The artist

BLAIR'S POV

Professor Reynolds asked me not to talk about it, and I'd respect that. Even though he didn't deserve my secrecy after how terrible he made me feel, if I told Maddox, I was sure he would be annoyed.

The next morning, I had the useless Contemporary Art Thought and Practice course, and lo and behold, like I predicted, the syllabus was entirely composed of guest speakers talking about their most recent art projects. Maddox was also in this class, and he rolled his eyes at how pretentious this whole charade was.

"They just want to give their artist friends some clout..."

He commented. I had to agree with him, although I was trying to be open minded. One good thing about this was that I could see what other up-and-coming artists were working on, see how they navigated the Art world, get some tips on the right people to keep around, and ultimately grow my network.

"Our guest for our first lecture is a very special person to me," our lecturer, Dr Turner, said. "He is an alumnus of this university and his work ever since he graduated has suffered, well, some ups and downs. I'll let him speak for himself. Please welcome Mr. Gary Kent."

The class clapped unenthusiastically as Mr. Kent made his way to the speaker's podium.

His name sounded strangely familiar, but I thought nothing of it.

"Thanks so much Mr. Turner. It's a pleasure to be back to this house who watched me grow as a person and as an artist. Not gonna lie though, being on this side is much worse than being sat there, trust me."

The sound of chuckles danced in the room. Gary Kent was a young man dressed in jeans and a shirt. It was obvious he tried to look formal, but he still looked like a bit disheveled. However, his aura was that of an artist, that was evident. He also spoke in a very cool way. It made him look like he was perhaps a bit younger, a bit more immature.

"Mr. Turner asked me to speak to you about my journey from being a student, like all of you, to having my very first art exhibition at Kingston Museum. Don't be shy, you can clap, I know it's amazing."

Some louder laughter erupted in the room, followed by claps.

He then proceeded to talk about his experience at Durham, the projects he had been involved in, and especially his big final assignment for Professor Agnes' course. He said that, at the time, he looked around and all he saw were extremely talented people with prospects and offers and a bright future ahead of them and he just felt mediocre.

"I struggled for a long time with self-doubt. I know what you're thinking, how can such a good-looking guy doubt himself. I can't figure it out either." More laughter filled the room. Even Prof Turner was chuckling to himself.

"But anyway, I struggled for many years to find my true style. It felt like every time I started something new, it all came crumbling down. I felt like I wasn't really good at anything. I doubted if I was made for this, if I was a real artist, or if I was just doing it for the lifestyle, for this romanticized idea of being an artist."

"Then, one day, with the help of some friends and a few magic potions (for legal reasons I was advised not to reveal what kind), it came to me. Inspiration just landed on my lap after years of struggling."

He then turned on a PowerPoint and showed us pictures of his art pieces.

"What I had always struggled with was the beginning.

Every time I picked up a pencil to jot some ideas down, I got stuck. Self-doubt came over me and I gave up.

Starting, for me, was always the hardest part. So, as the genius that I am, I decided to exploit my insecurities. I had had enough of them controlling me. I decided to make the beginning literally the focus of my work. After months of pain-staking work, of bounds of self-doubt and indecision, I got my shot."

It was truly a compelling story. Every student in that class could see it in his eyes that, even though he was older than us, we felt true empathy for him. We saw ourselves in him.

He then proceeded to dive deeper into the meaning of his pieces. He truly was a very good artist. His humbleness was what was most striking. I found myself completely absorbed into his presentation, into his art.

When the presentation was finished, Mr. Turner spoke to us.

"Thank you so much for your presentation Gary. I am sure everyone got inspired by your story and your work. On that note, I have something special to announce. Mr. Kent's opening night is this Friday, and I'm happy to say that he was been most kind in providing us with tickets. So, consider Mr. Kent's exhibition as our first field trip."

Sweet. An opportunity to build up my network of sponsors and clients. Maddox seemed excited too.

"I have a fantastic black suit which I haven't had the chance to wear. Can't wait to put on some shoes and go out for the night. What do you say if after the exhibition we go out?", Maddox spoke.

I gave him a devilish grin. "First week of lessons and already thinking of going out?" I asked, sarcasm laced in my voice. "Now that's what I'm talking about."