There is definitely something to be said for an artist whose work evokes feelings of both seriousness and serenity, and who can explain simply why and how the work exists.

The night with Anne Geddes at the Imaging USA conference in Phoenix this week was a night to remember. She summarized beautifully the importance of both the art and the brand when creating a piece of work. Both of these are what makes viewers experience, remember, and yearn for more.

She encouraged artists to find a point of difference, something that makes their work stand out. Even as she began her career with traditional portraiture, she spent one Saturday a month doing the work she loved.

“By creating images that touched my heart,” Geddes said, “I could touch other hearts.”

By perfecting the work that she loved to do on her own time – Saturdays – she could take risks and hone in on fundamental techniques and skills. Now, this work that she did ‘in her spare time’ is the work for which she is known: photographs that represent the vulnerability, simplicity, and spirit of babies.

The basis for which she was able to achieve her goals, perfect her skills, and develop her business was her dreams. While discussing her journey as a photographer she said, “What sustained me wasn’t knowledge, it was dreams.”

She cautioned artists a number of times, however, to maintain complete control of their works. Even in tough economic times, she said, all artists should work together to protect fellow photographers’ work. She told the audience to create work that makes them proud, to make sure their name gets on it, and make sure they are credited for what they have done.

“Always try to retain copyright,” she said. “We cannot afford NOT to protect our copyrights.”

Anne’s comments that evening echoed the conversations that I had with some of the other 10,000 artists that I met at the conference. I talked with one artist at length about the importance of balancing the professional photographic life with the creative life. We discussed questions that plague every artist, such as how does one make a living while still doing the work he loves?

I talked with other artists about passion for art and the true inspiration that encourages them to create – love for a subject, the talent of expression, or simply a need that outweighs everything else.

The intricacies of the creative life are many, and scholars have spent countless hours discussing and debating some of the topics I have mentioned here. But, if there is one theme that resonated throughout the conversations I had at the conference, it is that dreams and passion coupled with dedication, first produce work that moves others, and second make a successful career.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 15th, 2009 at 5:41 pm by Lucinda M. Dugger and is filed under copyright law, creators, events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.