Hi all.
I have to prepare a personal bio for a newspaper article, and I'm having difficulty. It's really hard to write about oneself!!

I thought I'd post a thread to see if any of our members have done this (and perhaps get some ideas), and then I thought, this would be a nice addition to the site - artist's bios.

Whether or not that idea fizzles, does anyone have any links to some info about writing a personal bio?
Thanks,
Vikki

doing a quick search on google, I came up with some interesting looking sites (http://www.google.com/search?q=writing+a+bio).
I've had to do a bio occasionally, and here's some tips:

- Remember to write in the third person

- start it off with personal info, what you do for a living, some of your hobbies, whatever info you feel comfortable sharing with a large number of people (this is a newspaper after all)

- you can list off your schooling, degrees, scholarships etc.

- tell about your experiences in the area the article is related to (i.e. teaching classes, tutoring, projects)

- write a bit about your aspirations, upcoming projects etc

- if it's not included in the article, you can finish it off with an URL to some of your portfolio, business site etc.

hope this helps you out, and congrats on getting a spot in your newspaper!

- David :)

p.s. sorry I couldn't give any examples, I haven't been able to find any off hand, but if come up with anything I'll post it.

- David :)

Thanks David. That looks like a good outline, and I'll give it a try.
Much appreciated!
Vikki

Vikki, Last year I was asked to comment on the release of Photoshop 7 for an article, which for various reasons at the time, I regretfully declined. There are some very good bio's with the article though (It was not easy when I saw what my 'peers' had to offer <g>) - anyway, the article is worth checking for some inspiration:

http://bermangraphics.com/press/photoshop7.htm

A few months ago I was asked to do some guest speaking/conference tutorials at a digital imaging trade conference in Sydney. This was the first time I had to seriously put together my bio, and had similar questions to you!

It can be hard being humble, while still selling yourself. <g>

Good luck with the writing.

Stephen Marsh.

Thanks for that link Stephen! Very helpful examples.

Jeanie

Thanks Stephen.
I'm anxious to check that out (I tried the link, but it isn't working at this time).
Vikki

I guess it's down right now, the site was working earlier today. you can see google's cached version of the page here (http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:lFoaTKl3omcC:bermangraphics.com/press/photoshop7.htm+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8)

- David :)

Well, this is what I came up with;

Vikki Hansen is a photographic restoration and retouch artist. She combines an artistic hand with the latest computer technology to digitally restore and enhance photographs. Vikki has been working with digital imaging tools since 1989, and three years ago, started her own freelance business, Lifetime Photo. Vikki currently handles restoration work for the Camera Lounge, and is a full time retoucher and restorer for Encore Photo Studios.



Added note: I just recently took the position with Encore and signed a "non-compete" contract. I'm not entirely certain what impact this will have, but for now I'm "OK" with it.

Critiques welcome.

Vikki,

I like everything except the "self taught" phrase. For some reason, when I read that, I thought "I wouldn't include that." I have no hard facts and/or experience to back that up, but some people are impressed by "degrees" and look down on those of us who are "self taught". If that doesn't bother you, then it's not an issue. If it were me, I'd delete it. I like the rest of it very much. I'll be interested to hear others' thoughts on this.

Congrats on the new job. I'm interested in what the non-compete agreement actual means for your current business.

Jeanie

Jeanie,
You won't believe this, but the one I sent to the university didn't have the "self taught" part. As I was posting it here, I thought I would add it. I guess we should go with our first instincts.
Thanks for your input!

Hopefully this idea might work, don't forget to include the fact that you are soon going to be teaching a class in photo restoration. Also, I think it might help to read other people bio's to get a feel as to how to write your own. Ex- Katrin Eismann bio.

I would also leave out the self taught line.

Good luck:)

I took out the "self taught".
I didn't mention the class I'll be teaching, as that is the storyline for the article, and so it seems it might be redundant.
Thanks for your tips!
Vikki

Originally posted by Vikki
Vikki currently handles restoration work for the Camera Lounge, and is a full time retoucher and restorer for Encore Photo Studios.

Vikki,
I also think it looks very good, but I agree with the "self taught" thing. The only other thing I see, and I don't know if it's in the actual bio this way, is that the "the" in "the Camera Lounge" is not in upper case. If it's actually part of the name of the company, it should be in upper case. If it's not part of the name, it should be dropped altogether. Nothing serious, but it should be corrected.

I'd be interested in knowing more about the non-compete agreement. Are they sending you to school, or otherwise investing in upgrading your abilities?

Ed

Ed,
I wanted to capitalize "the" because it is used with the store name. However, and this is probably a unique instance, that's how it's used in this area. I don't know why, but, that's how the shop is known, even though it's not part of it's name.

Regarding the contract, I'm rather surprised by the reaction from members here. Perhaps there are different meanings for the term "non-compete"? I'd rather not make the details of the contract public, but I will say that the terms are not at all unreasonable, and I completely understand what I signed.
Vikki

Vikki,

At least you know we're reading your threads! :)

Ed

Vikki, the whole "non-compete" thing bothers me because I have seen employers abuse it. I understand an employer not wanting an employee doing freelance work on the side because it creates a conflict of interest. I have no problem with that sort of agreement.

The problem I have is when I see employers coercing younger employees into signing agreements that state that they can't work in that industry for a certain period even after ending their employment. I have known several people who signed such documents under false pretense. I used to work in the sign industry (which can be pretty cut throat) doing design work and I saw this practice all the time. It's used as a way to keep wages down, especially with younger employees who do not always realize what they are signing. Some of this things are really absurd...such as, you can't work in said industry for 3 years after leaving the job. Or you can not take a similar position within a 100 mile radius!

I don't really have a problem with signing something that says you can not work freelance while employed with someone...but I don't think it should be legal to prevent someone from being able to make a living after leaving a job. And it's certainly questionable when an employer manipulates a young employee into signing something that amounts to labor slavery.