Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Today I am thankful for so many things – the network of artists I’ve come to know through this blog is towards the top of the list! I just wanted to let you know you are on my gratitude list today – thank you for your participation, friendship and support! Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
– Tara Reed
Don’t be afraid to CELEBRATE!
You know what? Everything isn’t doom and gloom – it’s all about perspective. There are times when I and I’m guessing many others begin to feel a little guilty for being happy, successful and having good things going on in their lives. “Why do I deserve this when XYZ is going on in the world?” “I better pretend I’m really suffering too because so many people are unemployed, losing their homes or (fill in the blank).”
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.
Happy Friday – here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Don’t Stop Believin’
It’s 11/11/11!
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’!
Wishing you a magical day!
– Tara Reed
Sometimes Art Licensing Feels Like You Are the Mole in the Whack-A-Mole Game
Can I assume that at some point in your life you have played, or at least seen, someone play the “Whack-a-Mole” arcade game? You get a big mallet, the moles pop up at random and you do your best to keep them down.
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!
Embrace the CAN-DO attitude of Laverne and Shirley!
Ah my youth! When there were 3 networks and 2 VHS channels. When you had to get up and turn the dial to see what else was on… man am I making myself feel old!
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!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
Be the Best You that You Can Be!
I decided it was time for a light-hearted inspirational post. While I assume that most of my blog readers are interested in learning the how-to’s, how-come’s and how-do-I’s of art licensing, it is important to remember this:
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.
Today – celebrate the uniqueness that is you. You are one of a kind!
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara Reed
In Memory of Steve Jobs
I was saddened yesterday when I heard the news of Steve Jobs passing… social media and the news is full of tributes to this man who shaped a company that I imagine has touched and changed the lives of almost everyone who reads this blog. I obviously didn’t know him personally but I’ve been an Apple user since 1986. For someone to die so young really makes me feel my own mortality and take stock of how I spend the days I have – we just never know how many we have left.
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/
Want to play a game with me?
The other day as I sat painting, my thoughts began to wander and when that happens, I just never know where that will take me. I’ll remember snippets of conversations I’ve had with people, dreams, thoughts, etc. For whatever reason, most of the things popping into my head were about myself or others justifying things by blaming external events. Things continued to flow in and out of my brain and then voila! An idea for this blog post.
Let’s play the BLAME GAME!
I’m sure you’ve played it many times in your life whether you realized it at the time or not. Sometimes it was the precursor of a full-blown pity-party and other times you were just taking stock of events and then turned things around. That is what we are going to do… are you in?
We are going to play “The Art Licensing Blame Game” and if you play it correctly, you will end the game with renewed hope and focus.
Step 1: Write down all the reasons you think your art licensing business isn’t where you want it to be. HOWEVER, you are to take no responsibility yourself, you have to put all the blame on others. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- The economy! If it weren’t for the economy, I’d be rolling in the royalties!
- I don’t have the right connections. If only I knew the right people, I’d be golden. (This isn’t really taking responsibility – don’t be confused – you are blaming your lack of a proper social or networking circle)
- Retailers have no taste! If they only had an appreciation of good art, mine would be everywhere.
- There are three great starters… now grab a pen and write more down. Seriously. Do it. Blame your mom, your kids, your city, your computer… what or whom ever. Go!
Step 2: Write this down: All of the things I blame may or may not be real.
I mean, you may have 6 children under the age of 5 that you have to take care of every day. I’m not sure how you’d find the time to paint, promote and build your business. However if you are blaming your business – or lack thereof – on not knowing the art directors at Target personally, then you are really good at playing the blame game. You don’t have to have friends in retail places to break into this business.
Step 3: Go back to your Step 1 statements and cross off any that look more like excuses.
Step 4: Look at what you have left. I’m guessing you have things like, “The economy has affect the art licensing industry.” We are all talking about that one! You might have more. If they feel real and valid (like the “I have 6 kids under the age of 5″) they should be on the list.
Step 5: Write this down: This is the present reality. I can choose to blame it and stay stuck where I am, or I can try to figure out how to work within the current state of affairs.
This is a great mantra to repeat to yourself whenever you find yourself thinking blameful thoughts, or when you discover that you just spend a half hour on the phone bemoaning the state of the economy and how manufacturers never call you back and how expensive trade shows are, etc. These thoughts and conversations – while they might be true – they bring you down!
In order to keep going, keep creating and to enjoy what you do, it’s important to manage where your focus and energy are going.
Are you focused on things that make you feel bad – and that you probably can’t control – or are you focused on things that make you feel good and that you do have some influence over?
If you find yourself getting into a negativity rut, come back to this post and go through the steps again. This will work for any aspect of your life – from relationships to a day job to planning vacations – I mean anything. In my opinion, focusing on things that you can control and things that make you feel good are the secret to a happy life.
Here’s to your creative joy!
– Tara Reed
When it comes to your art business, be like Super Mario!
I’ve been going down memory lane lately… my 25th high school reunion will be this November and I’m in charge of our reunion Facebook page. Each Friday I come up with some topic to chime in on relating to high school – from food to fashion to … video games. While telling my son how PacMan was all the rage in the early 80′s – and not the kind on your tv, the kind you had to head to the arcade or pizza shop to play, we got onto a discussion of video games.
He loved Super Mario when he was little and my brain started thinking about this little man in the funny hat that happily moved forward through all kinds of trials and tribulations. Jumping on mushrooms to earn points, battling monsters and kissing princesses… through it all, he was a man of action, ever pushing forward towards his goal.
So I ask you – do you resemble Super Mario when it comes to working on your art business or are you a dreamer but not a doer?
It takes a lot of work to be successful in any kind of business – you have to do something every day, you have to stay the course, overcome obstacles and keep your eye on the prize! So today, I say, Let’s all be like Mario!
Here’s to your creative success! What actions will you take today to move you closer to your dreams?
– Tara Reed
P.S. Need help staying organized, setting goals and moving forward? Don’t forget about The Goal Wheel for Artists – it’s helped me and many other creative minded people with goal setting – maybe it will help you too. Check it out at www.TheGoalWheelForArtists.com. Save $10 if you use coupon code MARIOGOALS by September 21st.
What is your WHY?
You have probably heard this question before – What is your WHY? – but I wanted to revisit the idea today.
A very large part of my WHY started 18 years ago today when I gave birth to my son Kyle. I can’t believe he is now legally an adult. This sweet little baby has grown into an amazing young man and I am incredibly proud that he calls me “mom”.
There are always choices to be made in life – from little ones like what to have for lunch to big one like what to choose as your profession. My son has been a big consideration in how my career has played out – always behind the WHY of my decisions.
Before he was born, I was a sales rep for a college textbook publisher. My territory was the state of Maryland and I was on the road, heading to a different college or university each day. I think about 30% of my time involved overnight travel.
After he was born I had to decide if I wanted to keep doing what I was doing or if I wanted to change paths to be home more. My husband at the time was offered a job transfer and we moved to Oregon. That helped me make the decision – pretty hard to work a Maryland territory from Oregon so we decided I would stay home with our son.
Being around for my son became the WHY behind the next 18 years of decision making.
I tried some home based businesses – things that would be flexible and allow me to be home and still make some money and fulfill the need for me to have something that was “mine” outside of laundry and legos. I did cake decorating, tried a few multi-level marketing companies but never found that great fit. It was ok because for 13 years, we moved every 3-4 years for my husband’s job changes. I’m pretty good at buying and selling houses and moving a family!
Then in 2004 there was the “fork in the road” decision that you may have heard about before. I was getting divorced and had to decide between trying to build an art business or getting a traditional job. Both were scary but the WHY’s in favor of going for my own business outweighed the perceived security of having a boss and benefits.
In 2004 my key WHY’s included:
- I wanted to be at home – even if I was working – with my son after school, during the summer, etc.
- I also liked the idea of combining my business experience with my creative side – the idea of making a living from art seemed too good to be true.
- I wanted flexibility in my time – I wanted to work on my schedule and not have to worry about doctor’s appointments, sick days or play days interfering with my job performance.
My son is now entering his senior year of high school and who knows where he will decide to go to college. I guess he will be a much smaller part of my WHY I do what I do in coming years. I feel like a nostalgic, rambling mother but I guess the point I want to make is this – know what your WHY is for the big decisions in life and also, make sure they aren’t all about someone else. If everything I did was for my son, I’d be feeling very afraid of this next stage of life. But because my WHY’s have been equally for me as a person and me as a mom, I think I’m going to be ok. 
(I think… please have tissues ready.)
So what are your WHYs?
Here’s to your creative success and knowing why you are doing what you do!
– Tara Reed
P.S. The photo with the guitar was just taken by Lindsey Lyon of Lindsey Lyon Photography. If you need family photos, senior photos, baby photos and more and live in the Portland, Oregon area, check her out at www.LindseyLyonPhotography.com
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