While nothing can shut off the hypervigilance, instead of scanning the vicinity for nonexistent threats, composing photographs gives my brain something useful to do with the information it is bombarded with, and can be quite soothing.
I doubt that's the kind of biographical detail that they're looking for, though.
Tom, I think you could go personal if (and only to the extent that you) are comfortable with doing so.
If you would prefer to do so in a limited way, I like Teppy's suggestion. You could tweak the wording a little and you're most of the way there.
You might want to then consider relating that statement to the work you're submitting, and maybe add a sentence about how you see the world (or how the subjects speak to you on the theme in question).
You can do this. You do beautiful work.
To add to Tom's statement stuff, I think it would also fit to include something about how writing a personal statement is a challenge.
Ooh, I like msbelle's suggestion.
Well, I'm glad you took the step, meara! Cheers to the end of the month!
For the artist's bio they're looking for a CV, which I don't really have, and the artist's statement should probably relate to the theme of the publication:
The theme for this first JRNL edition is 'Sub-Lands: Material Lyricism'. The call invites works exploring the postmodern landscape and adhering to contemporary photography's shifting ground when describing environments, be they natural, social, or fictional.
I'm seriously handicapped here without an art school degree.
I'm sorry, Matt.
Tom, depending on how much you want to put out there, that's not a bad statement.
After lived trauma, sometimes the shifting ground is inside one's own mind. Describing the physical environment through photography creates useful filters for the information the artist's brain is bombarded with. Tom Scola has been photographing New York City for decades, finding real and imagined worlds within the everyday.
