptable
fair
practical
productive
broad-minded
reliable
competent
honest
resourceful
conscientious
innovative
self-disciplined
creative
logical
sense of humour
sense of justice
dependable
loyal
sensitive
determined
mature
sincere
diplomatic
methodical
successful
discreet
motivated
tactful
efficient
objective
trustworthy
energetic
outgoing
enterprising
disciplined