7 Ways to Know You Are Interested in Art Licensing…
I’ve been working too hard and wanted to post something just for fun! Hope it makes you smile knowingly!
Here are 7 Ways to Know You Are Interested in Art Licensing…
- You know “Art Licensing” has nothing to do with cars or license plates.
- You look at the BACK of products with art on them as much as the front. Then you jot down the manufacturer or website so you can contact them later.
- One of your big goals in life is to have your own art on your checks.
- You create art in collections – never just one, lone piece. (It’s too hard to license one, lone piece!)
- You look at a wall of towels in a department store to stay in touch with home décor color trends.
- When you watch tv, your significant other looks at you quizzically when you shout out, “Oh, those are Debbie Mumm™ dishes!” (True story! I saw her Christmas dishes on a Lifetime Movie and was a little green with envy. — First a stuffed animal on Friends, now dishes on Lifetime — that’s an artist with a successful licensing program!
) - Instead of rock bands and movie star posters of your college days, today you have a “TO BE AS COOL AS” artist list that has the artists who have “made it in licensing” and inspire you on it!
OK… that’s my 7 off the top of my head. Anyone else care to play? Add your thoughts as a comment…
~ Tara
P.S. Artist BJ Lantz replied to this post by email so she could include a picture with her comment… she gave me permission to add it here…
8. Every wall in your studio looks like this:
To see BJ’s beautiful work, go to: BJLantz.com
Do you ever wish you could talk to someone who really "GETS ART LICENSING?"
I don’t know about you, but some days I get tired of explaining what I do. I try to be concise and not use industry lingo but so many people have never stopped to think about where the art on product comes from that they can’t even process it! “Oh, so you’re a graphic designer! My friend needs a new logo and business card, I’ll let them know about you.” Now I could do those things, and I’m sure there are artists who license and do business cards and logos, but that isn’t me.
Now take that a step further and try and find personal help in the field of Art Licensing. There are people who teach and coach, don’t get me wrong, but it took me 2 years to find one when I was starting. (Am I slow?)
Since I began writing eBooks and blogging back in June, several people have emailed me and asked if I do individual coaching. It wasn’t in my original plan but I tried it a few times, here and there, and discovered I really like it!
I have just launched two coaching options for those looking for one-on-one help with their art licensing business. I worked with a coach when I was starting out and found it to be very helpful in keeping me focused, encouraged and moving forward. Perhaps it will work for you. But there are a few things to consider when picking a coach, me or anyone else.
First, coaching is an investment in yourself and your future. It’s having a live human helping you strengthen your strengths and overcome your weaknesses. But you need to find a coach that is a good fit for your personality and communication style. Someone can be an amazing coach but if you need “kind encouragement” when they have a “Drill Sergeant” mentality, you won’t make progress.
Since I don’t know you, I can’t tell you if I would be a good choice to coach you or not. I can tell you 4 things that describe the person that would be a good for me.
- Are you ready to TAKE ACTION to reach your goals? I believe in ‘reasons’ not ‘excuses’ – for example, the current economy may be the reason you have to work even harder than you might have 5 years ago, but don’t use it as an excuse to give up before you try. (See blog post for more details)
- Do you understand that licensing isn’t a fast process – it takes time to see cash, even after you get a contract – and getting contracts can take time too. You need to be committed to long-term thinking and consistent effort. The good news is that you can learn and implement what you need to do for licensing while also working on other ways to earn cash – so don’t despair!
- Are you open to new ways of thinking, acting and working? I may suggest you try some things that you haven’t done before and that might be outside your comfort zone, are you willing to try? You won’t change your results without changing your behavior – in licensing or any other area of life!
- Do you understand that I am here to “coach” not “do”? I will give you the benefit of my experience and background but in the end, it’s up to you to do the work and build your business.
Don’t forget, not only am I teaching, writing and coaching, but I’m still painting and building my art licensing business as well. It is as important for me as it is for you that we are a good fit so I am careful about how I spend my time and who I spend it with.
If all of this sounds good… when would you like to get started?
I have come up with two ways to work with artists:
“Brushstroke Brainstorming”
Do you have a specific or one-time issue that you need help with? Maybe you need a new perspective or insights but not long-term coaching. If this sounds like you, “Brushstroke Brainstorming” is the way to go.
“Continuous Coaching”
Do you do your best work when you have deadlines? Do you like having someone to be accountable to — checking in & getting regular help to build your business? If this sounds like you, “Continuous Coaching” may be just what you need!
To see all the details, please visit the coaching page at: www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/coaching.html
Here’s to your creative success — whatever that may be!
~ Tara
What snow shovels and ice scrapers have to do with building a business…
Mid-December was a record breaking month in Portland, Oregon. We had more snow in 2 weeks than the city has seen since 1950.
I was stuck in my house for more days in a row than… well, ever in my life that I can recall. (12 days straight) If you follow me on Twitter, you know all about it. I wouldn’t have made it through without the camaraderie of my network of online friends!
In a typical winter, the snow stays where it belongs, on the mountains. It is an event if we get 1-2 inches in the city. Portland isn’t prepared for that type of snowfall. Only highways are plowed and they don’t salt — they sand and cinder — and require studded tires and chains if you want to move about.
The weather finally broke on Christmas and began to warm. My son was due to board a 6 am flight to his dad’s on Saturday so thinking I was being smart, I booked a room at a hotel at the airport. There was a definite chance of ice in the wee hours of the morning so I thought it would be safer to stay close and take the shuttle.
Before leaving our house on Friday, I made sure I had my ice scraper in my car. I don’t even own a snow shovel. (The one in the picture is my boyfriend’s– borrowed for the photo but unfortunately not in my car when I needed it!)
It was 42 degrees and the main roads were fine — just wet. But since we got about 16″ of snow, the side streets and parking lots were full of slush. I dropped my son and our luggage off at the front of the hotel and then turned to find a parking spot.
This is where it gets interesting… The hotel hadn’t plowed the parking lot AT ALL. So my Honda Accord is moving through 6-12″ of slush looking for a place to park. But there were no spots — lots of people left their cars there while traveling for Christmas or were stuck there because of the weather. I continued on my search, driving as carefully as possible.
I turned the next corner and disaster struck — my car stopped moving! Oh yeah — I was totally stuck in about 18″ of slush — packed up to my front bumper and under both wheels. I called my son and asked him to ask for help at the front desk — and to ask where to park. They ignored the part about me being stuck and said to go to a paid parking lot. Thanks! Didn’t even offer me the use of a shovel.
So there I was, stuck in the slush, digging my car out… with an ice scraper! It took about 20 minutes of alternately digging and trying to move the car before I slid and got a little traction. I admit some less than ladylike words were said and I didn’t know if I would ever get out. I didn’t have the tools for the job!
Do you ever feel like you are trying to build a business with an ice scraper when a shovel would get the job done so much quicker and with a heck of a lot less stress?
My goal is to give you shovels — through blog posts, the weekly newsletter, eBooks, the forum and the new “Ask Tara Reed” calls.
I just added something new for 2009 – personal coaching. If you are an artist interested in one-on-one consulting, go to ArtLicensingInfo.com/coaching.html and see the details.
I hope the worst of the winter weather is behind me because snow shovels and chains for tires are hard to find right now! I also hope that you have the tools you need to build the art business of your dreams… here’s to a great year!
~ Tara
P.S. Saturday morning I told the shuttle driver about my frustration in the slush and he told me never to ask for help with anything but your room from the front desk. Had we asked the bellman, not only would he have lent me a shovel, he would have done the shoveling! Good to know!
Do you know the subtle difference between a 'reason' and an 'excuse'?
This is something that I think confuses a lot of people. Have you ever been frustrated, feeling accused of ‘making up excuses‘ when you feel like you are just explaining WHY you did or didn’t make some choice…
Parents regularly tell their children, “I don’t want to hear your excuses!”
Bosses will hand out tasks with the understanding that they need to be done and “no excuses” will be accepted.
For whatever reason, this popped back into my head recently so I thought I’d do a little more pondering on the subject. I believe that understanding the difference can be a key to overcoming self-sabotage. So let’s take a look at what is a…
Here are 2 definitions that get to the crux of the matter:
Reason, - noun a statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action, the basis or cause for a belief or action
Excuse, – noun a pretext or subterfuge, an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness
I think the subtle difference is that a reason is more a statement of fact where an excuse often plays to emotion in the hopes of being excused. There is always a reason but sometimes there is no excuse. Confused? Let’s look at a few examples.
We’ll start with the age old homework conundrum – an excuse would be: “My dog ate my homework”. But really! How many dogs actually eat homework?
Perhaps a teacher would be more understanding of hearing the occasional, honest reason homework is late – “I was doing so well at “Call of Duty” last night that I lost track of time and didn’t do it.”
Here’s another — let’s say you were supposed to meet some friends for lunch and completely forgot. The obvious reason you could give would be, “I’m so sorry, I forgot.” Then you sit back and see if you are offered forgiveness. Most people are uncomfortable with that tactic and will resort to excuses like, “I’m so sorry, I got an important phone call for work and then I had to get XYZ done before 4 pm or I’d lose this great deal and somehow in the heat of everything it slipped my mind.” Reminds me of the addage, “Oh the tangled web we weave…” you still didn’t make lunch but now you are going to have to remember who you said called, what project you said you had to do and whether you got the deal if asked later… lots of opportunity to slip up!
At this point, you may be wondering why you should care about homework if you don’t have kids and aren’t in school or missed lunch dates. These are examples leading up to a reason or excuse mindset that could make or break you in the current economy:
Do you use the economy as a reason or an excuse?
If the economy is the reason you are working even harder and smarter, the reason you are educating yourself about different ways to do things or create income with your art – then you will most likely be busy, survive and be ready to thrive as opportunities come along and things start to get better.
If the economy is an excuse not to do anything – things are so bad no one is licensing or buying art anyway so why bother – you will get just what you expect, caught up on your favorite TV shows or whatever you are doing while using the economy as an excuse to not make the effort to succeed.
See the difference? Pretty huge by my way of looking at it! I say there is a reason for every action or inaction, whether they are helpful or not is another story. Look at and listen to reasons and try to catch yourself when you are making excuses that hurt your progress.
Here’s to a creative and prosperous 2009!
~ Tara
Connect
Business Resources*
