Who are you? Just the highlights, please and TIA!
July 9, 2008 8:38 AM Subscribe
Under pain of death, define your own personal "artistic statement".
I am applying to be a part of an emerging writer's group with a prestigious company here in New York. As part of the application process, I've been tasked with writing a one page artistic statement. Never before have I experienced such difficulty writing a mere 500 words.
My question is this - if you were, say, eating a BLT and someone plopped down at your table and said, "Quick! Your artistic statement in 500 words or less! GO!", how would you go about answering that question? The guidelines for the statement are rather general, but do state specifically that "it should, in some way, encompass" answers to the two following questions:
1.) Why do you want to be a part of this particular writer's group? and
2.) If selected to participate, what are your goals for the group?
How much latitude do you think I have here? I'm assuming I ought not mention my - alas! - troubled youth or other nonsense, but I do feel that there should be more of who I am in this "artistic statement" than just a sort of boiled-down recitation of what I want on a practical level. Truly, I'd rather watch flies mate than talk about my own "vision", but I know my own mind and work, so I could get into it with a reasonable amount of restraint and clarity, if need be. That, to me, speaks to the "art" part of an "artistic statement", but I could be wrong. Am I just getting hung up over a semantical issue here? Should I state the facts and just the facts? Any firsthand experience, advice or anecdotes welcome. Thanks.
I am applying to be a part of an emerging writer's group with a prestigious company here in New York. As part of the application process, I've been tasked with writing a one page artistic statement. Never before have I experienced such difficulty writing a mere 500 words.
My question is this - if you were, say, eating a BLT and someone plopped down at your table and said, "Quick! Your artistic statement in 500 words or less! GO!", how would you go about answering that question? The guidelines for the statement are rather general, but do state specifically that "it should, in some way, encompass" answers to the two following questions:
1.) Why do you want to be a part of this particular writer's group? and
2.) If selected to participate, what are your goals for the group?
How much latitude do you think I have here? I'm assuming I ought not mention my - alas! - troubled youth or other nonsense, but I do feel that there should be more of who I am in this "artistic statement" than just a sort of boiled-down recitation of what I want on a practical level. Truly, I'd rather watch flies mate than talk about my own "vision", but I know my own mind and work, so I could get into it with a reasonable amount of restraint and clarity, if need be. That, to me, speaks to the "art" part of an "artistic statement", but I could be wrong. Am I just getting hung up over a semantical issue here? Should I state the facts and just the facts? Any firsthand experience, advice or anecdotes welcome. Thanks.
Well, why do you want to be part of this group? In what way will being part of it help you grow artistically?
How do you want to grow artistically? That answer goes with the number 2 question.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:05 AM on July 9, 2008
How do you want to grow artistically? That answer goes with the number 2 question.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:05 AM on July 9, 2008
Response by poster: Oh yeah, and they want to make sure that you're not snobby, pretentious, grandiose, whiny, or narcissistic.
Oh. Well. I guess I'm screwed then.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 9:05 AM on July 9, 2008
Oh. Well. I guess I'm screwed then.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 9:05 AM on July 9, 2008
Oh yeah, and they want to make sure that you're not snobby, pretentious, grandiose, whiny, or narcissistic.
No, I think they want you to be snobby and pretentious on some level, but they want you to be able to conceal it well and know your shit enough to pull it off. There's hardly a writer's group anywhere not full of snobs or pretentious people.
posted by nasreddin at 9:08 AM on July 9, 2008
No, I think they want you to be snobby and pretentious on some level, but they want you to be able to conceal it well and know your shit enough to pull it off. There's hardly a writer's group anywhere not full of snobs or pretentious people.
posted by nasreddin at 9:08 AM on July 9, 2008
Best answer: One of my writing groups goes through a similar exercise every fall - not to determine who is in or out (we base that on whether or not you actually wrote anything in the preceeding year) - but to force us to check in with what we want and where we are at.
I've been very straightforward in approaching the questions - what do I want to learn as a writer in terms of technique, style, skill along with where I see my weaknesses, where do I see my strengths. I also give some very concrete goals for the year (word count, story count, whatever). This is largely because I'm not interested in being a member of a pretentious writing group wherein we discuss themes of neo-classism in post-colonial Vietnam and moan about writer's block or waiting for inspiration to strike - my focus is on my growth as a writer and ability to handle my stories with greater complexity and more skill. If the group is too pretentious, my answers will be met with derision because of where my focus is, and I'll know I don't want to be a member anymore.
So you need to decide what you want as a writer from this group. Say that very clearly. If you aren't a match for the group, it will become apparent very quickly - and that will be a good thing. Writer's groups that aren't helping you become a drain on your time and your belief in your talent.
posted by never used baby shoes at 9:45 AM on July 9, 2008
I've been very straightforward in approaching the questions - what do I want to learn as a writer in terms of technique, style, skill along with where I see my weaknesses, where do I see my strengths. I also give some very concrete goals for the year (word count, story count, whatever). This is largely because I'm not interested in being a member of a pretentious writing group wherein we discuss themes of neo-classism in post-colonial Vietnam and moan about writer's block or waiting for inspiration to strike - my focus is on my growth as a writer and ability to handle my stories with greater complexity and more skill. If the group is too pretentious, my answers will be met with derision because of where my focus is, and I'll know I don't want to be a member anymore.
So you need to decide what you want as a writer from this group. Say that very clearly. If you aren't a match for the group, it will become apparent very quickly - and that will be a good thing. Writer's groups that aren't helping you become a drain on your time and your belief in your talent.
posted by never used baby shoes at 9:45 AM on July 9, 2008
I disagree with most of the takes on this so far.
"Truly, I'd rather watch flies mate than talk about my own "vision", but I know my own mind and work, so I could get into it with a reasonable amount of restraint and clarity, if need be. That, to me, speaks to the "art" part of an "artistic statement", but I could be wrong."
This is the task at hand. Why you want to participate in this particular group and your goals for the group should be in service to your art.
posted by xod at 10:05 AM on July 9, 2008
"Truly, I'd rather watch flies mate than talk about my own "vision", but I know my own mind and work, so I could get into it with a reasonable amount of restraint and clarity, if need be. That, to me, speaks to the "art" part of an "artistic statement", but I could be wrong."
This is the task at hand. Why you want to participate in this particular group and your goals for the group should be in service to your art.
posted by xod at 10:05 AM on July 9, 2008
Best answer: TTT, I know it might be stating the obvious, but if you are having trouble writing a mere 500 words, why not write more? (Quoting Lincoln, "I'd have written you a shorter letter but I ran out of time.")
Write a few thousand and throw away the useless crap; keep the best. Do it in a hurry. Write down what you want, and what they want. Just write.
Before long, you'll be finished and you may discover something about yourself that you can share with others and with you.
Good luck!
posted by FauxScot at 10:57 AM on July 9, 2008
Write a few thousand and throw away the useless crap; keep the best. Do it in a hurry. Write down what you want, and what they want. Just write.
Before long, you'll be finished and you may discover something about yourself that you can share with others and with you.
Good luck!
posted by FauxScot at 10:57 AM on July 9, 2008
I never know what to say when confronted with this sort of thing. All I ever try to do with my writing is to entertain and tell a good story. And make a buck! Anything else seems to me to be the triumph of style over content, i.e. pretentious. But hey, I write genre fiction, so what the hell do I know. But if you have a vision, or want to work out a manifesto or something, then go with what xod and FauxScot say.
I think the whole idea is idiotic, actually. Why can't your work speak for itself? What the fuck difference is some elitist "artist's statement" gonna make? You can either write or you can't -- intent has nothing to do with it.
I guess it's obvious why I am not in any writers' groups any more!
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 2:06 PM on July 9, 2008
I think the whole idea is idiotic, actually. Why can't your work speak for itself? What the fuck difference is some elitist "artist's statement" gonna make? You can either write or you can't -- intent has nothing to do with it.
I guess it's obvious why I am not in any writers' groups any more!
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 2:06 PM on July 9, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nasreddin at 9:00 AM on July 9, 2008