We recently connected with Martin Geller and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Martin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Designing and illustrating a series of five posters for The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., was a milestone project for me. It was my first project for such a huge venue. Secondly, it was the first time I had a client sign a contract I personally drafted, based on a template from The Graphic Design Guild.

I landed this job early in my career, during a time when I was eager to take on as many freelance graphic design and illustration projects as possible. While working in Manhattan as an artist for NBC, I took every opportunity to interview with book publishers, ad agencies, magazines, and record companies. Amid this hustle, a design agency approached me with a proposal to create two poster mockups for a series of five plays scheduled to be performed at The Eisenhower Pavilion at The Kennedy Center.

Competition among agencies nationwide was intense, but I agreed to the job on one condition: the agency had to sign a contract ensuring I would be compensated separately for the overall design, each of the five illustrations, and a commission for posters sold in The Kennedy Center store. This experience was a significant step in asserting my value as an artist and securing my creative rights.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My career began in the analog world of graphic art in the early 1970s. After studying fine art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, I was hired by the television network, ABC and shortly thereafter, by NBC. During my 35-year tenure at NBC, I art directed, designed, and created animations for a wide variety of shows and programs. From 1994 to 2009, I worked exclusively on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” for the network. Throughout my 50+ year-career, I produced artwork for a variety of institutions such as The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Paramount Television, VH-1, national magazines, major music labels, and major book publishers. Two of my posters are in the A24 Films movie, “Dream Scenario,” starring Nicholas Cage. I’ve been honored with multiple New York Emmy Awards for my television work and numerous awards for my contributions to Print. In 2011, I launched my YouTube channel, Blue Lightning TV, dedicated to teaching Photoshop. It has over 1 million subscribers.

I split my time between my YouTube channel and creating original compositions inspired by the 20th century art genres I love. For the first 20 years of my career, I created artwork using traditional tools, however by the mid-1990s, the realm of digital art reached a level that allowed me to produce artwork digitally without compromise. Photoshop provides me with the freedom to explore creative possibilities much faster than I did in the past and allows me the flexibility to make non-destructive adjustments to them at any time.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

To me, everything about NFTs is a scam. My primary issue with them is that anyone can download an identical copy of the original artwork, no matter how exorbitantly priced it may be. Claiming to “own” the original digital file feels as absurd as claiming ownership of the air we breathe.

Another significant concern is their environmental impact. The energy consumption required to create, buy, and sell NFTs are staggering. For instance, the average crypto-art NFT has a carbon footprint of about 340 kWh—greater than the emissions generated by a passenger flight of approximately 1,800 miles. This is due to the energy-intensive process of validating blockchain transactions, which is a fundamental aspect of how NFTs operate.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When I finish a personal design, it’s the feeling of extraordinary warmth and elation—a profound sense of satisfaction from knowing I’ve crafted a composition in which the visual tension are in perfect harmony with each other.

Creating Photoshop tutorial videos for my YouTube channel, Blue Lightning TV Photoshop, brings its own unique rewards. One of the most fulfilling aspects is knowing I’m helping others. It’s incredibly rewarding to hear from viewers who share how my tutorials have impacted them on a personal level. One father let me know his autistic child connected with my videos, which helped strengthen their bond. Another viewer, who is paraplegic, sent me a heartfelt video to personally thank me for helping him learn Photoshop. Others have let me know my tutorials have helped people land jobs and achieve creative success which is deeply gratifying and reminds me of the meaningful role my work can play in others’ lives.

Contact Info:

• My Personal Artworks: https://martingeller.wixsite.com/artworks

• My Redbubble Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/bltv/shop

• My Society6 Merch: https://society6.com/a/artists/bltv/designs

• My Framed Artworks: https://martin-geller.framer.art/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martygeller/

• X: https://x.com/arthouse_3

• Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/photoshoparthouse

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/photoshoparthouse/

Image Credits

Martin Geller