Hey artists – what’s your line? and other fun, branding related info from Paul Brent
On Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Paul Brent lit a fire in the soul of many an artist. In his hour long Teleseminar, “Brand Yourself for Success in Art Licensing” he gave us his mistakes to learn from, things to avoid and most importantly – lots of things to do to get our brands up and running or working even better than ever.
Taglines were just a part of it but boy have we been having fun with it in the past two days!
On Facebook, Paul wrote:
I have been talking about tag lines recently. Currently mine is “America’s best known coastal artist” but I have been thinking about updating it. It could be aggressive “Art going coastal” or Biblical “Let there beach art” maybe short and straight forward “Bathroom art” . Requirements are it must be under six words and must have some mention of art, artist, painter, etc. included. Any ideas?
Some responses from the “peanut gallery” for him included:
- “Get Brent Out of Shape”
- “Brent’s Beautiful Beaches”
- “Brent’s Gone Coastal”
- “Paul Brent: Arts a Beach!”
- Skip the bathroom art — you are so much more than that! The original is still the best.
- hah Paul you are funny. (Bathroom art) . How am I supposed to get any work done today… all I’ll be doing is thinking of tag lines… the only thing I can think of is “Better than Sand in Your Crack” (oh no she didn’t.)
- How about “Art from Sunny Florida, while everyone else is experience the global warming”? (oops! That doesn’t follow the ‘six words or less rule!)
- hey Paul..how ’bout..”Coastal art from the heart”
- Brent’s beach art
Here are a few testimonials from people who were on the call…
“I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning with tag line ideas running through my head and thinking about all I need to do to work on my brand. When I went to my computer to jot down my ideas, I saw your email–thanks so much for the lists to help focus on exactly what to do. I am so glad I took this seminar!”
Betty Laur
“I’m amazed by not just the quality and quantity of the information; but also the genuine and friendly personality of Paul Brent. I’m fortunate to receive all this information in the early stages of my development; because I know it will give me the most solid launch possible!”
Brenda D. Baker
“Tara, it was powerful and I have been so busy. All my answers came like a tidal wave that night. All my answers were in pieces here and there. Right in front of my nose and did not see it. After that call in two hours of brain storming, I saw my style, subject, and created a logo and tag line. It just all fell into place. Great class and I’m looking forward to hearing the replay for things I might I missed. ”
Bruce Michael
www.SeasonalArtForLicensing.com
What’s your copyright worth if it’s not registered prior to someone stealing your work? | guest post by Cheryl Hodgson
More great legal insights from Cheryl – thanks & keep them coming!
The answer is: “Not much.” Visual and graphic artists are particularly vulnerable to unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted images on the Internet. It’s literally a simple “right click,” “copy,” and “paste.” Many such infringements go undetected. Those that are discovered are often let go without remedial action. Why? The artist fails to register his or her work with the U.S. Copyright Office prior to the work being stolen. For years, I’ve been asked: “Can’t I just mail it to myself?” In the case of scripts, “Isn’t the Writers Guild enough?” Then I hear, “I never got around to it.” My answer is, “Sorry, there’s not much I can do to help you.”
NO, NO and—NO! There is one place, and one only, to register your works, www.copyright.gov. Instead of sending in your registration by mail and waiting for years, the Copyright Office has come into the digital age so you can digitally upload the files. So why wait?
Exactly why is registration so darn important? While a copyright is valid without registration, the very statement is misleading. Copyright registration is essential to preserve key remedies for infringement. Unless registered prior to infringement, attorney’s fees and statutory damages are not available. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to prove actual damages or profits attributable to theft of a copyrighted work. For example, if the work is used on a product that doesn’t sell millions of copies, how do you prove your damages?
Congress created two types of damages to recover under copyright law. In addition to “actual damages,” one can elect statutory damages without proof of out of pocket losses. This means not only will the infringer have to pay you up to $150,000 per willful act of infringement (the amount is discretionary with the court) they will need to pay your lawyer’s fees. However, your work must have been registered prior to the theft or these remedies are lost. Without the threat of having to pay attorney’s fees to the copyright owner, there is little, if any, chance of finding counsel to bring a costly and drawn out infringement action on a speculative basis.
Legally, you are entitled to obtain an injunction to prevent ongoing or future infringements even if you file the registration after the infringement. A preliminary injunction in a copyright case can cost six figures and above in legal fees. Just ask Perfect 10 who spent a fortune in litigation costs against Google for the past five years. The company was p.o.’d at the search engine for providing thousands of its modeling images as thumbnail versions and for providing links to infringing sites.
If you don’t register, you won’t be getting any statutory damages or lawyer’s fees from the defendant. Unless you can finance the case out of your own pocket, this is one lawyer who can’t afford to help you. Do your selves a big favor—take care of this simple but all important part of your business. Register your works—someday you may be glad you did!
Thank you for allowing me to post this on my blog for the benefit of the artists here!
To learn more about Cheryl, visit her blog, www.BrandAideBlog.com. Maybe you’ll consider giving her a call the next time you need help with a contract, infringement or other legal issue… she knows our business which in the words of MasterCard, is PRICELESS!
Here’s to your creative success (and figuring out the ever-changing online copyright registration process!) –
Tara Reed
Another Great Blog Resource for Artists: ArtsyShark.com
It seems like everyday I am amazed a newe resources, blog, information or inspiration that I find online for artists.
A few weeks ago I discovered (and was discovered by) ArtsyShark.com.
I had the pleasure of talking with Carolyn Edlund, the owner and author of this blog for emerging artists. Here is her story, as she tells it, taken from the “About” page of her blog:
Although I am not currently a working artist, I spent twenty years running a production studio making ceramic jewelry and one-of-a-kind ceramic and mixed-media pieces.
Upon graduating from college with a degree in Fine Art, I had no preparation for embarking on a career other than some art skills, a lot of motivation and passion for what I was doing. It took a lot of mistakes to learn what worked – why people buy art, tricks of the trade, dealing with wholesale and retail buyers and having a profitable career that balanced with life.
After closing my business, I went on the road representing art publishing companies and card and paper lines featuring artist’s work. This experience gave me another perspective on the business of art and the realities of the marketplace.
Often I meet aspiring and emerging artists who are hungry for knowledge, opportunities and a chance to make their true passion into a career that really works.
Hopefully this blog will be helpful – it is designed to contain interviews with companies that buy from artists, educators who counsel art students, and successful artists themselves who share their best advice and encouragement to the next generation. I hope you will enjoy Artsy Shark. Subscribe, pass it on, participate and submit your ideas for discussions you would like to share.
Carolyn was interested to learn more about art licensing and shared the information with her readers in a post:
Is Art Licensing Right for You?/Interview with Tara Reed
As well as “how-to” interviews about different aspects and types of art businesses, Artsy Shark also interviews artists, features galleries and more. It’s worth taking a look and see if it is another blog to follow to keep your creative juices flowing!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Ask About SEO for Artists Call was a Huge Success in Spite of Some Technical Challenges!
“Please be patient – we are experiencing technical difficulties…” that was one theme last night but it didn’t stop the wonderful and understanding artists that were on the line for the Ask About SEO for Artists call! We got through the call but decided to re-record today for clarity.
Of course the technical difficulties persisted as the follow-up email went out before I wanted it to (don’t ask!) so I apologize if you get 2 of those as well. Hopefully all the technical issues will be done in this 24 hours and it will be smooth sailing for a while!
Here is what we covered -
- What is SEO?
- Can I optimize SEO if I didn’t create my own website?
- 3 key aspects to help your website rank well in search engines
- Are the “Buzz Words” (keywords) the most important part of optimizing your website?
- How to choose keywords.
- How do you optimize for more than 1 or 2 keywords?
- How are blogs searched and what part of the blog (title, text, etc) is most important for SEO?
- How to get links to your blog and why all links aren’t created equal.
- Can you optimize for store sites like Zazzle and CaféPress?
- How do I stand out from others using the same keywords or terms?
- If I’m revamping my art and website, what steps should I take to optimize the site for search engines?
If you have ever signed up for any Art Licensing Info Monthly Ask Call in the past, check your inbox and you will have a link to get the free replay.
If you have never listened before, click here to SIGN UP FOR THE FREE mp3 AUDIO REPLAY.
The system that was the basis for the free call is “The Artist SEO System” by Daniel Tardent.
If you’re like many, you might still be thinking about buying this guide in 12 months – and think of all the website traffic you will have missed. Grab the opportunity now and make your website do it’s job and help your career!
This product is never discounted because it is high-value & very targeted towards the unique needs of artists. If it was focused on regular small business it would cost $500 or more.
The Artist SEO System is $97, a great investment if you want to maximize the value of your website. I have a lot of SEO knowledge and still found things to help me improve my site SEO even more. I highly recommend you consider this…
CLICK HERE for all the details.* (This is an affiliate link and if you make a purchase I will receive a commission. This helps offset the time and money costs of putting together all the free monthly calls.)
Here’s to your creative success and high rankings in search engines!
– Tara Reed
P.S. During the call, we promised to give you two things: my “5 Tips to get Links to Your Website ” and the link to the GOOGLE KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL.
Is Your Art Brand Helping You Grow Your Art Licensing Business?
A brand is more than a name, a logo and a business card.
Branding affects Art Licensing in multiple ways and it is important to know how this works. Building your brand can be as important as creating your art in order to stand out from the crowd. What makes you different than every other artist with a pencil or paintbrush? A well-crafted branding strategy can help convey your message while you are busy in your studio – providing you know what you are doing.
Branding is how you define yourself to your customers.
If you can successfully do this in a positive way you are on the road to success. Building a brand that will go the distance means more than picking a font and creating a logo. First, you need to analyze your art and how you run your business.
Paul Brent knows branding and will be sharing his tips and insights in a 60 minute teleseminar on Wednesday, February 24th at 5:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm EST. For $57 you will get a lot of knowledge and skills to build or improve your art brand.
What are you waiting for?
Get all the details and sign up today!
I hope we talk to you next week! (I’ll be facilitating the call.)
– Tara Reed
RBG Color Correction Techniques in Photoshop
I am loving what this blog and Art Licensing Info community is evolving into lately… not only do I share things I find or learn, but I am beginning to have artists share what they are finding that might be of interest to everyone else as well. THANK YOU!
That is what it’s about – a community supporting each other, learning together and rooting for each other along the way.
Bruce Michael of www.SeasonalArtForLicensing.com recently sent me information about photographer Eddie Tapp’s “90% Technique” for adjustind correcting RGB colors in Photoshop. While I hand paint my art in watercolors, I often tweak and adjust it in Photoshop so any tips to make that easier and better are always greatly appreciated!
So I emailed Eddie and asked if I could, as they say in elementary school, “Share with the group.” He obviously said yes. (Thanks Eddie!)
Here is a bit about Eddie Tapp –
A gifted photographer and artist, Eddie Tapp has become a tireless educator for professional photographers and a prominent figure in the world of digital imaging. His digital imaging seminars have been hosted around the world, and he’s a regular consultant to businesses large and small. Today, he’s recognized as one of the top experts on digital photography and Photoshop in the world. With a reputation as an authority on workflow, color management, calibration and Photoshop, he is associated with Adobe Systems along with some of the world’s most prominent photographic manufacturers and distributors.
Eddie has made some of his specialized techniques and processes available to visitors of his site. These are the methods and techniques you’ve heard so much about — Dream Glow and Soft Focus. They are currently available, right here, for downloading.
Click the link to download his “90% Method of Color Correction”
Let me know if you have discovered resources that you’d like to share and I’ll see when we can fit them on the blog.
Thanks again Bruce & Eddie and everyone else in this fabulous community – know that I appreciate you!
– Tara Reed
Connect
Business Resources*
