Your About Page has two jobs

Part of my work involves evaluating artist websites at gallery standard, and writing a good About Page is often a challenge for artists. So many artists write about their life without tying it to their practice or skip the About Page entirely.

Gallerists and serious collectors read dozens of artist statements and bios a week, so the writing needs to be spot on.

The strongest About Pages typically explain the work first and the artist second.

Here's an easy way to think about it. Your About Page has two jobs.

Job one is the artist statement. This lives at the top and it's short, ideally two paragraphs or less. It answers the questions a collector is already asking when they land on your page: what does this artist make (medium and subject matter), how do they make it (process and technique), and what is it about (themes and meaning)? Say those three things clearly and you've already done the hard part.

Job two is the longer bio. This is your full story: where you trained, where you've exhibited, and what has shaped you as an artist. It lives below the statement on the same page. It's for the collector who wants to know even more about you.

The statement earns the read. The bio earns the trust.

Does your About Page feel like it's doing both jobs right now?