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!
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. "
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.
If you recall, I did a video proclaiming 2010 to be my year of "flow" - that's the verb I have chosen to guide me this year. I want to stop resisting and worrying and just go with the flow. The creative flow, the flow of opportunity, the flow of health and happiness... all of it.
And WOW! So far so good! We have some exciting things coming up - many of which I discovered or got a final "yes" to this year.
AskAboutSEOforArtists.com - the Ask Call for February (on Wed. the 17th) came to me via email – "I have this new product and thought it might be of interest to your audience..." Absolutely! What artist with a website doesn't want to know how to make it work more efficiently for them?
Ask Mary Engelbreit – 13 months in the 'wooing' - Mary will be the Ask Call expert on Wed, March 17th - can't wait!
And these are just the amazing things going on on the information side of my business - not the art side. But do you see a trend in these events? They are all opportunities that came from my taking the Teleseminar Secrets Class and learning to connect, teach and inspire by phone.
We're getting to the part where I need good vibes now...
The cool thing about the Teleseminar Secrets Class is that once you are a student, you are always a student and you can listen in every year to learn the new content and brush up on some review. I have 2 really cool things going on during the class again this year.
THE GOOD VIBE REQUEST: I entered the "Teleseminar Secrets Challenge" again this year (this time as a "Veteran" - if you read my blog last year you might recall I was a finalist for the "Newbie" category.) Well I am a finalist again! One of 6 Veterans who will give a 4 minute speech on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10th to the other students (usually about 500 people are on the line) and tell them why I believe I deserve to be the "Highest Vote Getter" among the 6 finalists.
For some reason I was REALLY NERVOUS during my speech last year - like, crazy didn't-think-I'd-get-each-word-out nervous. The level of it surprised me! I fully intend not to repeat that feeling. (The audio sounded fine but it didn't feel good while I was talking.)
So I would love to know that I have you on my side and sending calming energy to me, OK? (Very new-age, I know!) I have so enjoyed every Ask Call I've done or facilitated since my first call in December 2008 - and it's thanks to the artists and support you give. That was part of the challenge entry that got me into the finals...
I'll let you know how it goes on Thursday, ok?
Another fun Teleseminar Secrets addition - I have been asked to be on the "Faculty" to teach about using Twitter to grow a business. I was just tweeting away during class and posting to the Facebook fan page and suddenly heard my name and ended up on the live call... if you want to hear my basic thoughts and how this came about - you hear it all below...
So remember, none of these amazing things would be happening if I wasn't ASKING (for experts to become part of the ArtLicensingInfo.com family), TRYING (entering the challenge) or LISTENING (to new ideas like the SEO for Artists.).
You don't know what is possible for you or your business unless you try. So I encourage you to take a deep breath and GO FOR IT! The worst that can happen is nothing... the best? Who knows!
I'm excited to announce that Paul Brent has put together an information-packed hour to get you thinking, strategizing and building your brand for success in art licensing.
Paul Brent understands branding.
An artist, interior designer and print publisher, he began licensing his art in 1988. Bookmarks, bed linens and insulated barware were among his first licensed products. Since then he has gone on to work with many, many manufacturers and grown his licensing business to be the 94th largest in the world, according to License! Global Magazine's Top 100 Licensor List for 2008 and 2009.
Paul Brent is the most well known coastal artist in the U.S. He has managed to build and evolve his brand to include so much more than beach and sea life and has done so very successfully. The Paul Brent Designer brand has been in the marketplace for over 20 years and shows no signs of slowing down.
I will be facilitating the teleseminar on Wednesday, February 24th at 5:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm EST. At only $57, this could be the best investment of your time and money you will make to help you build your brand in the market place.
This teleseminar is for artists who want to learn to effectively create a brand for their art that will help them grow their business, with emphasis placed on building a brand for the art licensing industry.
What to expect from a successful branding strategy over the course of the next 30 days to one year.
What the 9 most common pitfalls are in both a visual brand and a business brand – and how to avoid them.
Key strategies of branding to help you:
create and maintain good artist / agent relationships
protect your copyright
keep your brand fresh in the market place
and use your brand to attract attention in the media.
How to commit to your brand strategy and take the first step.
Go to www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/branding.html for further details or to see the long list of valuable freebies you will get in addition to the hour long teleseminar.
P.S. Combine these branding strategies with the SEO (search engine optimization) skills you will learn on the Monthly Ask Call on Wednesday, February 17th and the impact will be even bigger!
The guest blog post by Paul Brent, Branding: The Tiger and the Gate Crashers , on December 15th was so well received, Paul is offering more thoughts on the matter as the drama unfolds. While the situation is a mess for those personally involved, it does provide some interesting insights and talking points as we all consider our own brands... here is what Paul has to say:
If Tiger Woods would be so inclined, I would offer him this advice from someone who has been observing the branding phenomenon for the past twenty years, “Just change you image to fit reality, Tiger.”
While the golfing industry and several of Tiger’s endorsement partners need a squeaky-clean family-man image, there are plenty of products and entities that would be perfect for Tiger Woods new image. To begin with, alcoholic beverages and energy drink with caffeine and all of those other activities that promise heightened performance both on and off the golf course. A Tiger posing as the Captain or sipping malt liquor with an attractive blond on his arm would be a winning combination. The city of Las Vegas should contract with Tiger to be a spokesperson. Who better to say, “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. I should have played in Las Vegas.” What customer of those products wouldn’t believe in his endorsement?
Brand building and brand management is a personal journey that all licensing properties and artists have to deal with, as Tiger does. Well, maybe you do not have to deal with it so dramatically and not in the eyes of the world. As you develop who you are as an artist, whether a designer of scrapbooking supplies and children’s wear, or t-shirts and surfboards you need to fit the image of someone who relates to their market and consequently the customers who buy your licensed products.
Christian Reese Lassen and Mary Engelbreit are two artists who embody their artwork and who are brands their customers and fans can relate to yet are very different. Lassen, the surfer who paints the ocean and tropical sunsets has veered from his popular under and over ocean scenes painted in exacting detail to many other subjects and a much looser palette knife style. His fans have followed along.
Mary Engelbreit has had a magazine devoted to home decorating and home style recipes. Her loving characterizations of vintage children with charming quips attract a totally different group of fans. Mary has kept true to her initial image and has not changed her style or outlook. Will she allow herself room to grow and change?
Personally, I have progressed in licensing from a watercolor style that has been called “breezy” by one reviewer in the Wall Street Journal to oil and more tightly rendered watercolors with digital enhancement, all the while keeping close to my coastal roots. I feel that my changes can be considered evolution rather than radical change. Many times a new subject matter or new media use was precipitated by a personal experience, sometimes just a wild idea or my take on an incoming trend. Each time I introduce a new collection I think of the story behind the art and how I can talk to customers about the new work. This adds to the value of the artwork and makes them understand how I relate to the art I create.
So, who are you as a brand and an artist? Does your image allow you room to grow or are you constricted into a limited market due to how you define yourself? How you change as an artist and a brand are part of the natural change of life itself. Let’s hope we all manage our changes better than Tiger.
Here's to your ever evolving brand to help you build your creative future!
– Tara
disclosure: Paul Brent nor I have any vested interest in Tiger Woods, Christian Reese Lassen or Mary Engelbreit - they are simply used as examples in the context of branding.
Posted by Tara Reed on Dec 18, 2009 in Art Licensing
What a year 2009 has been! When I went to make this little video greeting, the amount of exciting things that have happened this year really hit me!
Four new experts came on board - thank you Paul Brent, Cheryl Hodgson, Jill Seale and Suzanne Cruise! The monthly Ask Call Series has been very well received and a lot of fun to share and learn. (How else would I get nationwide weather reports from the people who really know?)
We are working on lots of great new projects for 2010 so stay tuned, but for now... here's to you!
If anyone has experience in branding and especially building a brand based on an individual and lifestyle, especially in art licensing, Paul Brent is the go-to guy! Paul will be sharing his in-depth knowledge on the subject of branding, to be unveiled at ArtLicensingInfo.com in early 2010. For now, here are some timely thoughts from Paul and lessons to be learned from recent current events.
Well, it seems that today’s news is constantly bringing us examples of how branding works. Licensing artists can all learn from current events how not to build a brand and how to destroy one. The White House gate crashers have sought recognition and brand building by succeeding in their audacious attempt to attend a White House reception. Their brand is now firmly entrenched in the public’s mind. We can only hope that they have a plan for how this will help them secure their place in reality TV or result in jail time.
Licensing artists can learn that audacious acts need to be well planned and researched. Sometimes the risk is warranted other times it can backfire. In the early 90’s I was working with an individual who had a trained Florida panther and who was doing educational presentations with the panther to bring attention to their plight. I painted a portrait of the panther and arranged to have the panther appear in my booth at two trade shows. I did have to clear this with show management and the facilities management. The panther behaved and we were certainly recognized at those shows. Everyone in attendance knew there was a panther on the floor. If the panther had misbehaved the whole gamble could have misfired. Luckily the panther and trainer lived up to expectations and built my name recognition at a time when I needed something spectacular for people to remember me. So when planning an occurrence of this type be sure to think out all of the possible rewards and drawbacks before proceeding. I am not sure that the gate crashers were this astute.
Tiger Woods gives us another lesson in brand management. I have often said that you are your brand in art licensing. In Tiger’s case that extends into marriage partners, family and sexual partners. His brand was built to match his sport where family values predominate in a conservative, business leader demographic of fans. It is too bad he did not live up to his fabricated image and has damaged, possibly irreversibly, one of the greatest brands of all times.
While few licensing artists achieve the celebrity of Tiger, we all must insure that what we promote about ourselves rings true. I once knew a talented artist who painted what would sell but dismissed her work to people who know her, belittling her work and making negative comments about her customers who bought it. While I never heard of that getting back to her customers I think it could have been a potential time bomb for her career in art licensing.
It is far safer to stick with a truthful image of yourself and your art and not risk the pitfalls of negative press. Some of the most negative comments I hear about artists from manufacturers are late delivery, difficulty in contract negations and relentless control issues concerning quality and color. Developing a good working relationship and being reasonable, not a pushover, is going to serve a licensing artist well especially over the years as design directors and manufacturers licensing directors change jobs in the industry. We have many times made lasting friends with individuals who then bring us along as they change jobs and we certainly enjoy the referrals they give to others within the industry.
So just because you are not in the media’s eye, you, too, can learn from our newsworthy celebrities about how to achieve success in art licensing.
I don't know about you, but I have no desire to be in the media's eye in the way that Tiger or the Gate Crashers are! Thank you Paul for letting me share your insights on the blog. If you are interested in learning more about building your brand, be sure to watch the blog or eNewsletter for more information about Paul's upcoming "branding project". For now, it's * TOP SECRET *!
While sitting in the food area of BlogWorld in October, fighting overwhelm and trying to decide what I was going to do next, this nice young man in a well designed t-shirt sat down with me. Being shy as I am (not!) I commented on his t-shirt and asked what he did...
He explained that he worked for this company called "Apture" that has a free plug-in for blogs and did I have a minute to see what it could do? (He also gave me a t-shirt - sweet! My 16 year old son is also a fan and now spreads the word through the halls of his high school.)
Posted by Tara Reed on Nov 26, 2009 in inspiration
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. What better day than today to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for in our lives?
I found this great quote which has inspired this post:
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
– Albert Schweitzer
Sure, it is easy to let the speed bumps get us upset and out-of-wack, for the little disruptions to consume way more energy than they deserve. At times like that, as well as days like this, I like to sit down with a pen and paper and write (or in this case type and blog) about all the wonderful things I have in my life to be grateful for.
Here is a list of things that come to mind - in no particular order and in no way all-inclusive - but simply what is flowing to the typewriter as I think, reflect and focus on all the good things in my life.
my son & my significant other, Craig (These two men do so much to keep the joy and meaning in my life, without them things would be very different so I am thankful every day for their love, humor and support.)
my family & friends (supportive, fun and tolerant of my sometimes 'quirky artistic temperament')
my health, creativity and thirst for knowledge (without these things my life would be much more boring! Maybe less busy and hectic some days... but I wouldn't trade it for lack of inspiration!)
my business - the art and the teaching/sharing sides (being able to license my art and all that that entails, as well as having an outlet to share what I know and what I am learning, feeds my soul.)
the artists who read this blog, connect, learn and share on so many levels (without you, I'd be writing into the void - it is so good to know that I'm not!)
the artists and industry experts who have become a piece of the ever growing "Art Licensing Info" family. Never would I have guessed that the site would evolve the way it has and for what it is and what it is becoming, I am grateful. We all work with this question at the forefront of our creative process: "What would we have wanted to know at different stages of learning about how to license our art?" Thank you Paul Brent, Jill Seale, Cheryl Hodgson and Suzanne Cruise...
my home and life in Portland, Oregon. (I am here by choice and love all that the Northwest has to offer!)
the internet! 10 years ago all that we are doing and the ways that we are connecting didn't exist. Even a year and a half ago I couldn't see how all these pieces would fit into my life. But today I am thankful for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, the forum, blogs, email and more!
I hope you take the time to focus on what is really important to you and all the things you have to be grateful for as well.
