Monthly Archives: March 2010

One-A-Day for Art Licensing Success

For artists just looking at the idea of licensing their art, the things they need to learn, know and do can quickly feel overwhelming. Licensing your art is different from selling in galleries, doing commission work or many other ways of earning an income from your art. The way you think about art and create the art is different. While a gallery artist creates beautiful works of art that can stand alone in someone’s home, the licensed artist must think in collections and create groups of art that can go on a variety of products.

Aside from the change in art creation process, many find it more confusing to figure out who to talk to at manufacturing companies. While a gallery has a street address and most likely a listing in the phone book or online, it can be harder to figure out who to talk to at a company who licenses art – if you even know about them in the first place.

“How do I know if my art is licensable?” “How do I start?” “What’s the most important thing to do first?” are common questions from artists just exploring the idea of licensing. They want to snap their fingers and just know what to do and that they will be successful. Unfortunately, very little works that way and art licensing isn’t one.

So what do I recommend? Do one thing every day. If you do one thing every business day for a month, by the end of the month you will be 20-25 steps ahead of where you were at the beginning of the month.

Here are fifteen things to get you started:

Read blog posts.
Watch videos.
Read about artists who are successful in the industry.
Read eBooks.
Listen to audios.
Talk to others who are learning about licensing.
Create art with licensing in mind.
Create four coordinating pieces of art.
Learn to create repeat borders.
Learn to create repeat patterns.
Join a group of artists who are also interested in art licensing.
Go shopping and see what kind of art you see on products.
Research companies that license art.
Contact a manufacturer and submit your artwork for review.
Be open to feedback.

Just because you do something one day doesn’t mean it is done forever. Many things will be done on a continual basis. But to fight feeling overwhelmed and giving up before you even get started, just commit to doing ONE thing every day and you will be amazed at the progress you will make.

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

What do you know about your Credit Score?

While I was in San Francisco learning about teleseminars I had the chance to meet and hear from people in different industries. One person who spoke, Philip Tirone, ahd some interesting and disturbing things to tell us about Credit Scores.

Do you know what your credit score is?

Do you know that 80% of credit reports have errors on them and that even if you pay your bills on time, all the time, you may have errors that bring your score down? That could result in fees and interest rates on loans being higher than necessary. After he talked people in the room started chatting… one woman told me that she had looked at her credit report and found a huge error. She had 2 student loans that she consolidated last year. When she looked at her report – it looked like she owed double what she actually did because the credit bureau didn’t close the 2 original accounts but managed to add the new one. Making some calls to fix the error resulted in her credit score going up 50 points.

So even if you pay your bills – it is still wise to understand how the credit system works and take a look at what they are saying about you every so often.

I just ordered copies of my credit reports and one company shows me having 3 open mortgages. They hadn’t updated one since 2001 – it was actually paid off in 2003. So if someone new pulled my credit, It would look like I had a heck of a lot more mortgage debt than I do! Off to fix that!

According to Philip you could be legally robbed by banks and other financial institutions and be over-paying up to $1,200 per month because of your credit score.

If you choose to attend his 70 minute FREE Credit Advantage Teleseminar, you will discover…

	Why you may be overpaying on my credit bills even if you’ve never missed or been late on any credit card payment in your life
	The simple, two week process to identify and fix key items on your credit report that could be costing you over $500 each month
	A little known credit score trick that allows you to go from wasting money to saving money, all because of the credit bureau rules
	Why a 720 credit score is so important and the fastest, easiest and most reliable step-by-step process to get there

So… if you want to take control and get informed about your credit score, CLICK HERE*.

Here’s to your creative and financial success!

– Tara Reed

* FTC disclosure, this is an affiliate link and if, after listening to the free telemseminar, you decide to make a purchase, I will be paid a commission for letting you know about Philip Tirone and his wealth of credit products.

How an Art Licensing Business is Like the Game “Chutes and Ladders”

Do you remember Chutes and Ladders™? It’s one of those pre-school classics – right up there with Candy Land. No reading required, good for teaching kids not only to count but that there are rewards for good behavior (they skip ahead climbing up a ladder!) or consequences for bad (uh-oh! Fall backwards down a chute!)

Chutes and Ladders™ reminds me of business in general and art licensing in particular.

Sometimes the chutes and ladders are beyond our control – related to the economy as a whole and not our individual actions. Other times, we may fall down a chute when we neglect our marketing, miss deadlines or don’t follow up. Really coming through for a client is sure to give you a leg up – or ladder – the size of the ladder is another issue.

Watch this short video to get all my thoughts on it and see if you can’t think of business as a game. It makes it less stressful and more fun to see what variables you can and can’t control!

Here’s to the ultimate cookie jar for your business!

– Tara Reed

P.S. To learn more about how to license your art if you are new to the concept, check out the “Beginner Basics” audio – 45 minutes to see if it might be for you… www.artlicensinginfo.com/start.html

P.P.S. I have no association or interest in the game but have simply used it for illustration purposes.

Are you exhibiting at SURTEX? If so, read this!

If you are like me, you get A LOT of email. Sometimes the important ones slip by. So if you are exhibiting at SURTEX this year, I wanted to make sure you know about the Marketing Strategies for SURTEX Success webinar on Wednesday, March 31st at 10 am PST / 1 pm EST.

I have joined forces with Penny Sikalis, the Show Manager, to give exhibitors an idea-packed webinar about how to get ready and promote your art before and at the show.

This is what your email looked liked…

The webinar will cover everything from printed marketing materials to communicating with the press. Reaching out to potential and current clients both before and after the show. And more. Q & A at the end if we didn’t answer a question you have.

The webinar will be about an hour and a half and the best part? It’s FREE to all SURTEX exhibitors. So what are you waiting for?

REGISTER TODAY and I’ll talk with you Wednesday!

Here’s to your trade show success!

– Tara Reed

Is there such a thing as TOO MANY BLOG POSTS?

When I was at the Teleseminar Secrets Reunion event, there were discussions about blogging. How much does your audience want to hear? Can you overwhelm people with too many blog posts?

When it comes to blog posts, can there be too much?

I decided the best way to answer that question for myself was to ask you, my blog readers.

I often blog 3 times a week but sometimes up to 5 – especially when I get new Art Licensing Story videos, keep them coming! Is that too much?

Would you prefer a set schedule? I know people who post blogs on the same day and same time each week – does that appeal to you?

Or are we doing just fine as is?

Please take this quick poll and let me know how you feel about it -

[polldaddy poll=2940190]

Thank you – I’ll let you know if I decide to change anything based on the results.

– Tara Reed

Here’s the 411 on Twitter…

Yes, you are probably well aware that I love Twitter. But now I am taking 70 minutes to explain why.

I have combined 18 months of experience using Twitter and all the questions I get from people about how to decide if it will help them in their business.

The audio isn’t specifically for artists – but for any business owner who might want to get more insight than they are getting in newspapers and magazines.

SO, in the vein of Twitter I’ll keep this blog post short – if you or anyone you know wants to learn more about what can be accomplished with Twitter for business and some tips to make the most of your time and effort, please check out all the details at www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/twitter.html

And of course, if you are on Twitter – follow and chat with me!

– Tara Reed

The Pros and Cons of my new HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 Printer

In the fall my printer died.

It made me very sad but it had lived a long printer life (7 years) and served me well. Like many of you, I print A LOT of full color art on my printer. Portfolio pages, proofs for clients, submissions and more. I knew I needed a new printer and found the whole process of deciding which printer to buy to be quite confusing and aborted the mission several times. (Luckily I started investigating before my printer stopped working.)

My computer guy kept telling me to look at laser printers – the cost of ink would be less (I had an Epson wide format and spent about $1400 in ink a year – ouch!) I decided I could live without the wide format and for the occasions that I needed it, I could have the printing done online or locally.

I’ve had a few people ask what I decided on and felt a blog post to share my experience was due.

Long story short: I bought an HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 Premier. Here are the details from HP’s website:

Professional printing meets big energy savings in our Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One. Not only will you save up to 50% on cost per color page compared with lasers1, you’ll use half the energy2.

Lower operating cost than lasers
•   Print professional color documents for a cost of up to 50% less per page than lasers when using HP Officejet inks1
•   Economize by replacing only individual cartridges that run out
•   Print more pages and replace cartridges less often with high-capacity cartridges (sold separately)
•   Save up to $500 per year on professional color printing costs compared with laser printers3

Lower energy use
• Save energy with this efficient, ENERGY STAR® qualified all-in-one instead of using various separate machines
• Reduce your paper consumption and costs by printing on both sides of the page

All-around great performance
•   Get laser quality at speeds up to 15 pages/minute black and 11 color5; get maximum speeds of 35 black, 34 color##
•   Get bolder blacks, more vivid color, and less smearing when using plain papers with the ColorLok technology
•   Get water-resistant documents on plain paper with inks designed for business4
•   Easily share this all-in-one and efficiently use resources with the embedded wired Ethernet networking
•   Print up to 500 sheets without reloading via an extra 250-sheet tray (sold separately)
•   Access photos and insert images into documents via memory card slots

A very nice Office Depot store manager spent about 45 minutes with me explaining the printer, how the new ink technology made the printer less expensive (ink wise) than a laser printer, etc. I even ponied up for the premier version with an extra paper tray – thinking that I could keep my higher quality paper in the bottom tray and not have to change the paper for different print jobs.

We had a bumpy start, my printer and I.

I almost bought another Epson to use for my portfolio printing because I just wasn’t getting the quality I wanted or expected from my new printer. I was frustrated! I couldn’t select the extra tray with my quality paper when I wanted to and couldn’t figure out why. So on my way to get a second printer (where was I going to put it? And I wasn’t happy thinking I had to buy not 1 but 2 printers…) I tweeted.

Yup. Twitter to the rescue once again. I had met a woman who worked for HP on Twitter when I was at BlogWorld in October. She happened to see my tweet and because we had bonded on Twitter, asked how she could help. (She’s @iizLiz on Twitter – you should follow her!)

Liz helped me figure out the best paper to get the rich colors I needed for my portfolio – Brochure Paper, 180g, Glossy. Yeah! Getting happier…

But I still didn’t understand why my paper tray plan wasn’t working! The nice Office Depot guy thought it would… Well Liz bent over backward for me and had a Market Development Manager who actually helped develop my printer call and talk to me about my issues. It turns out, tray 2 can’t be used for special paper (something about the rollers) so I could have saved some $ and skipped that upgrade. I gave him some feedback on the machine, learned a bit more about it and now I’m happy and own only 1 printer – my HP. (They gave me some free ink too for my trouble and because he felt bad that I was mis-informed about the extra tray option.)

My advice for anyone looking for a new printer.

1. Don’t just rely on websites that compare printers and sell them. Check the manufacturers websites as well when you think you have one of interest – you will get the most details there.

2. Don’t just rely on a sales person at the store. They are trained to a point, but don’t know the more technical details someone that does a lot of full color printing needs to know.

3. Ask your friends what they have and how happy they are. Ask why they like or don’t like their printer, how much them spent on the printer and their ink costs… ask! Ask! Ask!

4. Finally, don’t make yourself crazy with the decision. It can feel like a huge deal – and it is important to get a printer that will print your art well – but in the end, it isn’t worth too much time away from your art or losing sleep over!

Best of luck of happy, long-life printers that put your best art forward!

– Tara Reed

Mary Engelbreit was amazing on the Art Licensing Ask Call!

I’m settling into my penthouse suite on Cloud 9…

How cool is it to get to interview these amazing people each month? Pinch me! It’s just surreal! Last night was the much anticipated Ask Mary Engelbreit call and I have to say it was a smashing success!

We tried something new by ‘getting social’ and that was amazing to watch! Normally artists are in the comfort of their own home and listening… this time I proposed that those who wanted to, listen and CONNECT via Twitter or Facebook. I think it put a whole new level of community to the event and hope we recreate it each month during our ask calls. PLUS… it gave me instant access to noteworthy things covered on the call because I could copy and paste the things you felt worthy of tweeting or commenting.

Here are some comments I found on the Facebook Fan Page (www.Facebook.com/ArtLicensingInfo)

So excited, we are on the phone waiting for Mary!
This is so much fun. from Minnesota
So excited here in Seattle listening to Mary’s info.
Greeting Card Manufacturers are still always looking for something new!
Am I the only person who can’t type and listen at the same time?
To balance market trends vs staying true to yourself Mary says: if u feel like you’re selling out – don’t do it – but if you’re just starting out, you might need to bend a little just to get in the door with a company
Artists – you have to be willing to change – advice from Mary Engelbreit
Never devalue your art… never sell yourself short. Mary is offering great advice.
Loved the call. She’s so real, so fun.

And here is an example of some of the tweets on Twitter (using the #ask hash tag so artists could find each other)

when i grow up can i be just like Mary? #ask <me too me too!
Mary Engelbreit doing a project with Disney – out this fall ::has 5,000 pieces of art in database #ask via @artisttarareed
“Adaptability is the key to survival” #ask
#ask Mary Engelbreit says the internet has completely changed licensing. It makes it easier for artists 2 participate & create buzz!
any kind of change is scary, but you have to be willing to change all the time Mary Engelbreit #ask
#ask Mary Engelbreit says blogging has driven her business. She & Tara Reed think alike! (One of my personal favorites – I like to think I think like Mary! & Paul… &…)
Artists – it’s important to have a website and a blog to showcase your art – the internet opens doors – advice from Mary Engelbreit #ask
ME seems so wonderfully unassuming and down to earth-just resonates with me. #ask
Mary’s job: make a good drawing, think about how they feel when they read the quote
Art success takes dedication… a lot of artists work in the night hours – draw when the world is a little more quiet #ask
Mary Engelbreit reminds us that it’s the art that brings us all together. #ask
#ask Mary Engelbreit: “Deadlines inspire me.” I need to think more like this woman!
#ask Really enjoyed hearing how Mary does things–I learned a lot!
Really love seeing so many other creatives with similar goals/interests. I’m not the only one! #ask

Two things Mary said that really struck a chord with me were:

“I’m just grateful to be able to make a living doing this.” – Mary Engelbreit

“I just want to do a good job for the people who respond to the drawings.” – Mary Engelbreit

She reminded us how lucky we are to do what we do and have a passion for our work. We decided that being happy and grateful is a pretty good way to live!

If you missed the call and want a copy of the free mp3 audio replay – go to www.MaryEngelbreit.com/askme/ and click the link to register to receive your copy!

Thank you again Mary for sharing your wisdom and spreading hope and inspiration to artists everywhere!

– Tara Reed

P.S. At the end of the audio Mary talks about her upcoming Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Workshop in St Louis, April 29 – May 2nd – you even get to tour her studio! CLICK HERE for all the details!

Get Social during tonight’s Ask Mary Engelbreit call!

One of my favorite things about Alex’s Teleseminar Secrets class is the social interaction that goes on during the live calls. People are tweeting or posting to Facebook – it’s fun and informative. So if you are up to it – let’s give it a shot tonight!

Let’s get social tonight!

Here’s how it can work on Twitter:

During the call, add #ask to any tweets about the call.
If Mary says something quotable or that makes you go “A-HA!” – then tweet it! (don’t forget to add #ask)
If you use TweetDeck, or HootSuite – set up a column to track #ask so you can see and interact with others who are on the call. You might make new friends – I always do! Just remember to set up your columns to track the hash tag (#ask) BEFORE the call starts so you aren’t in a panic!
If you want to make sure I see a tweet, be sure to include @ArtistTaraReed – but I’ll be checking the #ask stream after the call.

If you prefer Facebook:

Login to facebook and go to the ArtLicensingInfo fan page.
Start talking. Just like on Twitter, if you hear something that makes you go “A-HA!” – add it! Comment on what other people are saying. Get to know your fellow licensed artists.
One advantage to Facebook is that the stream stays – it doesn’t limit you to 140 characters and people can go back to it later – almost like group class notes.

I won’t be able to be tweeting and commenting on Facebook since we don’t want typing noise on the audio and I need my full attention on Mary. But I really hope you all connect and comment – it will be interesting to see what you you have to say and share!

So let’s take these calls up a notch and interact. I’m excited – are you???

– Tara Reed

Be Heard: to keep copyright protections, it’s time for each of us to take action!

Copyright laws may change – NOW is the time to be heard. Take a minute, read this post and send an email.

Below is a notice from the Copyright Alliance – please read it and send emails by March 24th – this is IMPORTANT and can directly affect each of us personally if changes are made. Since they offer a “forward to a friend” link, I decided I’d forward to all my blog friends in one fell swoop! To see the original letter, go here: http://budurl.com/ynah

The Obama Administration is asking to hear from YOU, the creative backbone of our country, about how intellectual property infringement affects YOUR livelihood. The Administration is also seeking advice on what the government could be doing to better protect the rights of artists and creators in our country. HERE’S A CHANCE FOR YOU TO BE HEARD!

BACKGROUND:

Last year President Obama appointed and the U.S. Senate confirmed Victoria Espinel to be the first U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. Her job is “to help protect the creativity of the American public” by coordinating with all the federal agencies that fight the infringement of intellectual property, which includes creating and selling counterfeit goods; pirating video games, music, and books; and infringing upon the many other creative works that are produced by artists in this country.

As you know, the unauthorized copying, sale, and distribution of artists’ intellectual property directly impact the ability of artists and creators to control the use of their own creativity, not to mention their ability to receive income they have earned from their labor. This impacts U.S. employment and the economy, and our ability to globally compete.

As required by an Act of Congress (The PRO-IP Act of 2008), Ms. Espinel and her White House team are preparing a Joint Strategic Plan that will include YOUR FEEDBACK on the costs and risks that intellectual property infringement has on the American public.

Here’s how to make yourself heard!

1. Send an email to Ms. Espinel and the Obama Administration: intellectualproperty@omb.eop.gov and copy the Copyright Alliance on your email: info@copyrightalliance.org

2. Begin your letter with “The Copyright Alliance has informed me of this welcome invitation from the Obama Administration to share my thoughts on my rights as a creator.”

3. Include in your email: your story, why intellectual property rights are important to you, how piracy and infringement affect you, and what the U.S. government can do to better protect the rights of creative Americans.

4. Also include in your email: your name, city, state, and what type of artist you are.

5. DO NOT include any personal or private information as all comments will be posted publically on the White House website.

All comments must be submitted by Wednesday, March 24 by 5:00 p.m. EST. To read the entire call for comments, click here.

Don’t be shy! Take two minutes today to make your voice heard, and don’t forget to spread the word to everyone you know. Forward this notice using this short URL – http://bit.ly/cjDZJt – by email, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and more!

Best,
Lucinda Dugger

P.S. If you received this email from a friend, and you are interested in receiving more information about how you can speak up for your rights, sign up for our network of Copyright Advocates.

PLEASE take action… TODAY!

I just did… – Tara Reed

P.S. Here is what I wrote, feel free to use this as a guide for your email if you’d like.

Dear Ms. Espinel -

The Copyright Alliance has informed me of this welcome invitation from the Obama Administration to share my thoughts on my rights as a creator.

My name is Tara Reed and I am a self-employed artist who makes a living licensing my art to manufacturers for use on products. Without the current or even more stringent copyright laws and penalties for piracy, my livelihood will be impacted. I rely on companies respecting my copyrights and paying me for use – without that, I would be another unemployment statistic.

With the internet and digital nature of business today, it is easier than ever for less-than-reputable companies to steal art and design, sometimes selling it as their stock art to reputable companies. I see it at every trade show I attend – art by myself or my colleagues being used without permission. It is disheartening and expensive to combat. Any changes in the law will make the problem that much more dire.

I urge you to take the creative business owners, who pay taxes and fight to make a living, into account when considering any change to the copyright laws and especially the designation of “Orphaned Works”. Tougher penalties and regulations should be put in place if any changes are being made. While it would be great to believe that people work from a place of honesty and integrity, it is unfortunately not always the case. Let’s not encourage people to cut corners who will do so without any threat of legal or financial ramifications.

Sincerely,

Tara Reed
Portland, Oregon
Licensed Artist