Back-Up TidBit: Do you think the only difference between using a CD & DVD is the amount of data you can store?
I did!
But 2 weeks ago, when I was up at the Quilt, Sew & Craft Show with my licensee, MemoryMixer.com, I sat in on their class about photos, storage, backup and more.
The lessons about backing up photos are relevant to backing up our artwork as well so PLEASE, read on!
I was shocked to learn about some of the research findings from the photo industry. With the advent of digital cameras, they worry about “the lost generation”. So many of us take digital photos and print very few of them. We put them on our computer assuming all is well.
But you know, hopefully from hearing stories and not first hand experience, that hard drives sometimes crash. What happens to the years of photos if that happens and you haven’t backed them up? YIKES!
After that scary revelation (because I will admit I haven’t backup iPhoto in a very long time… if ever… well, until this week.) they went on to discuss ways to back up photos.
You can use an external hard drive. (It too, may crash, but the chances of both locations crashing at the same time are slim.)
You can save the photos (or art) to CDs or DVDs. Now I, like many people, thought the main difference between the two was the amount of data they could hold. They look the same, right? Same shape, same size, the same.
Hmm… apparently not! CD’s have an average life-span of 5 years and they (the photo industry) says you shouldn’t assume the CD will hold up much longer than that. Well yikes again! I’ve been backing up to CDs for about 6+ years… better go re-backup!
What about a DVD? It holds more but how long does it last? Here’s the good news – 60 years. Much better. No need to re-backup every 5 years or less.
I wanted to pass this little lesson along so you have a secure backup system. The key to any system is duplicity – have EVERYTHING you would be sad to lose in 2 if not 3 places. Your hard drive, external hard drives, online back-up services, DVDs…
Make a plan. You’ll be happy you did if your computer decides to crash.
Here’s to your creative success & safe backup system!
– Tara
P.S. Go backup your photos too. I doubt you want to lose them either.
Gratitude Post for Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. What better day than today to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for in our lives?
I found this great quote which has inspired this post:
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
– Albert Schweitzer
Sure, it is easy to let the speed bumps get us upset and out-of-wack, for the little disruptions to consume way more energy than they deserve. At times like that, as well as days like this, I like to sit down with a pen and paper and write (or in this case type and blog) about all the wonderful things I have in my life to be grateful for.
Here is a list of things that come to mind – in no particular order and in no way all-inclusive – but simply what is flowing to the typewriter as I think, reflect and focus on all the good things in my life.
- my son & my significant other, Craig (These two men do so much to keep the joy and meaning in my life, without them things would be very different so I am thankful every day for their love, humor and support.)
- my family & friends (supportive, fun and tolerant of my sometimes ‘quirky artistic temperament’)
- my health, creativity and thirst for knowledge (without these things my life would be much more boring! Maybe less busy and hectic some days… but I wouldn’t trade it for lack of inspiration!)
- my business – the art and the teaching/sharing sides (being able to license my art and all that that entails, as well as having an outlet to share what I know and what I am learning, feeds my soul.)
- the artists who read this blog, connect, learn and share on so many levels (without you, I’d be writing into the void – it is so good to know that I’m not!)
- the artists and industry experts who have become a piece of the ever growing “Art Licensing Info” family. Never would I have guessed that the site would evolve the way it has and for what it is and what it is becoming, I am grateful. We all work with this question at the forefront of our creative process: “What would we have wanted to know at different stages of learning about how to license our art?” Thank you Paul Brent, Jill Seale, Cheryl Hodgson and Suzanne Cruise…
- my home and life in Portland, Oregon. (I am here by choice and love all that the Northwest has to offer!)
- the internet! 10 years ago all that we are doing and the ways that we are connecting didn’t exist. Even a year and a half ago I couldn’t see how all these pieces would fit into my life. But today I am thankful for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, the forum, blogs, email and more!
I hope you take the time to focus on what is really important to you and all the things you have to be grateful for as well.
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
The Power of a Positive “No”…
With the holidays approaching, I decided to pick up my copy of “The Power of a Positive “No” by William Ury. As Co-Founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, he has certainly got experience with having to say “No” in more than one sticky situation.
The sub-heading, “Save the Deal, Save the Relationship – and Still Say No” speaks volumes.
How many times, in your personal or business life, have you said “Yes” because you think you should, you have to or because you simply can’t figure out how to muster up a “No” without feeling bad, guilty or ‘making waves’?
Being a middle child – I know the role of “peace keeper” well. Add being a mom and formerly being a wife and you can compound my knowledge of putting the needs of others first. Do whatever it takes to keep people happy with you! Keep people happy with each other. Simply keep people happy! But what about me????
So with the season of “expectations” upon me, I decided to review this very wise and empowering book. It’s like taking “NO” vitamins that help me say it and be ok with it.
The introduction is entitled “The Great Gift of No” and starts with a quote from Gandhi:
“A ‘No’ uttered from deepest conviction is better and greatr than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.”
Oh boy! I do believe Gandhi must have a hidden camera in my life – or he had one into my future since he passed away before I was ever born. I have SO said Yes innumerable times to please people or to avoid trouble! And usually at the detriment of myself, my truth, my well-being or my business. It is a habit I’m trying to stop.
Sometimes we want to say “NO!” in reaction to a situation that is emotional and upsetting. Don’t say it till you can remove the emotion! As Ury quotes Ambrose Bierce on p. 12 of the book, “Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” Or as one of my friend always advises, “Give it 24 hours and see if you feel the same way.”
The paradoxical secret defined in the book is revealed on p. 19: You cannot truly say YES until you can truly say NO.
Wow! Let that sink in. It is so true!
Anyway, I’m doing a little review and working out my “no” muscle. By saying “no” to certain things I am saying “yes” to me, to the best interests of my family, of my business of whatever…
I wish for you to be able to know when and how to say “No” to get to all the “Yes”s that really matter in your life. Read this book… it could change your life. Truly.
Here’s to your creative success and your ability to say “Yes” and “No” to all that will benefit you, empower you and make you feel good. Because in the end – those are the things that matter.
– Tara
disclosure: if you click on the links and make a purchase, I will make a small commission from Amazon.
The feedback is coming in for "Product Mock-Up Magic"…
… and artists are loving it!
I’ve told you what it is…
• 46 Photoshop™ (.psd) or PNG files with professional photographs of stationery, tabletop and gift industry products. The backgrounds have already been removed so they are ready to use for presentation and portfolio mock-ups.
• 9 video tutorials with more than 2 hours of ‘over the shoulder’ live-streaming instruction. Watch artist Tara Reed apply patterns and learn from a few mistakes along the way! (Then you will feel better when you make them too – right?)
here is what a few artists who have purchased it are saying…
“I was so excited to receive the Product Mock-up Magic CD today. I just finished watching all of the video tutorials. You did a great job! It was amazing to watch you work. I devoured every word you spoke and every move you made with the cursor. Now, I’m truly inspired to create my own mock-up designs and market them to manufacturers.”
– Michael Campbell, artist
“Tara Reed’s Product Mock-Up Magic saves me time and makes my life easier. With the product templates provided, all I have to do is drop my artwork onto the templates and make revisions. Now I can focus on designing.”
– Liz Revit, artist
“I absolutely love Tara’s Product Mock-Up Magic video tutorials! The lessons are very easy to follow, cover many tools and techniques. Even as a fairly seasoned Photoshop user, I learned many new tips and shortcuts that I did not know before. However, I think this product will be a revelation for beginners. My product mock ups previously were very flat in appearance. The library of blank product images supplied with the dvd will help me produce realistic product mock-ups very efficiently. I hope Tara will develop an entire series of video tutorials on a range of skills for licensed artists.”
– Debra Valencia™, DeVa Design, Inc.
contemporary pattern design for stationery, gift, craft & home décor
www.DebraValencia.com
Product Mock-Up Magic is an invaluable tool for any artist looking to license their art. Being able to take your art and show manufacturers that you understand how it can work on products shows that you understand and are serious about the business of licensing. That you are a professional. And sometimes, it just gives them ideas they may not have had looking at the ‘pieces’ (images, borders, patterns, etc.)
When you place several mocked-up examples together for presentation, add “These are mock-up ideas, all designs are available for license” – that way there is no confusion about wether your art is already licensed or not. When you show actual licensed products, be sure to add something like this: “product manufacturered by XYZ company using my art under license.”
SO… do you have your copy yet? CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO AND GET ALL THE DETAILS TODAY…
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
Attorney Cheryl Hodgson weighs in on the new FTC web disclosure guidelines
Set to go into effect on December 1st, the new FTC regulations will affect anyone who is or has affiliates, receives free products from companies and talks about them, or gets any type of payment (monetary or product) in exchange for an endorsement or testimonial.
I’ve given you my take on it (twice) -Part 1: WHY, Part 2: MY PLAN. But now we have an attorney weighing in!
Cheryl Hodgson did an “Ask” call with me back in July and we are working on some other great legal advice and issue products. As you know, I don’t like to give ‘specific legal advice’ since I’m not an attorney and don’t want to lead anyone astray. So I’m thrilled to have Cheryl as an “Art Licensing Info” expert!
Click the link to read her blog post entitled: FTC REGULATIONS AFFECT INTERNET AFFILIATE RELATIONSHIPS, ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS
Sign up for her eZine or bookmark Cheryl’s blog to stay up to date on many legal issues facing artists and business people today.
If you don’t have Cheryl’s free 60 minute call where she answered legal questions submitted by artists like you, CLICK HERE to register for your free copy.
Here’s to your creative – and compliant – success!
– Tara
The November Ask about Art Licensing Call…
Phew! You guys are getting good and really making us work to pull together answers for you!
November was me – Tara Reed – weighing in on your most pressing questions. As usual, we received more questions than could be covered so I chose those that would apply to the broadest group of artists and when possible, questions that hadn’t been asked before.
Here is a run down of what we talked about:
- Why did you choose to divide your efforts between teaching and licensing your own art?
- I’m not sure what to charge for my design, what is the average price to charge?
- What one thing could I do to make the biggest impact on getting started in art licensing?
- What are your top 5 suggestions for connecting with end consumers to positively build an art licensing brand?
- What are the top grossing art licensing themes?
- When starting out, is it good or bad to list companies that you license with?
- How do manufacturers license a collection? (whole collection, pieces, etc.)
- How do you make mock up samples by hand or on computer?
- What marketing materials do you use at a show? & where should I go to get them?
- What do you consider the most effective but also economical marketing techniques/tips/must-dos for a self-represented artist?
- Submitting art directly to a manufacturer vs. having it on a website – how does an online portfolio affect the perceived ‘newness’ of the art?
- Which is better – specializing in one look and build that as a brand or have many styles and themes?
- Is it possible to succeed in licensing if you have to work full time to pay the bills? Any success stories? (Guest success story artists – Karen Embry – weighed in – thanks Karen!)
- What is your opinion about working with a licensing agent as opposed to working independently?
If you missed the call or want to listen in again, click the button to purchase.
The audio replay is a mere $15 through 11/29 and then goes up to $25.
The next call will be on December 16th – same times – 5:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm EST. I will be asking all your agent questions to Suzanne Cruise – art licensing agent and owner of “Cruise Creative”.
Submit your questions at www.AskSuzanneCruise.com anytime.
Find her online at www.CruiseCreative.com
Talk to you soon!
– Tara
P.S. Don’t forget to tune in on Monday 11/23 at 4 pm PST / 7 pm PST when I’m a guest on “Art & Soul Radio” – listen online at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/art-and-soul-radio. Be sure to sign up for their podcasts on iTunes! (disclosure: no material gain, just a guest on the show!)
P.P.S. The links I promised everyone who was listening live
Some printing sites I’ve used:
www.OvernightPrints.com
www.BargainPrinting.com
www.PSPrint.com
www.UPrinting.com (great deal for banners)
(no material gain – just some places to check that I’ve used personally)
Handbook of Pricing & Ethical Guidelines – great resource for ballpark of royalties, flat fees, etc. across many art fields & industries (this is an affiliate link)
I discovered an interesting thing when looking at my 'webmaster tools' on Google…
I’m not one to obsess over analytics and keywords and SEO… I try to optimize things for all of my websites of course, but I could drive myself crazy and never get to picking up a paintbrush if I looked at all the many ways to analyze a website.
But for some reason I was compelled to go take a look. If you sign up for a Google account there are so many free trackers and tweakers and tables that you could hire a full-time employee to manage it all. (Not in the budget so it’s me, at random intervals.)
As you can imagine, I would like the www.ArtLicensingInfo.com site to come up well with the keyword “art licensing”, and it does. It currently has the #4 position. (Yeah!)
But an interesting thing happened when I looked at the “Keywords” table… what on EARTH is “00pm” the keyword Google thinks has the most significance for my site? Next most significant? “00am”…
Well, I clicked on it to discover that Google thinks the WebCalendar, that I don’t even think anyone really looks at, is the most important piece of ArtLicensingInfo.com. Google says, ‘”Below are the most common keywords Google found when crawling your site. These should reflect the subject matter of your site.”
ACK! They aren’t Google! They aren’t!
Anyway, I felt compelled to share. Sometimes it is good to go see if what your site is about and what Google or another search engine thinks your site is about, matches. If it doesn’t, the people you want to find you aren’t going to find you. How many of you have done a search for “OOpm” in hopes of finding information about art licensing? I’m not a betting girl but I’m going to bet NONE.
So… the web calendar is history. It takes time and is apparently a Google SEO gremlin in disguise.
I encourage you to go see what your site looks like to the Google robotic eyes… for more information about webmaster tools, go to http://www.google.com/webmasters/
Here’s to your creative (and SEO) success!
– Tara
Tune in to listen live about Art Licensing – 2 upcoming events
If you want to listen live to me talking about art licensing, there are 2 chances in the next 7 days.
THE “ASK TARA REED” call is Wednesday, November 18th at 5:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm EST
If you have registered for the call before, you should have an email in your inbox (or maybe your spam box but I hope not!) with the dial in details. If you’ve never registered and want to listen live for free, head to www.AskTaraReed.com and get signed up.
ART & SOUL RADIO – Monday, November 23rd at 4 pm PST / 7 pm EST
On Monday I will have the pleasure of talking licensing with they two artists, Catherine Foster & Sheryl Allen, who have started a weekly radio show called “Art & Soul Radio” – now on BlogTalkRadio.com. You can call in with your questions at 917-889-2163. If you don’t I’m sure we will find things to chat about but if you’d like to see how I do on the spot – dial on in!
Listen live online at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/Art-And-Soul-radio
Join their Facebook page to stay up-to-date on all the artists they will be talking with, every Monday at 4 pm PST. Lots of great, free artistic learning and inspiration!
www.Facebook.com/ArtAndSoulRadio
I better get back to painting before I have to do all this talking! Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
P.S. As well as these phone / online events, if you are in the Vancouver, WA area, I will be talking about designing for fabric and scrapbooking at the Quilt, Sew & Craft Show at the Clark County Fairgrounds on Thurs, Fri & Saturday – come on down! CLICK HERE for more information and a $1 off admission coupon.
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