Don't tell me you dabble!

When I teach the artists in my Visual Artist Accelerator program how to craft their artist statements, I’m like a super-aggressive bouncer: I don’t let the word “dabble” into the club!

I get that dabbling in something is fun and that you may take it to mean that you engage in a pursuit occasionally and not in a goal-driven way. You may say you dabble in a medium that is not your primary medium.

However, in the context of an artist statement, “dabbling” comes off as noncommittal and self-deprecating.

We need to confidently own our work as artists! If there’s a medium that you’re new to or that you only use occasionally, you use that medium. Proudly add it to your statement, no wishy-washiness allowed! So what if you don’t know if you’ll stay with that medium—the artist statement is about you as an artist right now. It will evolve and change over time, just as your creative practice will. Don’t worry about pigeonholing yourself with the artist statement. You are allowed to change!

The same thing goes for how you speak verbally about your art.

✨Practice confidently saying what you create.✨

No excuses, caveats, or self-deprecation allowed. Writing your artist statement is good practice for speaking about your art!

What is hard for you to say about your art, either in writing or verbally? Email me to share it as a first step!

I want you to claim your value as an artist.