WRITING FOR BEGINNERS

© Barbara Macey

Ozquilt Network Newsletter Issue #33 SEPTEMBER 1999

It's time to send off your very first entry form and there's a space for an artist's statement. Or someone wants you to write about yourself for a workshop brochure. The emptiness of the blank paper (or screen) mirrors the state of your brain. The minutes slip by and you fall into a state somewhere between trance and panic. The ideas that would sustain the words just don't come. Surely no-one else has this problem? Of course they do! I well remember a number of such occasions when it literally took all day to write a few lines. But I took the precaution of keeping a copy of everything I ever wrote. That proved to be a good strategy for making it easier the next time. Not that I ever just copied the exact words. But it's a lot easier to build on something than to start from scratch. Gradually it became easier and quicker than I ever could have imagined. It might even have been better!

I suppose it was so difficult in the beginning because I'd started my quilting 'career' in a very spontaneous and informal way, not thinking about it in a calculating or analytical manner at all. That happens to many quilters, because most of us do not have an art education. But those humble little writing exercises made me think about how I had come to quilting and what sort of quilts I was making. I found myself working our how best to express visual ideas in words, often a very difficult exercise. Suddenly those entry forms were tamed.

I've drafted a number of exhibition entry forms, usually giving entrants the option of not making an artist's statement. This isn't to let them off the hook; it's just that sometimes it's appropriate to let the work speak for itself. Forcing people to write a statement might well result in cynical attempts to say something that sounds impressive, but isn't from the heart. Better to have no statement than that. Too many artists and craft practitioners wear the emperor's clothes when it comes to statements!

Sometimes, you might have something to say, but have trouble expressing it. This is less likely if you give it some thought well before the entry deadline. These days I often find myself composing a statement as I sew. In fact the meaning of a quilt is often not revealed until it's in the making. If you jot down any useful thought as soon as it comes into your head, by the time you're ready to compose a statement you'll find that your task is almost finished. What a relief!

It's a good idea to jot down your first draft on a spare piece of paper, put it away and come back in a day or two to refine it before you write on the entry form. Remember it could be permanently enshrined in a catalogue. And do keep to the word limit, otherwise you risk losing something vital in the editing process. You are more likely to keep control of what is finally published if you edit your statement to exclude the unnecessary, keeping only what is important and truly relevant.

As for writing about yourself, though you may naturally shrink from this task, it's not as difficult as it seems. Just pretend you're writing about someone else by using the third person. People will be interested to hear how you started to quilt, how long you've been quilting, what sort of quilts you make, what you plan for the future, studies and activities related to quilting, teaching, exhibiting, membership of groups and guilds, writing, special achievements, etc. At times it may be appropriate to include other aspects of your life such as your family, home, other interests, hobbies, background, travel etc. The content needs to fit the occasion.

Next time you have to write about your work or yourself, just tell yourself that your efforts are making it easier for future endeavours. It will be true. You'll soon find the ideas and words flowing as freely as your ideas for quilt designs!

© Barbara Macey 1999