This Artist Blurb.....

[LampyLou]

I'm about to start selling some of my Lampwork jewellery in a local craft gallery.  They want some information about me.  I think they are expecting, "studied XYZ at art college", etc etc.  How do I say I've done a couple of one day workshops with Lush and have spent many hours practicing, or should I just aviod saying?  I have no other artistic background to fall back on.

On the one hand I've very proud of my progress, on the other when I look at the other people's "blurb" I feel very inadequate.

Any suggestions welcome.

Julia x

[Lush!]

I know exactly what you mean, Lou, I have no "proper" artistic background either - but that doesn't make us any less an artist 

When I had to do something similar I emphasised the fact that my studio is local and talked about the process  rather than about me.

[Blue Box Studio]

I think mine mentions self taught but still learning; several short intense courses (an evening class) and probably a lot more waffle.  I have had 2 galleries turn me down because I did not have a BA.  The fact that I knew one of their artsists who had a BA had it in something totally irrrelevant to her art didn't seem to matter, they liked to put BA after their artist's names.  From what I heard they sold BA for them so I think I was better off.  Like Julie says, talk about what and why you do, skip over the 10 degrees you already have and the fact you are a multi-millionaire, no one reads that bit anyway, it's you, what makes you tick and your passion that's important.

[Blue Box Studio]

I paid a journalist to write me a press briefing that would get me past the WPB.  Husband who is not a journalist rewrote it so it had no spelling errors, much better grammer and actualy didn't make me sound like a total tw*t!  He did quite well as I had quite a lot of local covereage for arts week.  She also sent her version to a load of targetted editors, then sent them another version the next day (she cc'd me in) because the first version was a first draft and tracked changes had been left on!  She didn't bill for that part and I didn't pay!!

[MadelineBunyan]

talk about your inspirations and love of melting glass.

most people will like that it sounds a bit more down to earth and not arty farty.

(and I think it was this one: http://artybollocks.com)

[Blue Kiln Beads]

I did something recently, its like having to write a cv blowing your own trumpet etc...  I took a look around on the web for other people's blurb and then tackled my own. 

You don't have to have a working version staright away, do a draft, leave it, come back to it, tweak it, read it aloud, cringe, adjust it and so on....

Goodluck 

[JaySpangles]

Have studied under, developing a personal signature, ongoing development, inspiration drawn from, aims and objectives. Don't make it too long or high falutin (no more than a couple of paragraphs - certainly not a whole page) people get bored and you don't want them to move off before they have looked at your work. Oh - and make sure there are no typos and the grammar is correct, I know you are an artist not a professor of English but I think it looks really unprofessional if it isn't correct (IMHO!)