← OG Academy · Show your work at its best · 5 min lesing
Your artist bio: the story only you can tell
Most bios read like a CV nobody asked for. Yours can do something better: make a stranger care.
Start where the work starts
Not "born in 1974 in Utrecht", but the thing that actually drives you: the coastline you grew up on, the years you spent as a nurse before you painted full time, the grandmother whose hands you keep drawing.
People buy art from people. Your first two sentences decide whether they read the third.
Write it in first person
Third person ("Anna works and lives in Ghent") sounds like a museum wrote it. First person sounds like you are in the room. For an independent artist selling directly, the second is almost always stronger.
Keep it to 120 to 200 words on your profile. Anything longer belongs on a separate about page.
Facts at the end, not the beginning
Exhibitions, awards, education and collections do belong there — they build trust — but they work best as a short list after the story, not as the opening.
No exhibitions yet? Leave the list out entirely. An empty CV section draws more attention than no section at all.
Add a photo of yourself
A simple, well-lit portrait raises response rates more than almost anything else on your page. It does not need to be professional; it needs to look like you on a good day.
A shot in your studio, with your hands or your materials visible, works even better than a formal headshot.
Kort fortalt
Open with what drives you, write in first person, keep it under 200 words, list credentials at the end, and add a friendly photo of yourself.