Tell the Work

What to say about a piece you just made, and how to post it without feeling like a fraud

You make the work. Then the phone is in your hand and you don't know what to write under it, so you post it with three words, or not at all. This guide is about that moment: the four things a piece can say, plain words, the work behind the work, the story you've been leaving out, and how to post without the feeling that you're pretending.

What to say about a piece: why you made it, what to look for, then the materials
The work behind the work: what showing the making does, and honestly, what it doesn't
Photographing your work: light, square, steady, true colour, a light hand
Your story and your artist statement, under 100 words, tested on strangers
Posting without the fraud feeling: coach not critic, never miss twice, envy as study

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Here's exactly what's inside

127 pages, A5 PDF, 26 graded chapters in six parts
10 worksheets printed in the guide, to fill in pencil
The exit test: 7 lines, checked over 4 weeks, so you know when you're ready for the next guide
A practice page for every chapter and twelve weekly-debrief pages to write in
The rules: one line per chapter, and the research behind every graded chapter, at the back

Who it's for, and who it isn't

For artists who make work and don't know what to say about it: painters, illustrators, sculptors, ceramicists, photographers, designers.

Not for people who enjoy looking at art but don't make it, or anyone looking for a way to go viral.

How to order?

Press Add to cart, or Buy it now for just this guide.
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The PDF arrives by email within seconds, on a link tied to your order.

Is the work told?

The exit test, printed at the back of the guide. Work through the guide for 4 weeks, then check every line. All of them held, every week: you're ready for the next one. Every line is something you do, never a result you can't control: no follower counts, no sales targets. Standards version 1.0.

Every piece told	Every piece you published went out with its story: what it is, why you made it, how, and one detail to look for.
Process shown	At least one post a week showed the work being made, not only finished.
Published	Your own work published at least twice a week, every week.
The statement	An artist statement under 100 words, read by 3 people who don't know your work, rewritten until each could say it back.
The story bank	At least 20 stories banked: from the studio, from your life, from the making.
The question	Your signature question asked at least 5 times, and the answers kept.
Coach, not critic	Every week's debrief written in the coach's voice: a fact and a fix, never a verdict.

Tell it, show it, sell it

Three guides, in order. Each one's entry test is the one before's exit test. Telling comes first, because more reach for work nobody understands is just more people scrolling past.

Guide 1 · TellTell the Work€19 Guide 2 · ShowShow the Work€24 Guide 3 · SellSell the Work€29

Start free: the 7-day artist start, seven of the graded frameworks behind this guide, one a day.

Frequently asked questions

About the guides, the grades, the PDF and refunds.

Get the guide · €19

Which guide should I buy?

The first one whose line isn't true for you yet. Tell the Work: you make work and don't know what to say about it. Show the Work: your work is told, and the wrong people (or nobody) see it. Sell the Work: it's told and seen, and you want to start selling it. Not sure? Start with Tell the Work: its exit test tells you in four weeks.

Will this make me a living?

Nothing can promise that honestly, and these guides don't. They give the effort a shape: telling, showing and selling, every week, on a system. Living on your art comes in due time, if you put in the effort.

Is this a course or a qualification?

No. Artist College is a media and education brand, not an accredited institution. These are guides you work through yourself, with worksheets and an exit test, and nothing in them leads to a qualification.

How do I know it works?

Every chapter is graded. Strong and promising chapters rest on research named at the back; very little of it was done on artists, and the chapters say so. Experience chapters rest on practice. The exit tests are our standard, version 1.0: when readers' results say a line is wrong, it changes, and you get the new edition free.

I'm under 18. Can I use it?

Yes, from 13. Anything involving selling, payments or agreements happens with a parent or guardian, on their account, and the guides say where.

Refunds?

If it isn't what you expected, reply to your receipt. No discounts, ever: the price is the price for everyone.