Ask almost any photographer and they’ll tell you that one of the most difficult aspects of their art is writing an artists’ bio. Kah Kit Yoong, in a recent blog post, lamented that writing his own bio felt like,
tiptoeing the tightrope between modesty and shameless self-aggrandizing.
Yup. That about sums it up. Over the last few days, I’ve been working on a rewrite of my own bio and have felt like I’ve been walking a tenuous line the entire time. My biggest goal was to make myself sound real, that the images I make and the places I visit are important to me. I owe many thanks to my wife and friends (including David Leland Hyde) for reading drafts and offering suggestions for improvement; I hope you read the finished product by clicking on the ‘About’ tab at the top of this page, or by visiting the ‘About‘ page on my main website.
Why did I have a sudden desire to write my own bio? There are a couple of reasons. I wrote my original bio very early in my photographic career, and while I didn’t write what I thought people would want to read, I also didn’t have a clear vision for my work. Now, several years have passed, and I’ve evolved. My photographic focus is becoming somewhat narrower–I want to make images of scenes that give me a sense of belonging to the environment. The new bio reflects that desire.
My second reason to rewrite now sprouted from my most recent trip to the Southwest. Being back in a small town, close to slickrock and the fantastic sunrises and sunsets that help characterize the area really crystallized the need to realign my life–to simplify and focus. I doubt any big changes will happen in my life soon, but I’m happy to have a “bigger picture” goal in mind.
Luminous, January 2011
What obstacles have you run into while writing your bio, or while trying to describe your vision? How have you overcome those obstacles, and where have you found inspiration?
What a timely post (for me), Greg–I’m just about to sit down and do the same thing. Now that my own endeavors are moving past the mere “aspiring serious amateur” point, I need to tweak it a little, and take into account some recent achievements (in that tiptoe way Kah Kit Yoong described so well). I’ve been tiptoeing around it (and procrastinating) for weeks now, but it’s time to move forward and get those changes out of the way. That’s a stunning detail shot of the Wave–I’ll be headed back there in March, and can’t wait.
A few months ago I realized that, like you, my bio was incredibly outdated and the result of something quick just to have some information up while still early in my photography career as well. I put it off for a few days and then one night, I was about to fall asleep when it all of a sudden sprung into my head. It was one of those creative moments that jerks you out of bed because you realize if you just go back to sleep you’ll have passed up some very good inspiration. I got up, and wrote what’s currently on my About page.
Love what you were able to come away with for yours!
Greg this is so right on for me right now 🙂 I just finished writing a bio for something outside of my photography, but have been hesitant to write one concerning my photography. This has inspired me! Thank you 🙂
Thanks guys for the comments! It seems I wasn’t alone in the procrastination. That’s a good thing! 🙂
Mike, I know what it feels like when those moments of inspiration strike. I’ve even gotten out of bed at 2am a few times to write, lest I forget that killer line I dreamed about.
Good post! It really seems bio fever has been spreading around lately. I caught it also. In fact, I have never been really happy with my bio page. It is probably the reason why I have rewritten it so many times.
We all want them to sound unique. But so many nature and landscape photographers do what they do for many I’d the same reasons, no matter what our backgrounds are. Perhaps that it an interesting social study to make?
Nicely done for its brevity and still giving a feel of authenticity in your words that matches what you are trying to do with your photos.
And not a mention of “I first fell in love with photography when great-uncle Whositz gave me a camera in third grade…” or any trace of gear obsession. What a relief to your reader.
I revised mine a couple months ago to point toward where I am going now, and not just where I’ve been. I think you are right on target-as I got clearer on what I wanted to say with my images, it got easier to write the bio, the artist statement, the pitch. And if my work is evolving, so should the bio, as painful as that might be.
Thanks, Ann! Although iamprobably obsessed with equipment more than I should be (haha), I’m learning that the viewer’s reaction to a photograph is what really matters to me; I’m happy my bio reflects that.
David, thanks again for your thoughtful comments.
Mark & PJ yes it must be the season; indeed, it is one of those thing that must be done.
Thank you for the link. Good process and result.
Must be the season to re-work the old bio. Maybe it’s a New Year’s thing or something, but I just scrapped mine too.
Like most I guess, the biggest obstacle is knowing what to say when the urge strikes to re-write it. The best way I’ve found to overcome that obstacle is to kick back in the recliner until the urge goes away.
Love that photograph…
Thanks for the mention Greg. You’ve done a fine job with yours. Short and sweet helps too.
Thanks, Kah Kit. Yeah, one turnoff for me in reading some statements is that they go on for pages. So, I wanted to keep mine short and to the point…
Hey Greg: A bio should not just be written once with an occasional review. I’d suggest that you should always be thinking about ways to improve upon/add to/revise your bio and artist statement. This is especially true as your list of accomplishments grows and as you mature as an artist.
I like your bio (it’s genuine sounding, as it should be), but I’d suggest it’s as much of an artist statement since it discusses your motivations and not your background or accomplishments. See this: http://www.artbizblog.com/2010/11/bio-statement-about.html
Hi, Michael. Thanks so much for your comment, and for clarifying the differences between a bio and an artist statement. Reading mine now, I would agree that it sort of walks the line between both, possibly more toward an artist statement.
I also appreciate the advice to continually revise and improve–I suppose the statement should follow the body of work, which should always be evolving, on some level…