How to Talk and Write About Your Work

Do you get stuck when people ask you what kind of photography you do? Does the prospect of writing an artist statement fill you with dread? In this online workshop with Jean “Gino” Miele you learn to describe your work in a direct and meaningful way.

As you discover how to avoid the twin pitfalls of literal and technical description, as well as the dreaded “artspeak,” you begin to understand the critical difference between a superficial description of what your photographs depict (what they’re of) and the more subtle—and infinitely more interesting—reasons you have for making them (what they’re about).

We focus on recognizing the underlying themes in your work, separate and distinct from the subject. Conversations, exercises, and portfolio reviews help each participant determine and express what genuinely matters to them. The goal isn’t creating a single piece of writing; it’s training yourself to talk and write about your work powerfully and effectively.

Participants complete the workshop confident in what to say (and not say) when presenting a portfolio, with a body of writing that forms a foundation for artist statements and other documents, plus an array of great responses to the question, “What do you photograph?”

As you deepen your understanding of your own work, you learn to engage people as dynamically with your words as you do with your pictures.