Art Licensing Info Ask Call with Attorney Kyle-Beth Hilfer is tomorrow!
I’m excited to have an attorney back on the line to answer legal questions about art licensing, contracts, protecting your art, copyrights and more. I hope you join Kyle-Beth Hilfer and I for this hour long call full of great insights!
If you can’t make it live, the audio replay will be available for sale for $20 for a limited time after the call and then go to the normal replay price of $30. We appreciate your support in buying the replays that are for sale – it helps give experts who return more than once some “Starbucks money” for their time and also helps offset some of the costs of putting these calls on. :)
If you have signed up for a call before, you will get an email today with the call in details. If this is your first one, you can fill out the form below to access the call in details. They are always free to listen live and the first call with any expert is always free. (See all the free call audios you can get here > http://askaboutartlicensing.com/get-free-call-replays/)
Hope to talk “at” you tomorrow night!
– Tara Reed
Some days you need the determination of Scarlett O’Hara to make it in art licensing…
Recently someone posted a picture of Scarlett O’Hara in her famous “As God is my Witness, I will never go hungry again!” scene. Well, that got me to thinking… some days we need that sort of determination to make it in art licensing.
How much do you want it? How hard will you work to learn the business of art licensing, create the art, make the contacts and take the rejection?
It takes determination, grit and persistence to make it these days. Competition is high, product line volumes and royalties are down. The artists who dabble won’t make a living but those who want it and will do ANYTHING to figure out how to make it have a fighting chance.
So what are you willing to do?
Scarlett was willing to lie, cheat and kill to make sure she and her family survived the war. Thankfully those aren’t things we need to do, but what will you do? Will you hear NO 1,000 times and keep trying? Will you listen to feedback that might sting and create new art that might be a better fit? Will you invest in your education, your business, your tools, your marketing? Will you stay up late if you need to and get up and do it all again when you feel defeated?
I will. I have. And I will continue to do it again and again. Because I love what I do and the lifestyle it allows me to have.
The question is – how bad do YOU want it?
Think about that… here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Building Creative Confidence
I found a link to the Ted Talk on Facebook the other day… if you read my blog, then I imagine you are an artist and didn’t have your creativity squashed by some girl in the third grade who didn’t like your clay interpretation of a horse… (you will understand when you watch it) However, that doesn’t mean that our creative confidence isn’t sometimes shaken.
Hearing NO a few too many times can make the most confident of us second guess ourselves.
Going to a family dinner to be told “you would make more money if you didn’t have an art degree, and if you were a CPA or something.” is no confidence builder either. (That ISN’T a made up example – also from a recent Facebook discussion)
I was recently talking to a 20 year old and asking what her grand plan was – what is she studying in college and what does she want to do when she’s done. She said, “I’ve always loved art and graphic design but then I didn’t think I could make much money. So I thought about psychology and took some classes… then I thought the medical field might be a better bet…” She has settled on a middle ground – marketing and business with a graphic design minor because the creativity is where she is happiest. (Hmmmm… that combo sounds vaguely familiar!)
Confidence isn’t something you get and keep like a “thing” you buy at the store. It is something that needs to be nurtured and reaffirmed and held at the core…
I highly recommend you watch this talk about creative confidence by David Kelley – it may help you see things from a different perspective.
Here’s to your creative – and confident – success!
– Tara Reed
Last chance to submit your questions for next week’s Art Licensing Info Ask Call with Attorney Kyle-Beth Hilfer
It’s almost here! Our next call will focus on the legal aspects of art and art licensing – based on what YOU say you want to know? Do you have questions about contracts? What to do if you see someone using your art online? How to respond if you are accused of copying someone else? Trademarks? Copyrights?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
The deadline for submitting questions that will be considered for the call is tomorrow – Thursday, March 13, 2014. I need time to gather, review and organize them and get them to Kyle-Beth in time for her to prepare what she wants to say. SO… ask now please!
If you can’t make it live, the audio replay will be available for sale for $20 for a limited time after the call and then go to the normal replay price of $30. We appreciate your support in buying the replays that are for sale – it helps give experts who return more than once some “Starbucks money” for their time and also helps offset some of the costs of putting these calls on. :)
Here’s to your creative – and legally protected – success!
– Tara Reed
Are you too worried about what others think?
Earlier this week an email hit my inbox from Marie Forleo that made me smile… the timing was perfect and I had been talking about this exact thing the day before. Caring TOO MUCH about what others think about you and what you are doing can really hold you back from achieving your dreams. Wanting everyone to like you (which will NEVER EVER happen no matter how hard you try) is another side of the same coin.
I was apparently born as a big old people pleaser. I followed all the rules as a kid, didn’t have a wild streak in high school or college and have been fine following the straight an narrow. Made being my parent a lot easier than it could have been but it also caused me a lot of stress over the years.
Here are a few things that come to mind that I have done or not done over the years because I wanted to please others or make people like me (even if it wasn’t what I wanted to do):
- Kept my mouth shut when my opinion was different from the ‘crowd’ – don’t want to stand out and risk rejection or ridicule!
- Smile and agree to someone else’s plan to keep the peace.
- Keep good things happening in my life to myself so people with problems don’t feel bad… or get mad at me… etc
- When I was dating I went on many second and even third dates because I didn’t know how to say no – even though I wasn’t interested apparently my desire for them to “like me” was stronger than my desire to not go out with them.
That’s just a few random things and I’m shaking my head and laughing as I type them. Pretty crazy to read in the light of day and not in the stress of the moment.
The older I get the more confident I am in myself and more willing I am to speak my truth and let the chips fall where they may. If I hadn’t, this blog would never have been started or would have stopped pretty quickly. There were many people who didn’t like me sharing my thoughts or teaching about the business. Did it sometimes stress me out? Absolutely. Were tears shed on occasion? Yup. But I felt strongly about what I was doing and did it anyway. And there are lots of artists who are thrilled I did – I put myself at the top of the list because I love writing, speaking and teaching and sharing my perspectives on this wild ride of art licensing.
Here is what Marie Forleo had to say on the subject:
You can read her whole blog post on the topic here >> www.marieforleo.com/2014/03/confidence/
The bottom line is this: there will be people who like you and people who don’t, no matter what you do. SO will you limit yourself and spend your energy on the impossible task of trying to please everyone or will you go for your dreams?
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Confused by collections? Let’s look at some products…
One of the most frequently asked questions I get from artists just learning about art licensing is about collections. ”What does that mean?” “What needs to be in a collection?” “How do I figure this out?”
I thought I’d do something a little different to help you understand the concept and learn to LOOK at everything through the filter of an artist who has to create the art. You can do this with anything – cards, dishes, fabric, rugs… anything.
Since St Patrick’s Day is coming I went to www.BirthdayDirect.com (no affiliation – just liked the image I found with a quick google search). While the average consumer would look at this and decide if they liked it or not so they decide to buy or not buy… we are going to look at it as an artist.
WHAT images, colors, patterns, etc did the manufacturer need to create this group of products? Images, patterns and colors. Then these elements needed to be formatted – notice that the green checks are in a straight link on the napkins and on a circle on the plates.
This is just one example. The number of patterns and images, etc will depend on the theme of the art and the products you think it will work for. My St Patrick’s Day art collections are always smaller than Christmas because there are many more products that use Christmas art than St Patrick’s Day.
Hope this example helps!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
A few FAQs about the new Art Licensing Academy
Since I mentioned the Art Licensing Academy on February 17, 2014, I’ve had a few questions come in. I thought I’d clarify a few things for any other artists out there wondering the same thing and trying to decide if this program is for you.
Question 1: Where is Art Licensing Academy held?
Answer: Anywhere that there is phone coverage. If you have a phone, you can be a part of this program.
Question 2: What if we can’t listen live?
Answer: That’s ok!
The Tuesday calls – where I talk and share information about the topic of the week – are recorded. You can listen live or listen to the replays that are available to every participant.
The Friday calls are Q&A calls – so whoever shows up live can ask questions and get live answers – we will record these as well and send out replays. It’s a great way to get info, try it out and then get questions answered when you realize what puzzles you. 
So even if you miss a Q&A when it is live, you will still learn something if you listen to the replay.
Question 3: How does this course differ from your Licensing E-Books?
Answer: The course has some of the same things found in a variety of eBooks and some new content. While the eBooks focus on a specific topic or the basics (in the “How to Get Started…”), the Art Licensing Academy is designed to be a more “all inclusive” look at how to build a successful business from the art, the legal, marketing AND self care and nourishing your network. So some review if you have several of the books and some new things and some ideas presented in a brand new way.
Question 4: Will this be good for me?
Answer: Maybe… This will be a great class for someone who learns by listening and doing rather than reading and working on their own. There will be support from the group of artists in the class (and me) in a private Facebook Group as well as the open Q&A calls on Friday of each week. With a class over a 4 week period, you will be more immersed and scheduled with your focus and therefore make more progress than if left to your own devices.
So in a nutshell…
- • If you have a phone, you can join us.
- • If you won’t make every sessions, it’s ok, we record them.
- • If you learn well by listening and doing, this will be a great fit.
- • The first ever class begins on Tuesday, March 25, 2014.
Click here to get all the details and save your spot!
How do you feel about the word “no”?
I’ve recently blogged about learning to SAY NO … if you over commit you lose the creative juices and energy and time to work on what is really important to you.
There is also the flip side of the coin – when people say NO to you. And if you are pursuing art licensing, you will hear no a lot. A. LOT.
“No” doesn’t mean that your art is horrible, that you are a failure or that you have been personally rejected.
“No” means that your art isn’t a fit for the projects they are working on now. It doesn’t mean it will never be a fit, but it isn’t a fit now.
So, here is some great advice from the Muppets on a Friday – enjoy!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
a story about go karts, fear and tightropes…
I’ve been thinking a lot about fear… where does it come from, why do we have the fears we have and why don’t we all have the same ones? Why does something make us nervous one day and feel paralyzed the next?
Fear is a funny thing… it’s our brain’s way of trying to keep us safe. Sometimes it does and sometimes it just keeps us from reaching our potential or going for something we really want.
Is it important to overcome every fear you have? I don’t think so. Is it important to overcome fears that are standing in the way of you and the life or business you want? Absolutely! Unless you are happier feeling safe than taking a risk and getting what you want of course.
Here’s a recent example:
A few weeks ago my sister and brother-in-law were in town and my brother thought it would be a fun family activity to go go karting. My son had done it and loved it! I had been in go karts at amusement parks and some other family recreation type places and thought, “Sure! Why not!”
Well… when we got there I realized this wasn’t at all what I was expecting. These were some SERIOUS go karts! You had to have a driver’s license to drive them. You had to wear a really heavy helmet. You had to watch a safety video… I immediately began to feel fear and discomfort creep in. I told my husband, “This feels like a cruise excursion that I shouldn’t have signed up for!”
We went into the track and listened to our instructions. They told us how the track was a little slicker than normal because the ice and snow were dripping in a little from the roof so be careful – especially on that first turn… my stomach knotted up a little more…
I got in the car, I took deep breathes. I told myself it would be fun, I could do this and there was nothing to be afraid of. I watched as my mom went, my brother, my sister and so on… my mouth got dry.
Then it was my turn. I squared my shoulders and hit the gas. It would be ok.
WELL… I HATED EVERY ONE OF THOSE 10 MINUTES and it was all I could do not to drive into the pit early or, quite honestly, cry. I don’t like driving fast. I don’t like spinning out around corners. I had no interest in trying to beat anyone, pass anyone or do anything other than finish the race and get the heck out of the car!
Is this a fear I feel I need to conquer? NO. I have no plans on becoming a race car driver. I didn’t get any enjoyment from the process. I tried it, I finished it and it wasn’t for me. Will it alter or inhibit my life if I don’t do it again? No. So to me, it was a ‘bucket list’ activity and I won’t do it again. EVER.
Now if you are laughing and thinking I’m silly and shaking your head in wonder and thinking “How could she NOT have liked that???” you are not alone. My whole family, including my 69 yr old mother, agree with you. But the fact remains: not my cup of tea.
Let’s move on to another example:
When I learned about art licensing, I was intrigued but I had a lot of doubts and fears too. No one will like my work. (fear) I won’t make it because I don’t have any “real” art training. (fear) People will judge me for trying and failing. (fear) I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
Similar things come up every time I do something a little different, a little bigger or a little further outside my comfort zone. I had to deal with some fear when creating the Art Licensing Academy program. What if no one signs up? What if people start judging me harshly on Facebook? What if, what if, what if…
Do I need to get over these fears? Absolutely. Because if I don’t, I won’t be able to live the creative life I want. I won’t be able to teach and help and inspire other artists.
Will it negatively affect me if I let the fear stop me? Yes. So these kinds of fears need to be conquered.
I googled “songs about overcoming fear” and found this catchy tune called Tightrope by Janelle Monae. There may be a few lyrics that don’t thrill some people but the overall message is awesome – your life is a tightrope and it’s up to YOU: you follow or you lead, you blame the machine or you keep your balance…
What is your choice? Feel the fear and do it anyway or let the fear tip you off your tightrope?
Here’s the song and the lyrics for you to ponder… and remember, you don’t have to overcome every fear, but it’s in your best interest to overcome those that (a) won’t kill or maim you and (b) stand in the way of what you really want!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
LYRICS – Tightrope by Monae and Leftfoot
Whoaaa
Another day
I take your pain away
Some people talk about ya
Like they know all about ya
When you get down they doubt ya
And when you tippin on the scene
Yeah they talkin’ bout it
Cause they can’t tip all on the scene with ya
Talk about it
T-t-t-talk bout it
When you get elevated,
They love it or they hate it
You dance up on them haters
Keep getting funky on the scene
While they jumpin’ round ya
They trying to take all your dreams
But you can’t allow it
Cause baby whether you’re high or low
Whether you’re high or low
You gotta tip on the tightrope
T-t-t-tip on the tightrope
Whether you’re high or low
Baby whether you’re high or low
You got to tip on the tightrope
Now let me see you do the tightrope
And I’m still tippin’ on it
See I’m not walkin’ on it
Or tryin to run around it
This ain’t no acrobatics
You either follow or you lead, yeah
I’m talkin’ bout you,
Or keep on blaming the machine, yeah
I’m talkin’ bout it,
T-t-t-talkin’ bout it
I can’t complain about it
I gotta keep my balance
And just keep dancin on it
We gettin funky on the scene
Yeah you know about it
Like a star on the screen
Watch me tip all on it
Then baby whether I’m high or low
Baby whether you’re high or low
You gotta tip on the tightrope
Yeah, tip on the tightrope
Baby, baby, baby
Whether you’re high or low
Baby whether you’re high or low
Tip on the tightrope
Baby let me see you tight rope
And I’m still tippin’ on it
Big Boi:
You gotta keep your balance or you fall into the gap
It’s a challenge but I manage cause I’m cautious with the strap
Do damage to your canvas that a doctor cannot patch
See boy you don’t want no friction like the back of a matchbook
Daddy Fat Stacks will fold you and your MacBook
Close shows, shut you down before we gon’ go backwards
Act up, and whether we high or low we gonna get back-up
Like the Dow Jones and Nasdaq
Sorta like a thong in an ass crack
Come on
I tip on alligators and little rattle snakers
But I’m another flavor
Something like a terminator
Ain’t no equivocating
I fight for what I believe
While you talkin’ bout it
Jus-jus-just talkin’ bout it
Some callin me a sinner
Some callin me a winner
I’m callin you to dinner
And you know exactly what I mean
Yeah I’m talkin bout you
You can rock or you can leave
Watch me tip without you
N-N-Now whether I’m high or low
Whether I’m high or low
I’m gonna tip on the tightrope
Baby, baby, baby
Whether I’m high or low
High or low
I got to tip on the tightrope
Now baby tip on the tightrope
You can’t get too high
I said you can’t get too low
Cause you get too high
No you’ll surely be low
1, 2, 3, Ho!
Yeah, yeah
Now shut up, yeah
Yeah, now put some voodoo on it
Ladies and gentlemen the funkiest horn section in Metropolis
Yeah, yeah, yeah, OH!
We call that classy brass
Do you mind?
If I play the ukulele
Just like a little lady
Do you mind?
If I play the ukulele
Just like a little lady
As I play the ukulele
If I play my ukulele
Just like a little lady
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