Letting The Cards Fall Into Illustration
A 2020 graduate of Marywood’s undergraduate Visual Arts Illustration program, Geori Vazquez does it all! She is now a professional illustrator and adjunct lecturer here at Marywood, all while studying as a graduate student in the Get Your Masters with the Masters Low Residency MFA program at Marywood University. Check out her amazing and playful illustrations on her website or Instagram!
What was your favorite part about studying art at Marywood?
My favorite part of being at Marywood was always being surrounded by art. All the opportunities given to talk about art, go to museums I didn’t get to go on my own, and talking with others about composition, color, design and more always made me excited to come in.
“Art is always something that I loved doing. I think I was always meant to create, I just let the cards fall where they did.”
How did your art education at Marywood help your career?
While I always loved art, Marywood taught me how to appreciate the pieces I was looking at, so that I could understand WHY I loved a specific piece. It helped me narrow down things I really liked, so that then I could create with that understanding.
Did your career path match your vision of a career path? What is different?
When I first started getting back to school in the MFA program, I wanted to be an art teacher for high school. I wanted to be the one that encouraged kids more than what I had been when I was in high school. At my first school the education major was taken away, so I ended up switching majors. Going into the illustration program here, I learned so much about what I enjoyed. It opened my eyes to learning. When a professor at Marywood asked me to teach a comic book camp on campus last summer, I learned first hand how much I could love teaching.
What is your favorite thing about your current job?
In terms of being an illustrator it would clearly be about being able to create. I love making things like stickers and posters. When it comes to teaching, I love how I still get to learn. The oxymoronic idea of learning when I’m a teacher seems funny, but different insights from newer artists helps me see things differently, as well as relearn things in ways I wouldn’t have thought of before.
Are you currently working on any interesting side projects?
Oh yes! I am currently working on starting a comic. It’s been something I’ve been working on for a long time, but now in the grad program, I thought it would be perfect to use the characters I’ve built into a full blown story. A while back I had an online comic, and I had to remove it in a bout of artistic anxiety. Now I’m excited to get it out there and I’m working on a proposal to get it to print as well.
What are some of the biggest rewards in your career?
I had my first stint in teaching a larger class at Marywood in the Spring of 2024, and there were so many talented students there! They left such a wonderful impression on me. It was funny because, as it was a painting class, a lot of them were hesitant about the material. After the semester was over, they all said they loved the class and that they learned so much from me. It felt really nice. One of the students wrote me a heartfelt note with a thank you, and I honestly cried, though it sounds funny to say. I still have that note. It’s nice to know that I’m somehow helping someone out there enjoy their process, even if just a little.
What is something that would surprise people about your day-to-day?
Well, I get beat down all the time by art! Sometimes it’s intimidating to look at blank pages, or to make anything. More often than not, I don’t want to even pick up a pencil or pen to doodle. I used to love doing that, and challenging myself to draw every day. It’s not that I’ve grown away from it, but after a long time I’ve learned to be kinder to myself. I hope someone else can also learn from that and learn to be kinder to themselves. We all struggle but you’re the only one who can be kind to yourself.
What inspires Geori?
Inspiration can come from anywhere for me. I recently went to a museum called “WNDR” in Boston, and the light exhibitions were very inspiring with their colors. There was even an amazing Yayoi
Kusama piece in there which was amazing to see in person! But my inspiration can also come from looking at a sun rise, or taking a picture of my food that is laid out nicely. Funnily, even murder
mysteries can get the motor running. A lot of the ink pieces I make are often inspired by manga. Any paintings I make can be inspired by how I notice a shadow falls on my cat.
Any advice for current art students at Marywood?
Don’t waste time worrying about whether or not you’ll find a career, whether or not you’ll make a big impact on the world. Your art gets so much better when you try to have fun with it! The universe lets things fall into place after that. There are so many people out there that are happy to share art, that as long as they see you have a passion for it, they’re happy in turn to give you a boost!
Coming Soon!
In addition to her comic, Geori is currently working on creating a YouTube page where she will share her sketchbooks!
Thank you so much Geori for sharing your story! We hope you inspire even more students through teaching and sharing your work! We look forward to watching more of your Instagram reels and getting more insight through your YouTube channel!