How to describe one's own work
I received this question via email:
"I hope your having a great 2008. I have a question/need a little advice....I have been a wire artist for about [number] years now, and I am finally ready to market my jewelry to boutiques, shops, etc. However, as I prepare my brochure about my jewelry, I find it a little challenging to put into words how I want the public to view my jewelry line. For example, making jewelry is an art for me (and you too!!!!!) and I feel really connected to the stones, crystals, metals and I definitely want to express that, but I don't want to sound so deep and 'out there' that I exclude potential customers who like my jewelry just because it's pretty to them. At the same time, I don't want to sound shallow just to appease the mainstream population and feel like I'm not being true to myself and my art. Any advice on how to merge these two ideas would help. Thanks for your time. Happy jewelry making!"
My answer: Describing one's own work is one of the most challenging aspects of our work. I try to keep in mind what I was thinking during the moment I was creating the piece. Was it particularly challenging? Why? What inspired you to create it? A color, a moment, a person, an object?
Also, you can try to keep the description light and even a little bit funny. And most important of all: make it personal. Describe it like you are talking to the person directly, as if it were an email or a blog. That way you connect with the reader and you also eliminate that "new age/hippie" feeling you find in most artistic descriptions.
It is personal to you, it's your "creation", your baby, so make it deeply personal!
I hope this helps!
"I hope your having a great 2008. I have a question/need a little advice....I have been a wire artist for about [number] years now, and I am finally ready to market my jewelry to boutiques, shops, etc. However, as I prepare my brochure about my jewelry, I find it a little challenging to put into words how I want the public to view my jewelry line. For example, making jewelry is an art for me (and you too!!!!!) and I feel really connected to the stones, crystals, metals and I definitely want to express that, but I don't want to sound so deep and 'out there' that I exclude potential customers who like my jewelry just because it's pretty to them. At the same time, I don't want to sound shallow just to appease the mainstream population and feel like I'm not being true to myself and my art. Any advice on how to merge these two ideas would help. Thanks for your time. Happy jewelry making!"
My answer: Describing one's own work is one of the most challenging aspects of our work. I try to keep in mind what I was thinking during the moment I was creating the piece. Was it particularly challenging? Why? What inspired you to create it? A color, a moment, a person, an object?
Also, you can try to keep the description light and even a little bit funny. And most important of all: make it personal. Describe it like you are talking to the person directly, as if it were an email or a blog. That way you connect with the reader and you also eliminate that "new age/hippie" feeling you find in most artistic descriptions.
It is personal to you, it's your "creation", your baby, so make it deeply personal!
I hope this helps!
posted by Eni Oken at 10:41 AM
6 Comments:
Thank you for sharing this, glad I'm not the only one that struggles with this - I also try to describe the piece as it would appeal to me - If I were trying to sell to myself - sometimes it works :) It's still very hard - thanks again for the very helpful advice....
~Bobbi
I have a hard time with this too.
Very fair advice, Eni! I try to avoid the 'artist's mission' route, it can sound very self-congratulatory and fey. I usually say I work for the love of it, because it's true, and I hope people enjoy the wearing as much as I have enjoyed the making.
Thanks to you both for sharing your comments, they are most helpful. I've struggled with this also. I like to give my pieces "names" and in the beading classes I teach I tell my students to name each piece, as it's their personal creation. I love creating pieces from nature, God's paint brush can't be beat.
Last year I designed a bracelet and called it "mustard festival" In February the mustard grows abundantly among the grape vines here in Napa Valley, CA. YOu can view this piece if you wish at www.napavalleyjewels.com.
I love your work Eni, and hope to one day try some of your patterns. Looking forward to more great blogs and your new website. Donna Houck
This has been a problem for me since I started making jewelry. It's probably also one of the reasons my work isn't selling as well as I would like it to (well, that and the pictures... that's an ongoing experiment right now though *s*).
I think what makes it even harder though, is that I'm one of those people who has never been able to express deeper feelings through language. And I have found that many artists are the same way. Can you recommend any "exercises" or something that may help people like me become a little more "wordy" with our descriptions?
I was anonymous but hope to have fixed that! For word practice, try to think adjectivally. For example, you can have a sweater or a rugged sweater; wool or purest, softest wool; garnet or darkest garnet. I try to avoid these: stunning, original, exclusive, designer, unique because they are so over-used as to be banal. A good exercise is to describe a simple item (a jug or a shoe, etc) aloud to someone - a pretend someone - who can't see it. What shape, size, scale, colour, balance? What is particular to this item? Try it, it's fun!
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