This is a "Green" blog post - as in, it's recycled. I first posted it in June but have found myself directing people to it quite often so I decided it was information worth repeating. It will either be new to you or a good refresher. I highly recommend you find a way to code your art so it is easy to talk about and refer to so you know that you and manufacturers are both talking about the same thing.
I also recommend you use numbers and letters and not symbols - again, easier and quicker to say and stay on the same page. Say this out loud: DRAA102 Now say this: DR∞fY20ª See my point? So without further ado - here's the original post... re-enjoy!
I've been asked about how I keep track of my art a few times and promised to blog about it. Early on I realized that it might become hard to keep track of my art collections - who has licensed what, what they were interested in exactly, how to track and organize it. So after thumbing through some catalogs one day I decided I could create codes like they have for products. Why not?
So I sat down and got stuck. For some reason I thought there was some magic formula to code creation -that there was a "right" or "wrong" way to do it, and I certainly didn't want to do it wrong!
Then I came to my senses and realized that if the code was for me, I could make it any way I pleased! This is not the DaVinci Code after all... it is to organize art and make my life easier. My code, my rules. Cool!
Then I went back to scratching my head... my code system couldn't be too complicated - I wanted to be able to create and decipher the codes with a fancy decoder ring.
Ideally the codes needed to grow with my business. Easy enough to remember, but detailed enough to support a lot of art. I didn't want to have to create a new system and need to update everything in a year, 3 years, 5 years or even 20 years.
Here is what I came up with: my codes consist of 4 letters and 3 numbers.
The first two letters represent one of 12 categories of art. For example, "DR" means it is a drink collection (like martinis or margaritas - yum!), "CH" means it is a Christmas collection.
The next two letters represent the collection name. So the "Ho, Ho, Holiday" christmas collection is "CH" for Christmas and "HH" for "Ho, Ho".
The letters tell me the category and collection. Now come the numbers.
Since I design collections with icons, borders and repeat patterns - with words and images thrown in - I have 100's thru 500's. All numbers are 3 digits.
Icons: 100's -- so CHHH101 is a Santa, CHHH102 might be a tree, CHHH103 a stocking, etc.
Patterns: 200's -- CHHH201 might be a holly toss - if I have the same pattern in different colorways - say one with a red background and one with tan, I add a letter at the end. So CHHH201A and CHHH201B...
Images: 300's -- mockup images or scenes are 300's.
Words: 400's -- sometimes I have sayings done in my handwriting or a decorative way - they get 400's.
Borders: 500's.
When I finish a collection I create a pdf with pages containing all the icons, borders, words, scenes and patterns - with the code under each. Then if I am at a trade show or email the pdf to someone, we can jot down the code instead of writing out a long description of the image. Saves time and decreases confusion. I include codes and images whenever possible in contracts as well.
SO... there is no time like the present. If you start coding right away, you won't have to go back and code 5 years worth of work. Create a system that makes sense to you and for your work.
Ah... memories! I remember when Happy Days, followed by Laverne & Shirley were a much anticipated event at my house! I also remember how the 3 kids (I'm the middle) had staggered bed times - my brother had to go to bed after Happy Days (8:30), my sister got to go to bed after Laverne & Shirley (9:00) and me? I had to go to bed SMACK DAB in the middle of the show! (8:45) (Yes Mom & Dad, I still harbor some resentment about that!)
Well I got to thinking about the show a few weeks ago and realized the theme song is the perfect example of an entrepreneurial attitude. "Gonna Do it our way, yes our way, make all our dreams come true..."
Laverne is the entrepreneur who gets an idea and dives right in. I imagine she'd be the person who takes risks, goes with her gut and is ok to learn from her mistakes.
Shirley on the other hand, would be the more cautious business person. She might get inspired but then she'd get analytical. Crunch numbers. Study the situation from every angle before proceeding.
Whether you are a Laverne or Shirley artist - the key is to knowing which you are and embrace it. When ever Shirley tried to act like Laverne, things did not go well!
The show "worked" because Laverne was the "yang" to Shirley's "yin".
It would be an equally good combination in business. So if you are Shirley to the nth degree, be sure to have a Laverne in your life to keep you moving and if you are a Laverne, find a Shirley to make sure you don't go off in so many directions that you get nothing done.
Here's to your creative and entrepreneurial success!
Give us any chance, we'll take it.
Give us any rule, we'll break it.
We're gonna make our dreams come true.
Doin' it our way.
Nothin's gonna turn us back now,
Straight ahead and on the track now.
We're gonna make our dreams come true,
Doin' it our way.
There is nothing we won't try,
Never heard the word impossible.
This time there's no stopping us.
We're gonna do it.
On your mark, get set, and go now,
Got a dream and we just know now,
We're gonna make our dream come true.
And we'll do it our way, yes our way.
Make all our dreams come true,
And do it our way, yes our way,
Make all our dreams come true
For me and you.
"The Trade Shows are Coming! The Trade Shows are Coming!"This time of year I feel like part chicken-with-my-head-cut-off running about the studio and part Paul Revere - making sure I remember to get all the bits and pieces ready for the show. If you are or have ever exhibited at a trade show, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about and are nodding your head in agreement as you read this!
My final check has been mailed and cashed. So my bank account will recover from that before the NYC hotel and food bills are added to the credit card.
Here's what is next on my list to get ready to exhibit:
confirm hotel and flight reservations.
Evaluate portfolio and decide what, if any, new art I want to create between now and the show.
Start to plan the art for my booth walls.
Order any promotional supplies, banners, etc. Always leave time in case of error, loss in shipping, etc.
Review and update my website so I am putting my best virtual foot forward.
Be nice to my sister so she continues to help me each year in my booth... (I really do that but I added it to the list to see if you were still paying attention... )
I keep a calendar handy with due dates for different activities so I don't forget important pieces of the plan. The day before I travel is a "me" day... I plan to do whatever I want and not spend it frantically finishing art and packing. I like to leave rested and rejuvenated - ready for some of the most important days for my business and certainly the biggest investment days of the year!
Each year gets easier. Less frantic, less angst, less stress. I have it down to a system that is modified if need be or worked if nothing is broken or in need of improvement.
Wishing you productive planning months if you are exhibiting at a show.
– Tara Reed
P.S. If you are and want some help - don't forget about the eBook & Teleseminar replay available - at www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/tradeshows.html. Since I wrote and spoke them, I'll let Karen and Gina's testimonials speak to the value:
This is the perfect book if you’re an artist, illustrator, photographer or designer and are seeking the knowledge and practical steps in how to best utilize your time and money exhibiting in trade shows for the purpose of licensing your work. It’s also one of the most useful guides I’ve found in providing some of the best knowledge in step-by-step techniques in setting up at the trade shows, exhibiting and following up with manufacturers after the shows.
Tara’s hands on experience exhibiting for years at many of these trade shows, her marketing savvy and her proven track record with numerous licensing deals gives her the insight necessary to share her methods of success with those of us seeking the same and how to make the most of our investment.
A sample of the variety of topics included in Tara’s e-book include everything from deciding where to exhibit, information on the specific trade shows, portfolio basics - to one of my favorite topics – the “Elevator Speech”. Once you learn about this so called “Elevator Speech”, you’ll find you will absolutely need one too…especially if you plan to exhibit at any trade show and sell yourself as well as your work! In addition, you’ll discover informative quotes and tips from other successful licensed artists included throughout the book.
Tara’s clarity and straightforward approach, including a little humor, presents all of this in a way that makes it an interesting and enjoyable read.
With sincerity I believe this book will benefit anyone attempting success in the licensing industry using Tara’s practical strategies, as she shares the honest truth of all of the “ins and outs” of how to truly “MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME AND INVESTMENT IN TRADE SHOWS”.
"Tara, I can't tell you this enough, but I REALLY think you have found your true calling!
Yes, you are a very talented artist first of all, BUT....I just think that it's even more of a perfect fit for you in the coaching arena! Your personality, professionalism and social skills combine so well for this. And I really appreciate that you are speaking as a "down to earth" creative/marketing person, ....not just another unrelated, stuffy, professional as some coaches can be.
You are perfect for this and I thoroughly enjoyed the teleseminar last evening. You also have a great relationship with your sister and she's obviously a very valuable asset to your business. ( I am envious! )
With all of the in house experience that I have working with freelancers and the business, I wasn't sure that I would really get any new information from this seminar,...but sure enough, I did!!!! I am fairly new as a full-time freelancer, so all of your tactics and extra information that you gave was very, very helpful for me."
THANK YOU SO MUCH TARA, AND CHRISTINE!
- Gina L. Wilder (from an in-house Sr.Designer / Asst. Design Manager turned Freelance Artist )
When I came downstairs to have my son take the latest goofy photo of me for the blog, I have to tell you I scared him a bit. I had my costume on, showed him the cartoon and said, "I have to look like this." He replied, "I'm terrified by how much you do! It's kind of creepy!"
Let's just say I was pleased as punch!
So just WHY had I created a costume and flipped my hair out (burning my finger on the rarely used curling iron!) and dressed up like a cartoon?
Simple... Paul Brent told me to.
(Or, as I say in the video, he 'double-dog-dared me')
I've been doing my homework he gave during the Branding teleseminar and know that others are as well. As I prepare for SURTEX I figure it is a great time to step back and look at the big picture: my art, how I present it, what I will be saying and showing at the show... the timing couldn't be more perfect!
If you, too, want to do a brand analysis, the "Brand Yourself for Success in Art Licensing" teleseminar replay is ready for anyone wanting to to spend the time and money to get big results!
Go to www.MaryEngelbreit.com/askME/ to submit your question and get the dial-in details. Deadline for your question to be considered is Wednesday, March 10th. We have so many already it is going to take a bit of time to go through them all and get them to Mary for review!
If you can't make the live call, still submit your info so you are on the list to be notified when the free replay is available. If you have registered for an Ask Call in the past - you'll get the details!
I am excited to announce that I will be doing a series of teleclasses with Aletta DeWal - the founder of Artist Career Training. Aletta contacted me and asked to share my experience with art licensing and you can bet I said "Sure!"
I decided they would be the best people to explain exactly what they do at ArtistCareerTraining.com* so here is some information from the website:
Self-promotion does not have to be a horrible experience. With a little creativity and clarity, art marketing can be a gratifying experience. Our clients regularly report that they dramatically increase their income, with more time available to create art. Now they enjoy marketing their art as another creative activity!
Artist Career Training can help beginner, emerging, mid-career and seasoned artists who want to:
Stop believing myths about what it takes to be an artist.
Become clear on where you want to go and how to get there.
Adopt the winning success principles of prosperous art, business and career mentors.
Market your art without selling out or betting the farm.
Establish systems and routines that have been developed for artists who face similar issues.
Meet or exceed goals and deadlines consistently.
Artist Career Training offers a full curriculum of programs developed since 1996, teaching artists at all career stages how to make a better living making art with and without gallery representation, in any economy. Learning is exchanged among artists and faculty across time and space by a combination of email, telephone classes, recordings and internet technologies (web site, message boards, on-line discussion groups, desktop computer conferencing).
The first class is on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific
Five Things Artists Should Consider Before Deciding to License Your Art
Description: There are many ways to make money with art, licensing is just one. "Licensing" means that you chose to give manufacturers the right to put your art on their product in exchange for a royalty. You maintain the control and copyrights to your designs, and you can license the same art to several manufacturers at the same time. But how can an artist tell if licensing would be a good fit for their art and for their lifestyle?
$29.95 includes the TeleClass Outline and recording if you can’t make it. Click here to save your spot. (affiliate link)
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
One of the things he told us to do was brainstorm and get feedback... good to see he follows his own instructions!
I spent my day doing all the 'behind the scenes' techy stuff so anyone who wasn't able to listen live could still have access to this very powerful hour of branding wisdom. The audio is edited and everything is ready to go!
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!"
"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!"
"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. "
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!) –
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:
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!
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.
I first posted it in June but have found myself directing people to it quite often so I decided it was information worth repeating. It will either be new to you or a good refresher. I highly recommend you find a way to code your art so it is easy to talk about and refer to so you know that you and manufacturers are both talking about the same thing.
