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

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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

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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!

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Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

– Tara Reed

Well today I want you to channel your inner Snoopy and DANCE!  Celebrate your successes!  Be happy with and focus on all the good things going on in your life.  And if the people around you aren’t diggin’ it and trying to bring you down – leave the room.

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Happy Friday – here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

Do you believe this is significant or is it just a mathematically unique number?

The last time the date was 11/11/11 was in 1911 which brought with it a significant weather even in the United States. Called The Great Blue Norther, it was a cold front that affected the central United States. Many cities had record high temperatures in the early afternoon and record dropping temperatures by nightfall. This was the only day that many cities in the Midwest were able to break record highs and lows for the same day. Cities such as Springfield, Missouri recorded a high of 80°F (27°C) before the cold front, 40°F (4°C) by nightfall, and a record low of 13°F (-11°C) by midnight. The main cause for the dramatic cold snap was an extremely strong storm system that separated the warm, humid air from the frigid, arctic air. (source: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/11-11.html)

I like to believe that we make our own significant moments, events and lives.  By focusing on the positive, working towards our goals, staying open to change and new adventures, we create our lives and more importantly, our attitude about our life.

So I challenge you to make today significant – you can’t affect yesterday and who knows what tomorrow brings but you have TODAY… what will you do with it?

I have two friends who are getting married.  I’m sure there are many people scheduling babies to arrive today.  I don’t have anything quite so life-changing in mind but I do plan to focus on what is amazing in my life now and what I want to create for my future.  There are always times when doubt creeps in, negativity tries to take over or the questions from others make you think you can’t achieve your dream… I say tune that out and Don’t Stop Believin’!

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Wishing you a magical day!

– Tara Reed

This is a great analogy for your journey as an artist in art licensing.  Sometimes when people start something new, their friends and family, with the intention of “protecting you”, will often play “Whack-a-Mole” with your dreams.

After more discussion, we decided that their intentions were probably not bad, people you are friends with, or related to, just worry when they see you trying something new.  They don’t want you to fail.  Get hurt. Lose money. Be embarrassed.  Things like that.  And their “constructive criticism” can sometimes be the most hurtful part of all.

As an artist you are putting yourself out there in a very personal way, and man can you feel like the poor little mole getting bopped on the head some days!

You show your work to a potential client, “No.  Won’t work for us.” BAP!

Your friend decides to tell you why your latest creation isn’t as good as something they saw recently.  WHACK!

You submit art, based on guidelines, only to be told later they changed the whole plan and now you are on the wrong track.  SMACK!

I think you get the picture.

So how do you persevere, keep a smile on your little mole face and become that elusive mole worth the most points that no one can seem to hit?

1.  Believe in yourself. Know that your art is your art and you are the best person to create it.

2.  Don’t take things personally. Even if you get quite a few “no’s” with licensees (and if you are serious about licensing you will, I guarantee it!)  remember that it doesn’t mean your art isn’t good, it just means that it isn’t right for the current project.

3.  Keep creating. If you believe in yourself and your art, you will be successful.  But you have to keep creating, learning and keeping a positive attitude.  Little actions every day create big results over time.

So chin up fellow artist moles!  While there will be days where you feel like the mallet just keeps hitting you on the head, if you believe in your art, your vision and yourself, you will be successful!

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

P. S.  If you want to play a little “Whack-a-Mole” online, here is a fun site I found.  It’s a great stress reliever on a bad day.   GO PLAY!

If you were like me, Tuesday night found you and your family sitting down to watch Happy Days at 8 followed by Laverne & Shirley at 9.  I wonder if people asked their friends “Are you a Laverne or Shirley?” like they would poll their friends to see which character they most resembled from Sex in the City?  I’ll have to ask my mom…

Anyway – my point today is that Laverne and Shirley had a CAN-DO attitude.  Sure they worked in the bottle plant during the day and had creepy yet sweet neighbors in Lenny & Squiggy, but they always had a dream.  They weren’t afraid to take chances and try new things… to “do it their way”.

So I invite you to jump in the time machine with me and snap your fingers to the opening song to this classic tv show.  Really listen to the words and make them your own.  Make all your dreams come true!

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Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

You are the only you out there and no matter what you do, bringing the best you to the table is the greatest give to the world.

Bring your art, your creativity and your perspective to the table.  Learn from those who have done what you want to do but don’t try to be them – they’re already taken.  Figure out how you might fit in the industry and add your own flair.

Sesame Street has been empowering kid’s (and hopefully their parents!) to embrace their uniqueness and talents and to appreciate the diversity of everyone around them and around the world.  I found this new song “What I Am” by Will.i.am and the Sesame Street crew to be fun and uplifting.  It even inspired me to think of what makes me – well – me.  I encourage you to do the same.

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Today – celebrate the uniqueness that is you.  You are one of a kind!

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

I thought I’d post some quotes by Steve Jobs that can inspire us to be the best we can be – personally and professionally.

• “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” [BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998]
• “That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”  [BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998]
• “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]
• “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
• “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

Rest in Peace Steve Jobs – you have touched all of our lives.

– Tara Reed

quotes were found at http://www.businessinsider.com and http://www.macstories.net/roundups/inspirational-steve-jobs-quotes/