Art Reveals Reality

"Art is not what you see but what you make others see."
-Edgar Degas

Endre Barath, Jr. has challenged us to write a post based on our interpretation of this painting.  It was quite surprising when I saw this because when I was in a continuing education class last year, the instructor presented us with this very same painting and asked us what we thought it "meant". 

She told us the artist was a long retired real estate broker owner and he had painted it as a reflection of his experience in real estate.  We were given the task to interpret what the artist was trying to portray in the painting.  Here is a compilation of what the participants said:

Like the business of real estate itself, it is a portrayal of the complexity of real estate, in spite of a common perception of just the opposite. 

Do you see the left eye with it's purple color?  That is an indication that many new licensees come into the business with rose colored glasses on with no perception of how difficult the business really is. It takes a while for that purple glow from the glasses to wear off.  The patch over the right eye is what happens after these new agents have been in the business for a while, taken off those rose-colored glasses and get hit in the face with a huge dose of reality.  

The cigar is an indication of all the bad habits many agents get into without proper guidance.  They think they can buy leads and and work whenever they want to and business will keep rolling in.  They don't understand the dynamics of working their sphere of influence and getting out among the people.  They don't market consistently and they don't blog about their local market. 

Those books on top of his head is an indication of the ongoing education required to stay current and relevant in the business.  You shouldn't rely on minimum continuing education courses as a way of just keeping your license.  If you want to be heads above the rest of the competition you need to be constantly learning. 

The suit indicates we need to dress and act professionally at all times.  Although this gentleman is wearing a suit, sometimes more casual wear in such markets as Hawaii would be completely appropriate.  The main point is this is a profession and you need to dress and act appropriately. 

The light over the painting shows that the light is shining on us as real estate professionals.  You are being watched and judged.  Act accordingly.  Your reputation and that of the entire industry depends on it.

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Note: I have been retired since 2011 so wasn't really in a CE class last year but this IS my entry into Endre Barath, Jr. 's March challenge.