Rites of Passage and Remembering to Live in the Moment
Today my son turns 16. Last week my niece left the nest and was dropped off, 9 hours from home, for her freshman year at college. On September 10th, my other niece turns 1. She’s now walking.
Isn’t it interesting how all 3 of my parents grandkids hit some pretty significant milestones within a 2 week period? It has certainly made me take a moment to pause and reflect.
I still clearly remember turning 16. My friends put construction paper cars on my locker and streamers inside. It was so exciting! Something you look forward to for years before you hit that age. Then you look to turning 18. Getting out of high school. Maybe going to college…
How did my son get so tall (and where did he get his big feet?!?) when I can still remember him at 3 – so excited to see trains go by when we were driving to my brother’s house in Hood River. (We did just that yesterday although this time he was sleeping with his iPod on so the train went by un-noticed.) Kids make it so clear that we often spend our time looking towards the next milestone. As adults it might be a little less obvious.
Call me sentimental… and then call me the queen of analogies because you know that eventually my brain takes this ‘the kids are growing up!’ concept and applies it to business…
Do you spend your days looking forward to the day you make a certain amount of money? Have a certain amount of name recognition? Have achieved (you fill in the blank)?
While it is important to have dreams, goals and aspirations, it is equally important to enjoy the NOW. Don’t get so caught up looking to the future or living in the past that you miss all the fun of TODAY.
Some might argue that they aren’t so fond of today. Maybe the economy has them down. They aren’t happy with some situation at home. They want a bigger business that brings in more income. Again, fill in the blank. But I’m sure there are some great things about your life and your business today – right now – this very second.
I challenge you to make a list, or paint a picture or create a collage – whatever – about what you are thankful about this very minute. You might be amazed at what you come up with when you just sit and think for a few minutes.
Sure, I’d like to be further along with my licensing business than I am. And yes, I will admit that I think I would be further along if the economy hadn’t gone sideways. But it did so I’m not going to dwell on it. I’m going to focus on what is going right and how I can continue to make contacts, build relationships and create great art. In the current economy. It’s turning around – I’m starting to see, read and hear that things are slowly improving. But TODAY, I still have lots to be thankful for!
I’ll share the beginning of my list to really encourage you to write one of your own, ok? I’m a ‘do as I do, not just as I say’ kind of person. 
(I’m just going to type them as they come to mind – there will be no particular order.)
On this, the 16th anniversary of my giving birth, I am thankful for…
- The wonderful son my precious baby boy has become. The man he is turning into. I am so proud and blessed to have Kyle in my life.
- The internet. Without the internet and my love of figuring out new technology, I’d never be able to connect with so many wonderful artists. Before starting ArtLicensingInfo.com a little over a year ago, I felt quite alone and isolated in my little art world. I knew a few artists to chat with at trade shows but that was only a few days a year. Now I feel like there is a great community of artists supporting each other in our efforts to learn and grow about licensing.
- Deciding to go for it and start my own business – even when I was at a low point in my life. As you may know, when I was taking the plunge to really pursue a business in art licensing, I was also getting divorced. With my background in sales and marketing, it would have been so easy to go out and get a sales job – keeping the art dream to the side. I am so glad I was able (financially and courageously) to go for it. It would have been one of my big regrets in life if I hadn’t…
- My support system. My ‘significant other’ (yes Craig, that’s you!), my friends, family and network of artists that are optimistic, helpful, cheerleaders and there to pick me up if my confidence fails me.
- Opportunity. I’m thankful to live in this day and age, where the internet has made doing business quicker and easier. Where personal and professional choices are available to women that were just a dream for women even a decade or so ago.
- Mobility. My iPhone – I love it! It gives me the ability to move around and still be in touch with my son, my life and my business. I’m not tied to my studio waiting for a call or email – I can get both on my phone. How awesome is that?
I think you get the idea… so go forth and think about all the great things in your life today. I’ll leave you with a link to a song that has brought tears to the eyes of many mother’s that I’ve sent to watch it… and probably a few dads too but they have yet to fess up! CLICK HERE (You’re Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins)
Here’s to today and here’s to you…
– Tara
To sign an exclusive license – that is the question.
I get so many great questions for the “Ask” calls each month that it is impossible to answer them all. And then there are great ones that come in just before the call so I don’t even see them until later.
hint: If you want your question to have a shot, make sure it is in by Sunday morning – it takes a little time to look at all of them, decide which to answer and how to organize them. This is especially true if someone else is answering questions and I’m doing the asking – they need time to think about what they want to say.
But back to the contract question… Barbara asked this question that I thought others might want an opinion on:
“Would you ever sign an exclusive with a company (not for an image but as an artist) and if so, under what circumstances?”
As you know, I often preface my answers with two very important points to keep in mind – first, that this is my opinion and second, every person needs to weigh their own situation when making any of these decisions.
Being an artist and not an engineer comes with it’s pros and cons. In engineering there are usually ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ ways to do things. Math and much of science can be pretty cut and dry. (If you remember math classes you will recall that!) But art and business are more fluid… the con to that is that I can’t say, “This is the answer. Absolutely. All the time.” There is always the “it depends” factor.
So, here is my answer: Yes.
I have a few contracts that are exclusive with a company for a particular industry. Here is why and here is how I made the decisions.
First, certain companies will ask you for an exclusive for their industry. Here are a few things to ask and consider when deciding if you want to agree to it or not.
- Make sure you ask why they want the exclusive. They will have their reasons but you want to make sure you know them, understand them and agree with them. Certain industries are very competitive (ok, all of them are but some more ‘name’ driven than others) and the players in those industries want to have some benefit for helping build your brand and get your products in the market place. It won’t work for their business strategy to have you do art prints with them then do more with another company.
- Understand what they are willing to give for locking you in for an entire industry. If you are going to commit to one company for an industry, what’s in it for you? Will they guarantee a certain amount of sales per year (hard to come by at the moment), guarantee that they will bring out a certain number of products, promote you and your brand in specific ways… you want something in return for cutting off other opportunities for a few years.
- Have an “out clause” in the contract if they don’t do anything with your art. The worst case would be you sign and exclusive, they file you away and don’t do anything with your art. You sit there, growing cob-webs, unable to work with anyone else but not really getting anything going with your exclusive company either. So try to put something in the contract that says if they don’t sell, produce, have available for sale (or something to that effect) by a certain date, you have the option to terminate the contract early. Or, if the royalties are under and certain $ amount in a certain time period, you again have the option to terminate.
- Do your research on the company. It is one thing to license one design or collection with a company to see how it goes. (It’s like going on a blind date – you see what happens.) But it is quite another to tie your wagon to a company for 2-3 years. If you don’t do your research and make sure they are a good company and believe they will do well with your art, that’s like heading to the alter without ever meeting the bride or groom… something we Americans just don’t do! Do your research – talk to artists that work with the company already. Do they pay their royalties on time? Are they good to work with? etc.
- Finally, listen to your gut. Making decisions like this are stressful – you are closing one door in the hopes that the exclusive relationship is mutually beneficial. In the end, you can’t know 100% so trust your gut. If you think the reward potential outweighs the risks, go for it!
All this said, one of my worst contracts ever was an exclusive (did I tell you about the company that went belly up owing me $20K? Not good!) and some of my best are exclusives. That is where I have built the best working relationships – where it is a true partnership and I don’t feel like I’m starting over to compete for every last deal. Being able to really get to know your client and what they need makes this job more fun and fulfilling. And it can make your income more stable which is never a bad thing either!
Barbara, if this wasn’t a rhetorical question, I wish you the best of luck with your decision and hope it becomes a great relationship if you go for it. If it was rhetorical, thanks for asking because I think the discussion will be helpful to a lot of people.
As always – here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
Another great "Ask" call thanks to questions from artists like you!
We had another great night of questions… and if you listened live, please forgive our ‘button and beeping’ issues. (I edited them out – hopefully I got them all!)
The audio is now ready for purchase for anyone who missed the call or wants to listen again. It is $15 through September 2nd then goes to $25 – get it while it’s cheap I say!
Here is what we covered:
I am just beginning to learn about licensing my art; what should I do to get started?
I would like to know if, and how, we should sign our original art for licensing.
I’ve been told and also feel that I need to create a distinctive “look” for my art that is unique and all my own, but I’m having a difficult time doing that. Any great suggestions?
Would there ever be a situation where an artist would assign his copyright and/or design rights to another company or should an artist always keep their copyright?
Do you have any suggestions on how do you get manufacturers to work with you if you have never had work licensed before?
How much am I hurting my chances of my samples being seen by an appropriate person, if I mail to just “Art Director” instead of a specific name because I can’t get the name?
I have 2 MAJOR fine art publishers very interested this month in licensing out the same or similar pieces for poster/giclee market. I am getting copies of their contracts to review but how do I know which co. is best for my work?
Is it a good idea to keep your art private..not published on a blog or facebook if you are planning to try to get licensing?
What are the pros and cons of having the portfolio in my web site password protected?
Discussion of how to decide if & where to exhibit at trade shows and the many options.
How do you keep professional and personal lives separate when they share/overlap space?
What % of your time is spent on your art, your marketing, your office work & everything else?
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE AUDIO REPLAY TODAY
I also mentioned a new teleseminar designed just to answer question #1 – “I’m new to art licensing, what is it and what do I do?” I’ll do a more detailed blog later but CLICK HERE to get all the details. The call is on September 22nd and is for all the people wondering what this industry is all about…
Upcoming “Ask” calls…
September 16, 2009 – www.AskJillSeale.com
October 21, 2009 – www.AskPaulBrent.com
November 18, 2009 – www.AskTaraReed.com
Mark your calendar and submit your questions anytime!
This month's ASK call is TONIGHT! + info about monthly online chats
Hi everyone! A quick reminder that my “Ask Tara Reed” call (with me answering again) is tonight. I have the questions all ready to go so if you submit today, sadly, you won’t hear the answer tonight. If you have signed up before you should have received the call-in details yesterday. If you have never listened before, head over to www.AskTaraReed.com and just enter “no question”. When you confirm your interest through the email link you will get, you will receive the dial-in details.
The call is free if you listen live and the audio replays are available for $15 within 10 days of a call or $25 after that. Listen at your leisure as many times as you like!
I also wanted to tell you about a cool, monthly chat hosted by Susan Sorrell at http://fiberartsmixedmedia.ning.com/. The site is a group is to provide fiber artists and mixed media artists a networking site to post artwork and news but she also invites a variety of artists to participate in a big, live, monthly chat.
I was her guest on Sunday, August 23rd – it was the first time I participated in a format like that. She would release a question typed in by someone online and I typed furiously answering for an hour. If you want to see what we talked about, the replay is online on the site until the next chat in the end of September. CLICK HERE to see what it’s about….
Have a great day and maybe we’ll be talking tonight…
– Tara
P.S. To stay up to date with what is going on, don’t forget about the Art Licensing Info Calendar – CLICK HERE and bookmark it!
No matter where you go… you will find art licensing.
Well I’m back to reality after a week in Maui with my son. It was GLORIOUS! Everyone should take their teenager on a vacation to realize they can hold a conversation, be fun to be around and not just grunt at you and ask for cash while whizzing out the door to meet friends.
I’ll be doing a few posts about my trip but here is what I’m inspired to tell you today… licensing is everywhere.
We walked in and out of the shops in Lahaina. No surprise but awfully exciting was finding a nice selection of Paul Brent bags in one store. (I also saw someone at the Portland airport using one, but since we were in the ladie’s room I thought it might freak her out if I took a photo!)
There was also a David & Goliath store – love that tongue and cheek stuff! All licensed. I’m sure there was more but I’m still suffering from jet lag.
Here’s the most unusual Maui find… attorney Cheryl Hodgson in a restaurant in the airport! I knew she was going to be on the island but had opted to not work and just hang out with Kyle. We’re eating over-priced food lamenting our imminent return to reality and there she goes – just walks right by the table! How serendipity is that? She was getting ready to island hop – lucky lady has a few more days of “Aloha” hospitality.
Anyway – as you learn the art and the players in licensing you too, will start spotting things and recognizing the art on products no matter where you go! Hopefully it will be to Maui one day! It was awesome – I highly recommend it!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
Hello? I need questions everyone!
The next “Ask Tara Reed” about art licensing call is on Wednesday, August 26th at 5:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm EST. This will be the 9th call of this kind – I started this little phone adventure last December and have been having a great time with it!
But don’t forget, it’s up to YOU to make the call informational, inspirational and full of great content. I just give my experience and opinions on things YOU want to know about. So no sitting back and chilling, assuming everyone else will do the heavy lifting… or questioning.
I know it is August, heat makes us a little sluggish, we are fighting our way to back-t0-school supply deals and clothes. Maybe sneaking in one last vacation, camping trip or getaway. But I still need questions!
Can you tell your response is a bit low this month? Don’t let me down… go submit a question, no matter how large or small and I’ll talk to you on the 26th. www.AskTaraReed.com
Thanks for your help in making these calls a fun and informative experience!
– Tara
How Licensing Your Art is Like Pie…
This is the third and final installment of the “Art as Pie” triology: How Art Licensing is Like Pie. We talked about your business. We talked about your art. Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how art licensing is like slicing a pie for maximum return…
The trilogy consists of:
- How your art business is like a pie… CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED IT
- How your art is like a pie… CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED IT
- How art licensing is like a pie… (above – hopefully you just watched it)
So that’s it! My pie analogy has come to an end. Any way you slice it, having a business you love is worth all the love, sweat and effort you bake into it.
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
P.S. To learn more ‘recipes for success’ in licensing your art, take a look at the eBooks and teleseminars available from www.ArtLicensingInfo.com.
How your art is like a pie…
I continue the “Art as Pie” triology with today’s installment: How Your Art is Like Pie. Last time I talked about your business. Now let’s compare the actual ART in the business to a pie…
The trilogy consists of:
- How your art business is like a pie… CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED IT
- How your art is like a pie… (below)
- How art licensing is like a pie… (coming soon)
– Tara
P.S. This trilogy should also be a lesson in ‘done is better than perfect’… although none of the videos are the first try, they are close! I set my handy timer so I wouldn’t over obsess, it’s the concept that is important, not that I may stumble on a word or phrase here and there. Have you tried video yet?
P.P.S. Do not take what I say in this video as legal facts… if you sell your art outright or in galleries, you don’t always sell the copyrights… to learn more, listen to the free interview with Attorney Cheryl Hodgson… click here to see the post and get the link.
What's TOAST got to do with it?
I was thinking about toast the other day… you know, when you put bread in the slot, push down the button and a few minutes later, up pops your toast. WHY? was I thinking about toast, you ask? Let me explain…
A few weeks ago I was talking with a couple: one was an artist the other was a creative business person, but not a ‘paint a picture’ kind of artist. She made a comment that to the guy and I, creating art was equivalent to her making toast. Easy. Like breathing. It just ‘popped’ out of us.
I laughed and told her that my toaster and I often didn’t get along too well – my toast was hard to get ‘just right’ – sort of like art sometimes. I’m like “Goldilocks and the toaster”.
That conversation keeps circling back in my head. It is a great analogy so I got to thinking – what type of art or creative process is like making toast?
What part of my business is like making toast? What just flows?
Maybe even more importantly, what art or business function isn’t like making toast. What is hard? What brings you down? Makes you procrastinate? Makes cleaning toilets look like a fun thing to do?
THOSE are the things I want you to consider outsourcing. If you stick to your “making toast” activities and find people who consider “worse than cleaning toilet” activities to be “making toast” activities… your life will be a happier place! You will get more done, have more fun and enjoy the ride.
I’ll go make my “Making Toast Activity” / “Worse Than Cleaning Toilets Activity” list and you make yours. Let’s compare notes later, OK?
Just a little food for thought…
– Tara
How your art business is like a pie…
I have used this “pie” analogy on several occasions and people seem to like it. Either we are a pie-eating nation or it helps people get to their ‘a-ha’ moment. So one day I decided to actually make pie out of my art (which was conveniently on fabric) and create a video to really make it hit home.
This is the first in a triology of “Art as Pie” videos by yours truly, Tara Reed. I have a sewing machine, glue gun and FlipVideo and I’m not afraid to use them! (I will warn you though – glue guns do create HOT glue so try not to get big globs on your fingers… ouch!)
The trilogy consists of:
- How your art business is like a pie… (below)
- How your art is like a pie… (coming soon)
- How art licensing is like a pie… (coming just the other side of soon)
Sit back, watch and consider. My goal is to keep you thinking about what you are doing with your art and business so you don’t turn into artistic hamsters on the wheel of life!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
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