Guest Speaker Geoffrey Doig-Marx Reflection

Geoffrey was another guest speaker that brought a different and unique perspective to the concept of art in comparison to other guests that I enjoyed. Geoffrey had a unique story that other artists can relate to and hearing his situation with his work and the pandemic was surprising. I was shocked that this had happened and that he cannot get access to his work. I feel that the artist is being restricted and making little to no progress because of the regulations present. Moreover, Geoffrey mentioned and addressed the topic of selling his art and emphasized “getting out there”. A majority of previous artists talked about their art and the process of creating it but Geoffrey stressed the importance of making a name for himself and getting his art out the public. I believe that this is an aspect that is not as discussed because of the presence of the internet and the numerous resources available to a person to get this task done. I appreciated how he was transparent about this topic but also did not undervalue it or his art. While speaking he did address the fact that at certain points artists produce art just to produce something, which other artists did not mention. There are points in every artist’s career where the art is not as well done because it is forced, and he made this clear and did not hide this part of the industry. Lastly, I enjoyed that he valued his art and declined offers from others who wanted to buy his art because of what it represented to him. Selling art is difficult but I feel that many sell art because they want to be rich and “make it” in the industry but hearing Geoffrey declining people make me feel that some artists still value their art. Artists get sucked into the industry and get commercialized but I feel that Geoffrey broke that stereotype and set a good example for us. Overall, I enjoyed the presentation by Geoffrey and it was a nice learning experience.

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