So you're an artist?! Now you need an artist bio! Your artist bio is about connecting with someone and giving them a window into who you are. Your artist bio is a powerful tool to connect and build with your audience. There are several different ways to write one. The following is a list of things to consider to help you write an effective bio.

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1. Who is your audience?‍

Before you dive too deep into writing your artist bio, make sure you have a firm understanding of your audience. Will they be more interested in your past exhibitions and awards, or excited about an upcoming residency or project? Sometimes it can be beneficial to adjust your bio for different readers and objectives.

‍Note on Length → the length of your bio will depend on the audience who will be reading it! Depending on the context your bio is being used for you may be asked to add or take away some details. It would be a great idea to have one longer form (150-250 words)  and one shorter form bio (50-100 words) on hand! See point 3 for further elaboration!

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2. What tone do you want your bio to have?

Be authentic, be confident, be playful. Most bios are written in third person. Consider if your bio would be more effective being written in first person or third person. For example, if you are writing an artist bio to live on your personal website or for a personal project you may feel it has more of an inviting tone to be written in first person. If you are submitting a bio as a performing artist in a festival, you may find it more beneficial to have a bio written in 3rd person. Make sure you are using consistent language and tenses throughout your bio!

Note on Artist Bio vs. Artist Statement → An artist statement is not your life story or a list of your accomplishments. An artist bio is a summary of the significant events of your life that lead up to your art career. Artist statements are written in first person, whereas an artist bio can be written in third person.

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3. Keep it concise and engaging

Consider giving the audience a snapshot of who you are; basic information, a brief picture of past accomplishments & excitement for where you are/where you are headed. It usually makes for a more interesting read to lead with your inspiration. Include:

• Where you are currently based (only mention where you were born or grew up if it informs your current work)
• Your art medium(s) and special techniques
• Any relevant training or schooling
• Inspiration and what you are passionate about
• Your biggest achievements (this can be awards, clients you’ve worked for, collaborative projects, facilitation or gallery shows)

Helpful Tip: When describing how long you have been doing something, use the year you started. Example: “since 2013” vs. “for 5 years”. This way you won’t have to update it every year 🙂

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4. Proof-read and Edit!

Once you have a draft(s) you feel good about, send a copy to a trusted friend, colleague, family member or mentor. Asking another artist in your community to read it over could also be very helpful! Ask yourself, is your bio approachable? Is everything in there useful and necessary? And, most importantly, does your artist bio feel like you?

One of the most important things to remember in creating your artist bio is: don’t overthink it!  As you grow as an artist, so will your bio writing skills. Your artist bio is an important thing to have out there to support the work you show- it will help your audience get to know the artist behind the work. Be authentic and let them in!

Shorter bio example:

Amanda is an arts producer and administrator, born and raised on stolen lands of the Kwantlen, Tsawwassen, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations to Filipino immigrants. Freshly out of UBC's Theatre Design & Production program, Amanda joined Vines as the Festival Producer at the start of 2020. Growing with Vines has led her to her current role as Managing Director, as of 2023. Amanda is also the General Administrator of Co.ERASGA Dance, and an occasional stage manager in the local theatre and dance communities, with a particular interest in devised creation.

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Longer bio example:

jaz is a mixed secwe̓pemc & scottish interdisciplinary artist who embodies anti-professionalism & anti-colonialism as a way to move toward a future where indigenous knowledge and ways of being are not only respected, but valued & revered. using a range of materials, forms and mediums they work to investigate and express their lived experience and understanding of spirituality, resistance, ancestral connections, and community care.

jaz’s ancestry ties them to cstálen ( adams lake ) in unceded secwepemcúl’ecw in the southern interior of so-called “british columbia” where they had the privilege of being raised close with the lands and waters within their territories & beyond, and it informs their work expansively.

living predominantly on the west coast since 2017, the bulk of their work has bloomed within the territories of the Skwxwú7mesh, Səl̓ílwətaʔ, xʷməθkwəy̓əm, and Stó:lō where they have been overwhelmed with the warmheartedness & generosity of the host nations and allied communities.

jaz has been working under the mentorship of t’uy’t’tanat-cease wyss since 2019 learning ethnobotany and multi-media arts centred in Indigenous revitalization. they work care taking at x̱aw̓s shew̓áy̓, an indigenous rewilded plant space, as part of an ongoing project by t'uy't'tanat at gallery 221A. they are currently artist-in-residence at Vines Art Festival, an arts organization and festival that is responsive to and nurturing of artists that are working toward land, water, and relational justice.

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First-person bio example:

I am a community organizer, artist, and facilitator living on Musqueam, Squamish and Tsliel-Waututh territories. I am the Artistic Director at Vines, and have grown with the festival since it’s beginning over the past seven years. I am so grateful to have been learning with the community of artists who percolate the work we do. I am committed to my responsibility to imagine and co-create nurturing creative spaces for artists. Outside of Vines I utilize my Somatic Education training from Tamalpa Institute to facilitate movement and expressive arts classes. In the past I have worked for Raven Spirit Dance, PuSh International Arts Festival, Dancing on the Edge and the Firehall. I love to garden at Harmony garden, X̱wemelch’stn pen̓em̓áy, hang out by a river and eat good food with community. I can sometimes be found performing in unexpected outdoor spaces with the collective Pressed Paradise.