We recently connected with Michael O’Neill and have shared our conversation below.

Michael , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Working with students today, my biggest challenge is engagement. One of the biggest changes in society in the last 10 years has been how pervasive digital devices have become, and for students who grew up with them, it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to sustain meaningful interactions without being distracted. As an educator, I’m working hard to make my engagement with students personal, focused and meaningful, I know that when these student enter the workplace, they will be expected to connect in an authentic way with employers and clients.

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?

I have been an artist and educator for 20 years, in that time I have developed a creative style that is a reflection of my own unique interests and focus. My work reflects my interests in human psychology, physics and light, and how color impacts our everyday experience and emotional states. Every artist should be on a journey of self exploration where they invest time and energy in their own idiosyncrasies. My current work is a series of large scale panoramas created with a specially converted camera that captures the invisible energy all around us, and the work explores the emotional qualities of color.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

NFTs are a really interesting and very contemporary phenomenon. As an artist I was initially drawn to them because of the profit sharing aspect, I think it’s wonderful that as a creative piece travels through time, the person who made it will continue to benefit when it’s ownership transfers from one person to another. The actual implementation has been a mixed bag, since many of the buyers of NFT’s are not the traditional buyers of art, and they seem to have a very different set of interests. I agree with many artists that creating something with marketability as a priority is a mistake, but the desire to reach a larger audience is a natural one. NFTs are a constantly evolving social experiment, but I believe they can have a positive impact on many artist’s careers.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

In addition to creating my own artwork and teaching, I specialize in documenting other artist’s work. This has been an excellent fit for me, as I have a strong technical background in high resolution photography and color management. Documenting artwork has given me the opportunity to develop a peer group of working artists who have enriched my creative process and the opportunity to collaborate with other artists has been fulfilling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaeloneillphoto.com
• Instagram: @professoroneill
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-o-neill-802344107/

Image Credits

Michael O’Neill Photography