Tag Archives: writing advice

Schmerlreport | 11.3.11 | The 2 habits of highly productive people

It’s a known fact that writers have all sorts of tricks up their sleeve to keep themselves on top of their game. I don’t know any of them. However, today’s productive writing spell of 5 and a half straight hours without a moment’s break (self doubt, lots of snacking, et al) tells me that I may have [...]
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Start a blog about art. Or even, a blog about writing about art. It’s a free world.

Sometimes the best way to get comfortable writing is to…write. Now, not every artist wants to start a blog. I understand that. However, if an artist had something really specific on his mind, and a good sense of focus, and a desire to help others…Well, I’d say he should start a blog. Why not? After #hashtagclass, a [...]
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Everyone Loves Robert Ryman’s…writing

As if his killer abstractions weren’t enough: lately, artists keep telling me how much they admire the words that Ryman chooses to describe his own work. Check out the simplicity of both image and text at Art Observed blog. Meantime, I’ll copy some gloss below. The title of his most recent show, alone, is great: “Robert Ryman: [...]
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Is the foe of artist-statement confusion vanquished?

Or does it still lurk among us? Sorry not to have posted for so long on the topic. After a slew of studio visits, I’m happy to say that we’re getting there, making progress. However, I also must report that there are huge, huge misconceptions harbored by artists on the topic of this itty-bitty, often-no-more-than-350-word [...]
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Too cool for school? Never.

As this week of free advice on artist’s statements comes to a close, here’s Two Things I’ve Learned: 1) Don’t give your work away for free (artists, writers, this means You); even if it’s for a nominal fee, your work must get valued. 2) Try not to treat your attempts at writing-to gain-clarity-and-objectivity as a [...]
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[#hashtag] Class Dismissed. Everyone gets an A for Effort. Well, Almost Everyone.

William Powhida makes transgressive, self-reflective, art; and his subjects are often people—or prevailing notions of—Power. Hence, I shouldn’t have been surprised last night when he suddenly called me out as conducting the most in-your-face, authoritarian, put-people-on-the-spot-to-give-a-right-answer #hashtagclass session that he’s seen yet. [Sorry, I have to paraphrase on the above; I was writing on my computer [...]
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Why they don’t teach you how to write a decent artist’s statement in Grad School

I’ve thought about this, having gone to grad school (Pratt Institute) and gotten an MFA in painting—and come out with zero instruction from my professors on the art market and how I might find my own voice in it. That, I did for myself. Since then, I’ve gotten past the rage (mostly) and have come to [...]
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i will attempt to write artists statements—in real time, at #hashtagclass

You may think it’s hard to endure writing or reading artists’ statements; so please take heart that I’m now turning statement writing into an endurance piece. We shall see if I can come out standing. Read about the show on the blog, or just come to Winkelman Gallery in Chelsea. I was inspired by Lucy van [...]
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Work exchange at Harlem’s Taller Boricua is cool; but the artist’s statements? Eh. You decide.

I really like the concept driving this event on Feb. 23 at Taller Boricua in Harlem: exchange your skill for someone else’s skill. It’s created by an artist named Chanika Svetvilas, and it came into my Inbox described much like this: Here’s what (the artist, presumably) has to say. It’s pretty good, no? Do you have an [...]
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Street Graphics

In North Carolina—where I am, now. Back in NYC, where I (usually am)/was. On the ground, a message outside the pizza shop. My brother used to live in North Carolina. He taught me how to write about art. He taught me with one word. Are you ready? “READ.”
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