I'm here to tell you that PacMan is an accountant or engineer - now munching his way through cubicles in a vast and stark corporate office somewhere. I'm sure of it.
Ms. PacMan? She's creative! She's hip! She likes to be in the mix, adjusting, adapting, never quite sure what life will throw at her next or how she will be rewarded for her efforts. That is why she'd be quite happy in art licensing. I'm sure of that as well.
But how do I know all of this? Well, I read between the lines a little but I'd say that Chris Brogan and Julien Smith told me in their book, TRUST AGENTS*. Their analogy, on p. 55-56, was this: How Building Trust is Like Pac-Man. I extrapolated the professions of both Mr. & Ms. PacMan from their information.
Watch this video to learn more about my thoughts on the matter:
Then if you want to learn more about art licensing, you have come to the right place!
Want to learn more about getting online with your business, and "Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputaton and Earn Trust"? I highly recommend you look at the book, TRUST AGENTS*.
Here's to your creative success!
– Tara
* FTC disclosure: the book links are amazon affiliate links so go ahead and click them if you are ok with me making some pocket change for telling you about it. If not - head over and search it for yourself. (Affiliate commissions do help offset the time and effort to create all these free posts so I hope you are happy to click!)
Posted by Tara Reed on Dec 1, 2009 in book reviews
Yes, I'm talking about this book again. But with good reason...
1) I really like it and think it is a great resource for any artist wanting to make a business out of their passion and
B) Alyson is having one hum-dinger of a sale! (thru 12/17)
Not only will you get the book for $24.95, but you will also receive 7 other valuable bonuses and no - they aren't Swans-A-Swimming.
So... grab one for yourself. Check an artist off your holiday list and give them a gift that will be motivate them to greatness... go check it out now.
Here's to your creative success & saving money in the process!
– Tara
P.S. While you are at it, if you have any hard-to-shop-for women on your list, my friend Mary Foley has a new book out that's sure to please - "How to Live Like Your Nail Color - Even if You Have Naked Nails" - here's the link to check that out as well. CLICK HERE*
*disclosure: Although I never recommend anything I don't know and like, these are affiliate links and I will earn a referral commission if you choose to make a purchase.
Posted by Tara Reed on Nov 24, 2009 in book reviews
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.
Today I have decided that 'less is more' and my picture speaks for itself. I plan to pause and appreciate the freedoms I enjoy in my life and hope that you do as well. Here's to a safe and happy holiday...
Sometimes excuses just feel good... like a favorite chair or old blanket that has kept you warm throughout the years. Excuses make us feel better about why we do or don't do the things we know, deep down, we probably should or shouldn't be doing. Excuses justify where we are in life, explain how we got the bad end of the deal, didn't have the good fortune others did, and keep us safe... and stuck... in our current situation.
That's where you want to be, right? Safe & stuck? (hmm... well when you put it like that...)
I've heard all kinds of excuses (and made them too, don't get me wrong!) for where people are or aren't in their art business. "Well so-&-so is successful because her husband is a marketing genius. Mine isn't..." "I could do that if I didn't have to spend all day wiping runny noses and doing laundry..." you get the idea. We could go on for years this way.
Apparently Alyson Stanfield has heard her share of excuses as well. And genius that she is, she organized her book around the biggies that artists of all kinds face. (Not just artists who license their art - this is a great book for any artist looking to earn an income from their art.)
I read "I'd rather be in the studio! The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion" a few months ago. It was on my drawing table and my friend / business sanity manager swooped it up and took it home to read. I just got it back with a warning: "Now I understand even better what you should be doing to grow your business, I'll be watching..." (be careful who you loan your copy to!)
While some of the topics don't really apply to my business, most did, and having another perspective on promotion, organization, and planning is never a bad thing. The book has 16 Actions based on 14 excuses... how cool that by Action 15 we should be over our excuses and ready to just get 'er done!
If you are an artist who is comfy-cozy in the studio creating but sweaty-nervous when it comes time to tell the world about those creations, this book is a must read. See if any of these excuses sound familiar:
"There aren't enough hours in the day to do it all."
"My art speaks for itself."
"I don't know where to begin."
That's just the first three. Imagine if Alyson could help you be better with those - fabulous, right? Guess what? She can!
I could go on and on but I think I'll stop now and let you decide. Suffice it to say I enjoyed the book, learned from the book and am implementing some of the strategies in the book. CLICK HERE to learn more.
I just finished a little experiment. I didn't even start it intentionally, it just sort of "twitted" out of me. Here's what happened.
I looked at my calendar. Eek! In 3 weeks I will be IN the Jacob Javitz Convention Center in booth #613 hopefully talking to lots of current and potential licensees.
I thought to myself, I haven't reached some people I want to connect with, I should get back on the phone. Goal #1: set some appointments. Goal #2: Have them hear my voice and remind them that I will be at the show. (booth #613!) Some people choose not to make appointments and that is ok, but reminding them to look for you is always a good idea.
Then I went on Twitter and said this:Now that is putting it out there! HAVE to do it if you put it out there for all to see, right?
Well about 1/2 hour passes and it's now 12:30 pm and my stomach starts rumbling... but I can't eat! I've gotten 7 voicemails and only 3 live people. (We decided receptionists didn't count.) Keep dialing...
It took me an hour and 9 voicemails before I got to 5 live people. (That's actually pretty fast - I'm happy!) I have 1 new appointment, 3 people will be stopping by because they are "roaming free" and 1 won't be going at all. I also got some good industry information and furthered my relationship with all 5 people. Not bad for an hours work.
But the points I really want to make are these:
If you tell someone you are going to do something and they cheer you on and hold you accountable, you are more likely to do it. (And not give up so you can eat.)
I don't just tell people to do things, I actually do them myself, which is why I know that what I teach works.
Setting smaller, achievable goals gets you farther than HUGE, crazy looking ones. I have an overall goal of having X number of appointments at the show, but on a daily basis, it may be, "talk to 3 people". Create 1 repeat pattern. "Chunk" your goals into doable pieces and you will be less overwhelmed and more productive.
And the BOTTOM LINE is, if you do the work, make the calls and nurture your connections, the bottom line of your business is going to reflect your hard work.
That's all I've got – now off to find some lunch!
~ Tara
P.S. If you are an artist wanting to learn more about HOW to get your art out there and earn income with licensing, be sure to see the eBooks, calls and teleseminars available at www.ArtLicensingInfo.com
Posted by Tara Reed on Apr 7, 2009 in book reviews
A better question might be, "WHO DOESN'T?!?!?"
Now you might be saying to yourself, or to me through your computer screen, "Here we go, another motivational book that will say the same thing I've heard before and haven't been able to implement." To that I say, "No."
This book has something different than what I've read before, and I read a lot. There are a few 'gold ticket strategies' that made so much sense to me that I was compelled to let you know about them. What you decide to do after that is of course, completely up to you.
I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Noah St. John in San Francisco in the beginning of March.
(Side note: Even though I look a bit uncomfortable in the picture -- it was only because the photographer was taking a while so that glazed "take it" look came over me -- not because I didn't find Noah very friendly and easy to talk to. Ok, back on task.)
Noah is a friendly, outgoing, smart, articulate, highly educated man. So why, when he was in his early 30s, was he broke and living in his parent's basement?
He spent some serious time pondering that question and came up with a plan to "get his foot off the brake" and stop sabotaging his success... and his basement living experience can help you (and me and anyone else who's interested) do the same.
My book has so many dog-earred pages and underlined passages that I can't cover them all. Here are a few 'stand out' points he made -- if they sound good, grab the book and start reading!
If you've heard "write down your affirmations (what you want) and say them every day", and maybe you've even done it, do you wonder why if often doesn't work? On p. 53 Noah states the obvious: The plain and simple truth is that most of us doubt our own affirmations. He then gives us a strategy - afformations - to start seeing results!
Noah will teach you to ask the questions that have the power to change your life. He'll remind you to be careful who you hang out with, the type of self-talk you let float about your brain and why "Goal Free Zones" are so important.
My favorite parts by far can be found on p. 35 - he describes and I've been afflicted with the success disorder - Success Anorexia. Anyone can have it and he can help you over come it. But only if you do 3 things...
Posted by Tara Reed on Dec 18, 2008 in book reviews
I read a lot of books. If you follow my blog, you may recall me saying this before. What can I say?
The books I read fall into a few general categories – books for pleasure (you are SURE to catch me with the new Stephanie Plum novels in my hand each June!), books for inspiration / personal development and books for business development.
The most recent book I read has me really... really... REALLY excited! I mean, over the top, WOW, this is great news, I need to tell everyone about this book, excited!
I first learned about it in the December issue of Oprah Magazine. On page 238 it begins... "Last spring I read a book I just couldn't put down:..." I concur! I read the article and decided I needed this book, NOW! No waiting for Amazon to mail it, I had to get to a local bookstore that day. (to read my post about finding books in stock locally, click here)
So why am I so jazzed? Because according to Daniel Pink, the future belongs to me! (Ok, not just me... but I'm in a good place and so are you!)
Daniel contends that 3 things are changing the face of jobs in the US, UK and Canada and they are:
Abundance (we have a lot of stuff so the way we choose our stuff is changing)
Asia (I think we all know about jobs and power shifting to Asia)
Automation (this whole computer thing - it's here to stay and changing how everyone works)
My summary of his concept of course -- read the book for the full explanation.
In a very reader friendly, easy and entertaining writing style, Daniel (can I call him that? "Mr. Pink" seems a bit formal) explains why the left-brained (or as he calls them "Left-Directed Thinkers") have ruled supreme in the last few decades. The computer programmers, engineers, accountants and attorneys that many parents hoped we'd become. But with the "Big 3" above, many of those jobs are moving to India, China and the like.
So if those jobs are on the decline, what does he think is on the rise? (And in this economy, wouldn't we all love to know?!?) Here's the good news for you, fellow creative, artsy type... US! We are the right-directed thinkers that will shape the future like never before. Here's a quote from the book:
"Left-brain-style thinking used to be the driver and right-brain-style thinking the passenger. Now, R-Directed Thinking is suddenly grabbing the wheel, stepping o n the gas, and determining where we're going and how we'll get there." (p.27 -- one of MANY dog-eared and underlined pages)
What he says MAKES SENSE.
But the key to success, I believe, is being able to use your WHOLE-MIND -- hence the main title of the book. And as I turned the pages, folded corners, underlined passages and became giddy with ideas I had an epiphany... this is what I'm teaching. Artists are traditionally heavy R-Directed thinkers. I'm teaching you to use the left side of your brain too, to get you ready for your very bright future.
P.S. Just so you know... If you want to help support my reading habits a few cents at a time, click on the links in my blog to check out the books on Amazon.com. If you decide to buy, I get about 4%. Every little bit keeps books in my hand and the blog posts rolling! It's all about "transparency", right?
HOWEVER... I discovered an eBook that gave me a better understanding of how to sell in galleries, through exhibitions, making your own art prints and more. The Complete Artist's Success Guidebook. I was thrilled to read the book and even happier to become an affiliate.
Richard Robinson has put together a great resource at an amazing price -- for only $37 you can't go wrong with the information and insights in his book. (I think he should charge more but since I want you to get a good deal - I won't push him on the issue.)
From Personal to Business development, Richard offers great ideas and resources. His background as a graphic designer shines through when he gives advice about creating a website. And if you really want to know, he tells you "How to Never Succeed as an Artist" at the end. I'm going to skip that and take the fork in the road to "Success" thank you very much!
Enough of my chatter... if you want to see if these strategies would work for you and your art, click here.
Have a creative day and keep an open mind... who knows how many ways you can make a living with your art! Here's to your continued success...
My boyfriend is regularly getting on my case to read books "that don't look like work" and are "just for fun, not expanding your mind". I love to read but go through phases.
One of my problems is that many times I get so engrossed in "for fun" books that I just can't put them down! Life stops dead in its tracks so that I can get to the end of the book. I have learned not to start a book like this when I have work that needs to be done by a deadline.
As well, I like reading books about business, artists, personal development... things that will expand my mind, open my eyes to new ways to look at things and help me build my business. While they are helpful, they are usually geared towards larger companies-- with say, more than one person. Traditional books about starting a building businesses generally have theories, supported by case studies. Helpful, but not page turners.
An interesting opportunity was offered to me through Twitter about 2 weeks ago. (You know how I love Twitter... and this just keeps me all the more thrilled with it!) Gregg Fraley, an author I am following offered bloggers a free copy of his book in exchange for a post. I looked at the book, thought it looked interesting (I wasn't going to read it just because it was free!) and emailed him. About a week later a signed copy arrived in the mail.
The book is Jack's Notebook and is "A Business Novel about Creative Problem Solving".
"Jack's Notebook" was a very welcome deviation from the norm. With problem solving concepts intertwined within a fictional story-- I felt like I was reading for pleasure while learning some new things I can implement in my business.
I also enjoyed the fact that Jack isn't even in business in the beginning... he is at the 'what do I want to do' stage and struggling to pay his bills while working on his dream-- something many of us can relate to. Of course I liked that he wanted to be a photographer - as an artist it's easy to route for a creative underdog!
I ear-marked at least a dozen concepts that I want to go back and review -- which to me is the sign of a helpful book. The basic CPS concept of "Quantity gets quality" and not judging your ideas but just letting them all flow is fabulous-- I've used it in the past and am now reminded to keep using it in the future.
Jack's Notebook offers a structured system you can implement to any problem or issue -- personal or professional. The next time you are feeling lost and not sure what direction to take, give CPS (Creative Problem Solving) a try.
So, my final analysis would be that this is worth the read. I enjoyed the story, how the concepts were demonstrated by the characters and how they explained the concepts of CPS as well.
~ Tara
P.S. Jack gains confidence and takes action as the result of adopting this method of thinking and problem solving -- who doesn't want that?
P.P.S. I know we've talked about "thinking outside the box" before as far as marketing and branding -- seems Gregg Fraley is doing that by looking to Twitter to expand awareness of his book and reviewer base. What might you do with Twitter?
I'm here to tell you that PacMan is an accountant or engineer - now munching his way through cubicles in a vast and stark corporate office somewhere. I'm sure of it.
Yes, I'm talking about this book again. But with good reason...
Now that is putting it out there! HAVE to do it if you put it out there for all to see, right?
I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Noah St. John in San Francisco in the beginning of March.
"A Whole New Mind. Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future"
Traditional books about starting a building businesses generally have theories, supported by case studies. Helpful, but not page turners.
