4Artists Newsletter - May 2008

The Story: The Recipe of Writing by Numbers

If you have followed our guidance in the February Newsletter, you have assembled by now all the elements to put together a great Story: the main highlights of your personal experience and of your art, the 2 or 3 main themes that emerge from this recollection, and a general plot line, or arc of the Story.

However, if you are like me, the list of ingredients may not be enough to deliver the perfect dish! Knowing the key ingredients of a good Story may not be enough to write it, you may also need some instructions, the basic steps to achieve a satisfactory results from these basic elements.

 

Here are a few elements to get you started. I suggest an easy-to-use template to build your Story, inspired by the (in)famous Painting-By-Numbers technique.

You may or may not follow it closely, depending on your knowledge, experience and talent in copywriting:

 

 

1. Initiate your first paragraph with “It all started when…”
2. Plug in your first theme, regrouping the highlights relevant to this particular theme
3. The second theme, regrouping its own relevant highlights
4. The third theme (I am sure, you get it by now…)
5. A concluding paragraph starting with “The Artists would like to invite us to…”

You can build your Story in a short time by plugging in the various elements of your content in the above template and by connecting them in loosely structured sentences.

 

 

In fact, you may find it helpful to write about yourself talking at the third person (”The artist, Susan…”), it will make you feel less self-conscious (and you can always change back later). 

 

Let the writing flow and possess you, do not try to control it, do not censure yourself for the first draft, get yourself guided by your inspiration. You may have recognized here an artistic process you are very familiar with, using the pen instead of the brush or the camera.

 

When this first draft is done, breathe a bit and read the text slowly, and start editing by tightening its style and possibly its length. A first inspiration could potentially lead you to write 2 to 3 pages, than you can scale it back to 1 page or less.

Then you have a second draft that should be of acceptable quality. And if you want to perfect it, you can run it with some “editors”, friends or contacts who may be good writers. And eventually, should you feel the need for perfection, you can hire an editor, copywriter, as described in the February Newsletter.

Finally, writing a good Story is like cooking: half of the pleasure is in the process, half in the result: enjoy!

 

 

4Artists Newsletter - February 2008

Write Your Story: The Easy Way

The best way to generate art sales is to build friendships, because it is much easier to buy from friends than it is to buy from strangers.
 
And the best way to make new friends is to listen, build a good report, and try to understand. Then comes the crucial moment for sharing your unique and compelling story.
 
Something more than “I am an oil painter” or “I love to photograph nature”. This Story is about explaining the relationship between you, the artist, and your art. This “love story” which has never ceased to evolve, and which is so exciting for all of us to hear.
 
To build this story, lets start by answering a few questions about your art:

1. How and when did you start?
2. What and who influenced you?
3. What kind of art do you do?
4. How do you do it?
5. What gets you going?
6. Why should the audience care?
   

Now it’s as easy as 1-2-3 to put together your story:

1. Answer the questions above as precisely and with as much detail as possible. Be free, and as authentic as you possibly can. If you are not pen-friendly, ask a friend to read you the questions and record your answers. Then simply transcribe your answers.
2. Identify the 2 or 3 common themes. Typically, these are your life, your message and your art’s topic. Now weave them together into your story.
3. Write it down as best as you can; 1 or 2 pages, until you are satisfied. Have a friend review and correct your work or hire an editor. They come at a very reasonable cost at http://www.elance.com/ or http://www.guru.com/ .
   

And there you go, your story that is a rich artists statement for your next show, update for your website, a press release or a great ice breaker, for the next time you find yourself in an elevator with a patron or gallery owner.
 
Good luck and good telling!