Writing my artists statements over and over

"Direct"- latest spirit painting- 4/15/14

Another call for action- applying for a residency and writing yet another artist's statement. By mistake, I wrote a 1,000 word statement, staying up late and getting my thoughts all organized. When I went to fill in the on-line application, I was horrified to find that the requirement is limited to 1.000 characters. Upset about the loss of time and the waste of energy, I pushed through this disappointment and realized how much I could say in a  less that a quarter of what I had written. The power of limits helped me get to the essence of what I wanted to present. Every word had to count big.
When I told one artist friend about this she came back with  "I hate writing my artist's statement  Why can't art speak for itself?" This is a common refrain with many artists I know. I used to buy into that thinking my art was so expressive and had a stronger voice than my own. Over time I have shifted away from that and found that what used to be a struggle is now a welcomed chance to check in with myself. It is a way to assess how I feel about my work, stopping to consider what aspect of my larger story wants to be told at that particular point in time. My statement helps move my work forward by giving viewers associations that help flesh out experience.
When I read Alan Bamberger's article----Your Artist Statement: Explaining the Unexplainable and Writing Artist Statements  http://www.artbusiness.com/statement.html it helped me see through some of the pitfalls that artists fall into around language. As I gather speed with my boats, I want to help others understand so I compose my statement with their point of view in mind, checking to hear how it sounds to their ears.  I am not an artist in an ivory tower who stays aloft and deigns to speak with a clear voice.