Good photography, at least the important aspects of it, is all right-brain stuff. Writing a statement is left-brain stuff. Two different universes.
Couldn't disagree more, Peter.
I'd have no problem at all writing such a statement had I any wish so to do, and it's my experience in general that people with a creative nature can do several different creative things rather well, writing being one such. Especially true, I think, the relationship between the visual arts, music and writing, in the sense that 'writing' is but an extension of speech.
To find an illustration for this, go no further than the king Stones: both Jagger and Richards can give the stage impression of being boorish, dumb, tongue-tied morons that got lucky. When you actually listen to them speak during interviews, explain their points of view, you realise that the musical jive talk front is just that: a front. They are both rather articulate and well-spoken when the occassion suits.
There are many places on the Internet where you can find famous photographers speaking about life and themselves; I don't fnd many of them articulating in grunts.
Rob C