When visitors venture onto a website of an artist, one of the first places they go is the Artist bio/ About/ Artist statement page.
Art collectors are understandably interested in learning more about the artist, whom they are considering investing in their art.
They may want to know their artistic background, what exhibitions they had, artistic training, why they create art, and what the art is about. There are those who specifically search for this information before buying anything at all.
So if an artist biography can’t be found, then they may leave disappointed, and look for another artist who does have one.
The artist bio is a very important part of an artist website/ art blog. This article explains some tips on how to create the perfect About page artist biography, one that will make you appear more interesting and approachable to art buyers.
This is Part 7 of the Create your Own Artist Website Series!
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Tips for Creating the Perfect Artist Biography for an About Page
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Be approachable
The whole point of an About page or bio is to make the artist appear approachable. Please avoid pretentiousness and complicated language. Write it in your own words, and avoid third person (people may be less inclined to contact you with questions). First person will make you appear more personable. We are not talking about the traditional artist statement here – the one that is presented to art galleries. This one is meant to be read by anyone, and should be understood by anyone, and make you appear approachable.
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Tell your story as an artist
This is where you can take your time, and craft the perfect statement about your art. Try to make your story as interesting and appealing as you can. Collectors are interested in the background of the artist as much (or sometimes more) than the art itself. The artist’s story is what you tell others about your art, and what others will retell.
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Keep the About page bio short and to the point.
Most people are not interested in reading through pages and pages of information. Internet users typically like content summarized and short. When you complete your online artist biography, show it to some of your close friends to get their opinions on how it portrays you as an artist.
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Include a large photograph of yourself.
The photo will help others connect with you on a personal level. It should be a clear, professional photo, and plainly show that you are an artist. A perfect example of a good artist’s photograph would be a picture of the artist painting at his/her easel or posing at an exhibition of artworks.
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What led to where you are now as an artist, and where is your art career going in the future?
These two questions are what most people want to know about an artist. Answer them as well as you possibly can. Collectors will see that your art has a background, and is part of a developing artistic journey.
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Keep the artist bio in its own section.
Awards, achievements, exhibitions, education, etc. can either be under different headings at the same page, or have their separate pages (especially if they are quite lengthy). Internet users generally scan content, so headings and subheadings may help.
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Video Biography
Consider creating a short video of yourself explaining what you art is about, and what you would like to accomplish, etc. Then, embed it at your About page. Video can be extremely effective in your art marketing efforts. Consider uploading them to Youtube and sharing at Facebook as well.
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Artist Biography Examples - Take a look at About pages from other artists.
Ask yourself – Does this make me want to learn more about the artist? Use this information to craft your own perfect online artist biography for your About page.
Editing the About Page of your Wix Portfolio Template
For those with Wix websites, luckily all of the pre-built portfolio templates provided for free already have About pages.
These can simply be filled with your own content and photograph.
For the Painter Template (click at the right) we are using for this series, click the Pages icon at the top left. Choose the About page from the menu.
If you would like to change the name of the About page to something else, such as Bio or artist statement, click the little cog wheel icon next to the page name. This will bring up the Settings menu. Simply fill in the new name at the top.
Photograph – Change the picture to one of yourself by clicking it, and selecting Change Image. Upload a new photograph, or select a pre-uploaded image.
Content – Click inside the text box, then select Edit Text. When completed, click anywhere outside of the box.
Make sure to save your changes when finished.
If you have any opinions to share concerning About pages, or have any questions, feel free to share them below. Also, if you are currently working on a Wix website portfolio, you are welcome to share it with us here.
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