Slide into a quick and easy form of self-promotion
[slideshow id=2810246167487570720&w=426&h=320]
Some things bear repeating…
There are things in life that could use a little repetition.
Like when you have children, how many times do you remind them to wash their hands, brush their teeth and get their dirty laundry off the floor and into the hamper?
As an artist, mastering the art of repeat patterns and borders can give you a leg up on the competition.
In the current economy, retailers are struggling, so manufacturers are struggling, and that means we artists are struggling. Everyone has to streamline and cut costs to survive.
If you can provide quality art, in a format that is easy for a manufacturer to use, you save them money. Saving your clients money is one way to stand out from the crowd.
As you can see from the photo, there are a lot of products that use repeat patterns. Fabric for quilting and scrubs and clothing. Kitchen textiles. Gift wrap, gift bags and tissue paper. The list goes on and on.
I found figuring out how to create repeats, using Photoshop™, was very frustrating. All the information was not in one place. I picked up a little here, a little there… over a long period of time.
But there is good news! I have created a step-by-step, very visual, easy to reference tutorial on how to create basic repeat borders and patterns in Photoshop™. Once you master the basics, there will be an advanced tutorial that shows you how to do more complicated drop repeats. (NOW AVAILABLE)
If you want to learn more, head to my web page that will give you an overview of the repeat pattern tutorial options.
http://artlicensinginfo.com/repeats.html
And this bears repeating as well — have a wonderful and creative day!
~ Tara
P.S. If you need Photoshop™ or to upgrade any of your Adobe products, click the link below.
Lights! Camera! What happened to my afternoon????
I’ve been entertained and inspired by artists creating videos for their blogs and on YouTube.
I’ve been told that video is no longer ‘the wave of the future’ but ‘the here and now’. Video is supposed to be a great way to advertise, create awareness and let people know you are around.
So today, completely frustrated by what I was planning on working on, I decided to pick up my flipVideo and avoid the ‘to do list’. The result is below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIjV9-sCoLo]
Want to see how some other artists are using video? Here are 2 that I’ve enjoyed lately:
Creative Goddess Lisa Stewart has some cool cats and entertaining thought bubbles on her blog. (CAT ANTICS HERE)
And Wyanne Thompson is a regular video user — here is the latest one I watched. (FRENCH ANGEL)
Now let me ask you — have you dared to grab the video camera and become a star? Show your adoring fans how you create your masterpieces? Advertise your wares in a fun new way?
I challenge you to step outside of the box and give it a shot. But beware — you won’t know where the hours go!
~ Tara
P.S. I put the YouTube video up to let people know I teach about licensing. See the modified version of the same video I use as a “welcome” on my website. Click here
In search of my lemonade…
Today I was emailed a REALLY, BIG, FAT LEMON!
It all started back in February… my wonderful boyfriend took me on a cruise to Mexico. We had so much fun! I went to 2 arts & crafts classes to check it out. (The teacher said I was a pretty good painter!)
I decided to look into how to get that job. My dad had done some lectures on cruise ships when I was young (Astronomy stuff) so I knew a little about it. I googled and googled until I found a company that books people on ships to teach all sorts of things, lecture, etc.
I applied, went through the whole process and after I was approved, I was lucky enough to be booked on a 12 night cruise from Vancouver, BC to all the Hawaiian islands in September. Woo-Hoo! I’ve been getting my classes ready, buying supplies, and dreaming on another wonderful get-away. (The picture was going to be one of the projects)
That is, until this morning.
Apparently the charter was lucky enough to sell my room. 
So now they have more people and less for them to do.
And we have plane tickets we need to use within a year. We are also ‘gob-smacked’ (that’s British for STUNNED!).
Thankfully, I believe everything happens for a reason… I just hope to know the reason sooner rather than later. (Patience is NOT my virtue!)
I’ve been reading “Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant” by Robert Kiyosaki and he puts it perfectly:
“It is not what happens in one’s life that matters… but it is the meaning one puts on what happens that matters.”
So for now, I’ll assume there is a reason we won’t be on that boat.
But will someone please send me some sweetener because my lemonade is tasting a bit tart!
~ Tara
P.S. If any cruise line people are in need of an instructor — give me a call! Apparently I’m now free in the end of September.
Turning a dream into a business plan…
We all have a dream, right?
I assume since you are reading this, your dream is to do something with your art, other than hang it on your wall and enjoy it. You want to earn a living doing what you love — painting for profit so to speak.
Talking with a friend the other day, he asked me, “Tara, do you have a business plan?”
“Of course I have a plan!” I replied. “I’m building a business — licensing my art, teaching, etc.”
“But do you have a plan in writing?”
“Oh… that! Well licensing is different — I don’t have ‘widgets’ or ‘books’ or whatever that I sell. It is hard to project your income — especially in the beginning. It all depends on how successful the licensees are at selling the product into retail.” (Good excuses, huh?) “So no, I haven’t written anything out formally, it’s in my head. Besides, I’m not going to the bank for a loan so why do I need a written plan?”
I haven’t shown this plan to my friend yet (I’ll send him to the blog when it’s done) but somehow I don’t think it’s going to pass muster.
He went on to explain to me that business plans force you to stop and think about where you really want your business to go and what you need to do to get there.
OK… I’m listening… as you can see, the plan in my head is “oh-so-grand”…
In the book “Mommy Millionaire” by Kim Lavine talks about business plans on pgs 44-46 and gives some great resources. (This is a great business book, inspiration and reference!)
I’m going to go to the Small Business Administration site and looked at what they have. (click here)
This conversation happened over the weekend so I won’t lie to you and tell you I have any other “written plan” than the one shown above. But I can see the value and will dedicate some time to the process. I’ll let you know how it goes.
~ Tara
P. S. I challenge you to join me and make a ‘real’ plan. This is a business, after all, so we will be more successful if we treat it as such.
Oh the Places you will go!
If only you make a plan… 
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
So begins the classic Dr. Seuss book that have been read for children and given to high school and college graduates year in and year out.
It’s August, a month full of ‘back to school’ planning, gearing up, getting ready and gathering supplies. Putting the kids in order.
But are you in order? Do you have a plan for where you are going? Where you want to go?
Where you want to go next week? Next month? Next year?
Where do you want to be in 10 years? You need a plan! You need vision! And most importantly, you need the confidence that IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT! This is the message in the book.
This isn’t just pie in the sky stuff, it warns of the inevitable ups and downs in life and guess what? You’ll get them in your art and your business as well.
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t.
Because sometimes they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.
All alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
Does this sound familiar? Some days you’re spirits are up and the art is flowing. Other days, like me, you might feel so utterly alone in your studio you wonder whatever possessed you to think you could do this! Beware staying in that mood too long… grab the book and read on!
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will indeed.
(98 and 3/4 percent guarantied.)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Modecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
Today I challenge you to take a minute, an hour or an afternoon — sit down and dream.
What do you want from your business? Who are your ideal clients? What products would give you goosebumps to have your art on?
Now go Google or shop and make a list of 5 companies to target, research and talk to.
If you don’t know where you want to go, how are you going to get there?
~ Tara
P.S. I think this book should be on every artist’s bookshelf, here’s a link to get it at Amazon.
In case of emergency – do you have a plan?
I’m a Penn State grad. If you graduated from anywhere and don’t have your phone number in the witness protection program, you probably get calls from your alma mater as well.
My call asking for $ came yesterday and I spoke with a very nice girl whose name now escapes me. They have a great system, chit-chat with me, tell me what’s been going on on campus (apparently they moved the Creamery but she assured me the ice cream is just as good).. yada, yada, yada.
Then she said something that made my ears perk up.
I was a business major (marketing) so she was telling me how the business school has a new building, you don’t feel like a rat in a maze anymore, etc. AND here it comes….
They have an almost real-time stock exchange. Huh? We had no stock exchange, let alone ‘almost real-time’. What is this girl babbling about?
She proceeds to tell me it’s pretty cool, the ticker screen thingy is only about a second behind Wall Street and if anything were to ever happen to the actual Stock Exchange, everything can be moved and work at Penn State. In the non-rat-maze business building. Cool!
My alma mater is a back-up system for Wall Street — awesome!
Of course this got me thinking about backup plans. Do YOU have one?
There are so many kinds to consider–
- a plan for emergencies (fire, flood, earthquake, snowed in, loss of power, etc),
- a plan for vacations (What if you are at the beach and it rains all week? What’s the plan then?)
- a plan for life (what if you get sick, divorced, in an accident?)
You get the idea — the list could go on and on.
But I want to know what your backup plan is for your art and for your business. We rely so heavily on computers — what if yours crashes? Do you put your art on external drives, CDs or DVDs?
Do you save things in duplicate locations, just in case? If, heaven forbid, there were a fire in your studio, it wouldn’t matter if you had things saved on 10 different things if they are all in the same room, they are all gone!
Don’t panic, do plan.
My system includes: backing up every collection on CDs as well as external hard drives. (These are in my studio) Once a month I get the external hard drive from my friend’s house and back up what I’ve been working on and leave it there –then it’s in a separate location. I don’t think this is ideal but I haven’t taken a lot of time to research online storage & backup choices — if anyone has, please share!
~ Tara
P.S. I use backup hard drives from LaCie — why? Because my “computer guy” told me to. I’m sure he told me why he’s partial to this brand but I don’t remember. Click here to see what they have. LaCie
P.P.S. The cool word jumble at the top of this post was created online. Click here to go try it, it’s fun and it’s free!
Crayons to make a child's future brighter
Its that time of year again! The stores are doing their very best to entice us to shop with them by offering great deals on back-to-school supplies. It works too… I went to Target with my son and got a few 5 packs of 70 page spiral bound notebooks for 50¢ (yes! For 5 notebooks!), as well as 24 count Crayola crayons for 22¢… it’s crazy. This is definitely the time to stock up sinc these prices won’t be back until this time next year.
Let me tell you what I do — I really take advantage of these deals and for about $20-$30 — whatever you can afford, you can make a difference for kids in your area.
My friend works with a shelter for homeless families. THese families have challenges, as you can imagine. We were chatting one day and she told me something that blew me away.
A big problem many of the kids have is they don’t have a pencil. Can’t do homework without a pencil. A pencil. Can you imagine? So I stock up!
A lot of people think about giving to those in need at the holidays — when programs are in full swing to help kids get toys and games and little extras. But NOW is a great time to give them things they need to learn (paper, pencils, rulers, glue…) and things they need to be creative (paint, crayons, makers, construction paper…) Do it now and you will pay pennies on the dollar.
So I challenge you to head to one of these great sales, buy some extra supplies and find an organization that can get them to people in your area. They will be so appreciative and you will feel pretty good about yourself as well — I promise!
Have a creative and giving day!
~ Tara
iPod playlist for success in art licensing
Last night, I snuggled on the couch with my main squeeze and we watched the romantic comedy, “Definitely, Maybe” starring Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin. I thought he was doing me a favor, expecting a chick-flick that he was being kind enough to tolerate, but it was a well written, intriguing story that had us both glued to the action.
That, of course, is not all I want to say about that! 
The movie starts out with Ryan’s character saying he loves it when he finds the perfect playlist for the day. (I can’t remember his exact words, but that is the jist of it.)
You know what comes next, right? Yup! It got me thinking about the perfect playlist for art licensing. Here are my top 3 picks for artists… at least for today.
1. Roll with the Changes by REO Speedwagon.
So if you’re tired of the
Same old story
Turn some pages
Ill be here when you are ready
To roll with the changes
This could apply to any business owner I suppose but it works for me. “Turn some pages” – try something new: new art, contact a new manufacturer, get new inspiration.
“Roll with the changes” – don’t be one of those people who remembers the ‘good old days’ and how great things ‘used to be’ — you only have now, the current economy, the current way of doing business. Learn to work in the environment you are in — you don’t have a choice anyway — “roll with the changes”!
2. Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Do I really need to comment? Our future is ours to create, to paint, to form. Go for it!
3. Stronger by Kanye West
n- n- now th- that that don’t kill me
can only make me stronger
I don’t think this needs any additional explanation either.
Crank up the volume on your tunes and your creations!
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
~ Tara
P. S. Another song from the movie and the 1992 Clinton campaign is a good addition to your playlist as well:
Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow by Fleetwood Mac
Dont stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Dont stop, itll soon be here,
Itll be, better than before,
Yesterdays gone, yesterdays gone.
P.P.S. What’s on your artistic playlist?
Man builds home with plastic hammer!
In an astonishing move today, a man uses his son’s plastic toy hammer to complete construction of his home.
Where one firm blow to a nail with a professional grade hammer would have done the job, this thrifty man chose instead to borrow his infant son’s plastic hammer and hit each nail 50 times.
Having all the time in the world, he deflects all attacks on his manhood and proudly says, “”This was a less expensive option and I stand by my decision!”
Anyone buying this story?
Any man I’ve ever met who likes to build things, loves to have “the right tool for the job”. In fact, I’m one handy lady and I have better tools than many men I know.
Sometimes you make do with what you have but for the important stuff– you research and make sure you get the best tool you can find — understanding that it will make the job easier and faster.
That saves time and we all know what comes next — time is money, right?
Now I made that story up this morning to make a point. Here comes the TRUE story. Names will be left out to protect the innocent and preserve the marriage.
I got an email this morning that asked me to play judge and jury in a marital dispute. The artist (a woman who is getting started in licensing) asked me this:
“I have a question for you… I signed up for a Photoshop™ class and I’m looking at buying the software (CS3 edition), which is quite a debit in the old checkbook isn’t it (at $649)? But, my husband insists that I don’t need the base software package and I know I do. So who is right?”
Before answering and spending this couple’s hard earned dollars, I went to the Adobe site to make sure my gut instinct was right. Photoshop Elements is for basic home use — mostly photo manipulations, and isn’t going to be powerful enough for someone who is serious about licensing.
So I replied with this advice:
“Photoshop™ is really one of the best investments you can make in your business. Most manufacturers want art in Photoshop™ — many times in layered files, when they get to the point of licensing your art. You need the power of the professional version to have all the flexibility for your work. Tell your husband you win this one.”
Then I gave her the hammer analogy that I thought he could relate to. She thought it was pretty funny.
But it makes a very valid point — if you are serious about licensing your art, there are certain things you need to invest in. I believe Photoshop™ is one. I completely appreciate the stress of writing that check or pulling out your credit card. I just mailed my deposit to exhibit at Surtex next year — that always hurts a little!
Believe in yourself. Invest in your business. Have the tools to make your dreams come true!
~ Tara
P. S. Any husband (or wife) that needs me to tell their significant other that they win next time they want a cool new tool from Home Depot – drop me a line and I’ll rule in your favor!
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