an artist bio for one in flux
May 29, 2024 4:49 PM Subscribe
How do you write an artist bio that effectively conveys "most of my work has circled this one particular issue and I do want to honour that but I'm tired of it now and am way more interested in this other thing"?
For over a decade of my artistic career (indie producer/performer/writer/etc), most of my work has had something to do with my marginalised identities, representation, and the in-between. It wasn't my exclusive focus but it was definitely what I was most known for.
However, in the last few years, I've grown kinda tired of it - I feel like I've made all the work I wanted to make about those issues. It doesn't mean I don't care anymore, and I'm sure my future work will be informed by it to some degree, I just want to move on. Right now I'm super interested in bringing performing arts and video games together, as well as experiential design & immersive experiences (I feel the two are linked, though maybe in non-obvious ways).
The thing is, a lot of artist opportunities I've been applying to tend to ask you about your previous body of work and how it relates to what you're doing now or how it relates to this thing you're applying for. My current interests haven't sprung out of nowhere - you can see some roots of it stretching back years - but they are distinct enough and relatively more recent that it feels like a sharp pivot. And I'm not sure how to write my artist bio that honours both my past work while also highlighting the things that interest me now.
My current artist bio is servicable, though it might be a bit misleading. Part of my feelings of wanting to move on and/or make this clearer in my bio is that artists of my background do often get pigeonholed into making Social Justice Art About My Traumatic Identity As A Minority (which to be fair does describe a lot of my earlier work) and I want to avoid that assumption. But I don't know how to indicate that more elegantly than "yeah so I got fed up of the sort of stuff I used to do".
I did try Chat GPT and while I found the output flattering, it was also often very long (even when I asked it to follow a word limit) and kinda meandering.
For over a decade of my artistic career (indie producer/performer/writer/etc), most of my work has had something to do with my marginalised identities, representation, and the in-between. It wasn't my exclusive focus but it was definitely what I was most known for.
However, in the last few years, I've grown kinda tired of it - I feel like I've made all the work I wanted to make about those issues. It doesn't mean I don't care anymore, and I'm sure my future work will be informed by it to some degree, I just want to move on. Right now I'm super interested in bringing performing arts and video games together, as well as experiential design & immersive experiences (I feel the two are linked, though maybe in non-obvious ways).
The thing is, a lot of artist opportunities I've been applying to tend to ask you about your previous body of work and how it relates to what you're doing now or how it relates to this thing you're applying for. My current interests haven't sprung out of nowhere - you can see some roots of it stretching back years - but they are distinct enough and relatively more recent that it feels like a sharp pivot. And I'm not sure how to write my artist bio that honours both my past work while also highlighting the things that interest me now.
My current artist bio is servicable, though it might be a bit misleading. Part of my feelings of wanting to move on and/or make this clearer in my bio is that artists of my background do often get pigeonholed into making Social Justice Art About My Traumatic Identity As A Minority (which to be fair does describe a lot of my earlier work) and I want to avoid that assumption. But I don't know how to indicate that more elegantly than "yeah so I got fed up of the sort of stuff I used to do".
I did try Chat GPT and while I found the output flattering, it was also often very long (even when I asked it to follow a word limit) and kinda meandering.
I wrote a bunch of stuff and then, taking a cue from you and trusting that you'll make it better, I negotiated a clearer version from ChatGPT. Here you go:
In my artistic evolution, I've journeyed from exploring the intricacies of my personal identity to crafting immersive experiences intertwined with elements of gaming. Reflecting on my earlier work, which delved into the complexities of navigating the world as a member of minority groups, I recognize the essence of immersion inherent in those explorations. Each piece was a deep dive into my lived experience, a journey into the heart of what it means to exist within systems that often challenge our truths.posted by amtho at 6:39 PM on May 29 [1 favorite]
As I transition into creating immersive experiences, I realize that my past work has uniquely prepared me for this next chapter. The immersive nature of my previous explorations, where I sought to understand and articulate my place in the world, laid the groundwork for the seamless integration of gaming elements into my art. While the specific themes of my new work are still unfolding, the core of my artistic vision remains rooted in the immersive experience of existence itself. It's a natural progression, a continuation of the journey from introspective reflection to dynamic immersion, as I strive to connect with audiences on a deeper level and explore the shared human experience through interactive storytelling.
I hired someone to write my bio and they did an amazing job. It sounds like you want to tell a nuanced story about your work. The person I hired interviewed me and wrote something akin to an article about what I was trying to do. If you'd like me to put you in touch, memail me!
posted by pazazygeek at 7:04 PM on May 29
posted by pazazygeek at 7:04 PM on May 29
conveys "most of my work has circled this one particular issue and I do want to honour that but I'm tired of it now and am way more interested in this other thing"?
i'm working in new mediums
posted by HearHere at 8:11 PM on May 29 [1 favorite]
i'm working in new mediums
posted by HearHere at 8:11 PM on May 29 [1 favorite]
Similar to amtho, I'd say something along the lines of "after exploring (X) for the initial part of my career, I find myself being more and more drawn to (Y), and am excited about the possibilities in this new space."
posted by Ghidorah at 8:36 PM on May 29 [3 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 8:36 PM on May 29 [3 favorites]
To clarify: the gist of what I wrote is that exploring your identity is exploring an immersive experience (and there was nuance - I tried to make clear how that is true), and so the first phase of your work prepared you for the new phase, and also, because of the difficulty in bridging the gap between your experiences and others', motivates it.
posted by amtho at 8:40 PM on May 29
posted by amtho at 8:40 PM on May 29
Maybe in the bio you can de-emphasize the themes you used to focus on for the stuff before the pivot, and make it a bit more like a list of accomplishments?
E.g. a structure like "creatrixtiara's latest project A explores the themes B and C. Previously, they were best known for their publication in X and Y, and their collaboration with Z."
posted by internet of pillows at 12:24 AM on May 30 [2 favorites]
E.g. a structure like "creatrixtiara's latest project A explores the themes B and C. Previously, they were best known for their publication in X and Y, and their collaboration with Z."
posted by internet of pillows at 12:24 AM on May 30 [2 favorites]
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Springboard
Informed by
Spreads their wings from [sphere] to [all spheres]
Transformation
Celebrates all [spheres]
Moving into / exploring [new domain]
Recently deeply inspired to / suddenly called to
Prominent desire to
Does any of that help?
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:09 PM on May 29