This activity teaches the artist statement as a working tool, not a school exercise. The three questions — what, why, how — are the standard structure used by professional artists. The cut step is the curriculum content. Students often write what they think they should say, in language borrowed from somewhere else. The instruction to cut anything that sounds like someone else is the instruction to write in their own voice. The photo matters. Pairing a face with a statement turns a piece of writing into a profile. Students see themselves as artists with work to talk about.