I feel a nap coming on…
With SURTEX starting less than 2 weeks away, I’m in a little bit of a panic. It happens every year – I feel like it’s crunch time… what else can I get done? Can I do one more collection? Two? Will my last minute creations be the one that is the big hit at the show? Should I work a few more hours and sleep less?
I was very happy to find this short TED talk that tells me no – my desire and habit of getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night is the key to my success. Sleep is good – sleep deprivation and all nighters shouldn’t be a badge of honor. (I’ve always thought this and feel quite validated today!)
Go here and take a look – it’s only 3 minutes – then join me in my efforts to “sleep my way to the top”. 
Here’s to your creative – and well rested – success!
– Tara Reed
How a love song can put an art business in perspective…
I’ll admit something to you from the start – I’m overwhelmed. I have so much going on that some days I feel like a surfer on the top of a big wave – but a precarious one. One wrong move and I’m falling hard and not sure how I’ll get back up.
Trying to stay on this wave, get ready for SURTEX, get art done for clients, get paperwork done for college, get ready for the last part of my move, deal with re-modeling surprises… and, keep up with this blog – is tricky!
As I was driving on Tuesday I was thinking, “What should I blog about?” I knew I needed something but wasn’t sure what… then Michael Bublé came on the radio. “I just haven’t met you yet” – a fun love song that makes me smile. I remember the feeling of not having met “him” yet and now the happiness of planning our life together… but then my brain went into analogy land…
This love song is very similar to the journey of the professional artist. You know what you want… you look, you work, you create, you try… and you are often frustrated and alone. You just haven’t met your clients, your calling, your business mojo yet…
So today, I want you to listen to this song regardless of where you are on your journey. Starting out or managing your dream business. As the tile setter told us for weeks when we had no toilets in the house and wanted to know when the floor could go in so I didn’t have to go to the store to use the loo… “It’s a process.”
Finding love is a process.
Building a business is a process too. Have the faith that Micheal does in this song that you will find what you are looking for…
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Get insipired – watch Mary Engelbreit draw
Mary Engelbreit Studios made a video of Mary at work – a fun and inspiring two minutes. Enjoy!
Here’s to finding your happy!
– Tara Reed
P.S. Want more inspiration? We have 41 videos of artists sharing their “art licensing story” now on the STORIES tab of this blog (look up!) – if you aren’t there, when can I expect your video?
a little inspiration from Colbie Caillat
Every time I hear this song on the radio I crack up the volume and can’t help but smile and attempt to sing along. (With no passengers, not knowing most of the words and very little musical talent… ) I just find this to be such a happy and uplifting song.
Here’s my favorite verse – are you living and working like this and if not, why not?
Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun
Oh, we could be the stars, falling from the sky
Shining how we want, brighter than the sun
So here is your pick-me-up for this Wednesday – turn up the volume and feel it!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
You gotta love it
Do you love what you are doing?
If you are licensing your art or thinking about giving it a shot – does it sound like something you will love? I mean, it’s no cake walk. There’s a lot of competition. There are deadlines. Most artists work alone so you don’t have the camaraderie and feedback of a workplace. It can take time to get the royalties flowing.
But if you love the challenge of creating art for products, searching for the manufacturer who needs your art and wants to work with you, it can be awesome. You have to create, create, create. Market, market, market. Always watching and learning as this business, like most others, is constantly changing.
I love what I do. Of course there are days where I think, “This is hard work! What else could I do that I might love – maybe even more than this?” I come up blank every time. So I have a “Steve Jobs mentality” about art licensing – do you?
If you are new to the concept of licensing, I encourage you to look at the Beginner Basics Teleseminar – you can get it for only $10 if you sign up to receive my eNewsletter. (And if you are already signed up and want the discount code – email me and I’ll send it over.) This 45 minute audio will give you a real-world concept of what it is to do the day-to-day work of art licensing. It isn’t a fluffy “this is for everyone – come in the water is fine” type of thing but something to really help you understand what it’s about. I hope it can help you decide if you just might love it, or if it sounds horrid (it has had that affect on more than a few artists and it’s ok!) you can go off in search of another way to create and truly love what you do.
Because honestly, life is to short to spend it doing what you hate, don’t you think?
Here’s to y our creative success!
– Tara Reed
When is the last time you had a change of scenery?
Ahhh…. I just got back from a 5 day getaway to Pennsylvania. I slept, watched tv, went to the movies, saw family and friends I haven’t seen in years and just relaxed. There is so much going on in my life right now that I’m having a really hard time REALLY taking some time out at home… now that I’m back my head is spinning again with everything I have to do.
But the difference in how I feel today vs. last week before I left is like day and night.
I’m refreshed and less frazzled. I need to do this more often, even if it’s just a day of really, really giving myself a mental and physical break. I hope you are finding the time to relax, change your scenery to change your perspective and keep your batteries balanced and charged.
I’ll be back at the blog this week. Until then – I have a few things to get done on my move, remodel and for my business.
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Decide to “move” in 2012
I saw this on Facebook last week and shared it on the Art Licensing Info page… within an hour it got 19 likes and a share. I decided it was worth putting on the blog so no one misses it!
Something to think about for 2012: …..”The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are. Analyze your life in terms of your environment. Are the things around you helping you towards success or are they holding you back? You are not planted in the ground like a tree… you can change. What part of your environment needs to change?” – Keith J. Cunningham
I’ll be doing so much moving in 2012 it is making my head spin… and as if I might forget everything that will be happening, my mom reminds me at least once a week. 
“Tara, you just have so much going on and coming up…” Really? I had forgotten! (Okay, I really hadn’t but you’d think I might with all the well-intentioned mentions.)
- I’ll be changing my physical environment – selling the house my son and I have been in since 2004 when I got divorced and moving into the house I’m remodeling with my oh-so-fabulous fiancé.
- Who I hang out with will change drastically as my son graduates from high school in June and heads we-don’t-know-where-yet for college. He’s been my sidekick for over 18 years – talk about a change!
- I’m getting married in August – hence the change in environment and it will be a change in day-to-day life.
These are all givens… but I’m going to give more thought to the ideas put forth by Mr Cunningham. (Not sure who he is, by the way) Have I optimized things to be happy, to lead me to the success that I want on all fronts – both business and personal?
Just because things are what they are doesn’t mean you can’t change them.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read that you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with – and usually have similar wealth, health and attitude. So are you hanging out with whiners who just complain about the status quo or people who actively try to live life in a positive way and do things to get them closer to their dreams? What do you watch on tv, read or listen to on the radio? Is it uplifting and motivating or demoralizing and making you want to go back to bed because “what’s the point anyway?”
I’ll be taking some quiet time to think about these things and recommend you do too. We only have so many days on this earth so why not make them as happy and fulfilling as they can be?
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Goodbye 2011!
It’s that time again! Time to say goodbye to 2011 and look forward to 2012.
Take a few minutes to take stock of your year – what was fan-tabulous?
What are you happy to put a year behind you?
What do you wish you had done better?
What worked great that you will carry forward into the new year?
What do you want for yourself in 2012 and beyond?
Wishing you a Happy & Safe New Year with all the success your heart desires! Let’s send 2011 off with a blast from the past… remember this one?
– Tara Reed
Who are you and what do you do?
With the holiday season upon us – my sister, brother and I were reminiscing about Christmas specials we liked growing up and starting singing the heat & cold meiser songs. While they were stuck in my head, I got to thinking – these guys know who they are, what they do, what they like and they don’t make any apologies.
The Heat Miser doesn’t want a day under 60 – the Snow Miser prefers 40 and below. If you listen to the songs you will find they explain very well what they like, what they do and what they are good at.
Can you easily explain who you are as an artist?
• Who is your target market – or who does your art appeal to?
• What types of products would your art work best for?
• What themes, styles, etc. do you work in?
Take a moment today and think about these songs – if you had to do a song and dance to let art licensing manufacturers know who you are and what you do, do you know what you’d say? Just a little food for thought and fun videos that might take you down memory lane too!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
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