Responses to Visiting Artists Fall 2012

Matthew Robbins
September 20, 2012
Event Planner

While this was a pretty succinct talk, I felt it was stronger because of it. There was very little fluff, and what he showed was both informative and interesting- not something we get with a lot of the VA's.
Some of the things that stood out to me:

-Really great tips on how to survive in the industry, especially the idea of if you want success, you have to be able to sell your idea.
- "Have the skills- don't say you can't." Basically, tell your inconfidence to shut the fuck up and get there.
-Never lose who you are- keep it personal and always be authentic. Even if it seems you'll be more successful by being mainstream, in the end you'll just get lost in the center of everyone else and your success will diminish.
- For Portfolio: Variety is a must, and the intro pieces need to knock them out.
-When someone asks for you to do something, study them as a person and ask them "visual" questions.
-Art is a business. Sell it.

All in all, a refreshing talk. This guy spoke it like it was, and it was nice to finally have a speaker that was visibly commercially successful, and wasn't speaking about their crazy studio ideas. There's a place for studio art, don't get me wrong, but as an animator, I want advice that will inform the more commercial aspect of art. That was exactly what this was, and I really appreciated it.




Elizabeth Condon
October 11, 2012
Painter

Man, what a different talk than Mr. Robbins'. First, so much longer. Maybe it wasn't crazy long, time wise, but it dragged on and on. Second, the problems I mentioned in my Robbins response on how I have a hard time taking career advice from fine artists definitely applies here. It's just a different world from I deal with. Still, her work was nice, especially the Chinese-inspired work. That being said, I really didn't like the doll stuff- it just seemed like a really loose concept surrounding mediocre paintings. Once she got abstract, I enjoyed her work. Still, as far as how I feel she impacted me professionally  the only thing I think I gained was the idea that travel is important for inspiration. Beyond that though, was a dud for me.