My personalized writing assistance is designed to provide you with a greater level of assistance than my workshops at a price that’s still affordable.

Whatever the document being created, we begin with images of your work and your written or emailed answers to a group of my sometimes searching questions, supplementing that with a phone conference about your current projects, concerns, and goals. I then prepare a first draft, get your comments and corrections, prepare a final version, and bingo, Bob’s your uncle. (I’ve always wondered about that phrase. Who’s Bob, and why would I want him as my uncle?)

Check this site beginning July 1, 2008 for new prices on these services or, if you’d like to book a package before that time, email me at suzy@artybutsmarty.com.

Introductory Packages

Introductory Package 1: General-Use Artist’s Statement (AS) and Bio. This general-use document pair is the little black dress (or, for the boys, the impeccable dinner jacket) of your materials inventory—a well crafted, classic duo that aligns your personal and artistic history with your vision, your current and previous artwork, and your personality. You should always have a polished and current version of both documents on hand, just in case the Art Fairy stops by with a blank NEA grant application and some magic dust.

Introductory Package 1: General-Use Artist’s Statement, Bio, and Basic Q and A. The Q and A form, which reads like an actual interview, is my favorite format for personalizing your web site or press kit; highlighting information that doesn’t fit elsewhere in your materials; demonstrating how your work fits within a special context, such as a particular show, a new locale, etc.; and encouraging the media to write about or feature you. This is my most powerful basic package and, I believe, the best value for your fee.

Additional Services

Special Use Artist’s Statement and Bio. Useful as it is, you can’t wear your little black dress everywhere. When you apply for important grants, residences, themed shows, and so on, you’ll need an artist’s statement/bio package that adapts your standard material to their particular theme, focus, criteria and/or format. I can help you ensure that these documents stay consistent with your general versions, yet emphasize that which is less helpful/relevant while minimizing that which is less so…and also prevent them from draining time you should be spending on your art.

Special Use Q and A. As with the special use AS/Bio, the special use Q and A adjusts the emphasis and information of your standard Q and A to highlight the information that is most useful for a given event, venue, or goal and minimize or temporarily omit that which isn’t helpful.

Web Site Series/Segment Descriptions. Internet search engines will link to your site far more effectively if it includes not just the title of each work you show on line, but also introductory text for each page or grouping of works. For example, if your site has buttons called “Paintings,” “Sculpture,” and “Mixed Media,” you should have a brief introductory paragraph or so for each. By writing this text for or with you, I can ensure that its tone and style are consistent with the rest of the site, as well as work with you or your website designer to ensure that appropriate keywords are used.

Press Release. Though press releases are less important than they were in pre-Web days, they remain a useful tool. I can help you write a skilful one and, more importantly, find a fresh print-, media- or web-worthy “hook” for whatever we are publicizing—the key to getting media attention.

Artist’s Books. The good news: with the advent of digital technology and the myriad of powerful new possibilities in printing and reproduction it offers, it’s becoming ever more feasible for the “average” artist to present his or her work in a high quality but affordable book form. The not-so-good news: it’s just as hard to write elegant and effective supporting text as it ever was. I can help with this, writing both an introductory essay and helping with captions. My fees for such help depend on the complexity, length, and timeframe of each project; I am happy to provide a quotation upon request. Please note, however, that in order to keep at least a few hours for my own (literary) art, I don’t collaborate on book-length commercial publishing contracts, assist with artist memoirs or autobiographies, or take book jobs “on spec.”