twitter

A peek at SURTEX

Paul Brent and I will be doing a recap of SURTEX on the Ask Paul Brent call tomorrow night (Wed, 5/26) – will you be listening? We have the questions all organized and will get to as many as we can in the hour. As usual, artists have submitted some great questions so it will be another info-packed call. If you don’t have the dial-in details, head to www.AskPaulBrent.com to register. (Just put “no question” in the form, give us your name and email and we’ll get you the details for the call.)

Here’s a quick video I did if you want to see what booth setup looks like in the meantime.

Let’s keep getting social!

Here’s how it can work on Twitter:

During the call, add #ask to any tweets about the call.
If Mary says something quotable or that makes you go “A-HA!” – then tweet it! (don’t forget to add #ask)
If you use TweetDeck, or HootSuite – set up a column to track #ask so you can see and interact with others who are on the call. You might make new friends – I always do! Just remember to set up your columns to track the hash tag (#ask) BEFORE the call starts so you aren’t in a panic!
If you want to make sure I see a tweet, be sure to include @ArtistTaraReed – but I’ll be checking the #ask stream after the call.

If you prefer Facebook:

Login to facebook and go to the ArtLicensingInfo fan page.
Start talking. Just like on Twitter, if you hear something that makes you go “A-HA!” – add it! Comment on what other people are saying. Get to know your fellow licensed artists.
One advantage to Facebook is that the stream stays – it doesn’t limit you to 140 characters and people can go back to it later – almost like group class notes.

Here are the details again… CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF TO PRINT OUT AND HAVE HANDY

I hope you can make it – the call is free if you listen live. If you can’t make it, don’t worry. The audio replay will be a mere $15 through June 5th and $25 after that.

Here’s to talking business!

– Tara Reed

P.S. To see a list of all the past call audios – free and for a small fee – be sure to visit www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/audio-archives.html

P.P.S. Plan ahead for June! Kim Beasley, the WordPress Lady, will be doing the June call on Wednesday the 16th. Head to www.AskAboutWordPressForArtists.com to submit your questions anytime.

Here’s what we covered on the April “Ask Tara Reed” call… were you on the line?

Another great call is completed – thanks go out to everyone who submitted questions because as I say every month - YOU create the content. So do you want to know what we talked about? Here’s the run-down…

The burning art licensing questions covered…

Starting out, is it better to have an agent?
How long should it take to get feedback for art submissions?
How much art should I have on a website before trying to find an agent?
How many collections should I have before approaching a manufacturer?
Can I show past work I’ve done for clients to prospects or do I need my own collections to offer for licensing?
How and what do you paint each day?
What was your biggest lesson learn when you started?
Do you ever “give up” on a potential client?
How important is showing product vs art at a trade show?
Please explain “Direct to Retail” licensing
Where do you think art licensing will be in 10 years?
Should you avoid worldwide contracts at all costs?
What file formats do I save art in and do I send it to licensees on CD?

We got social again – it was fun to watch people tweet on Twitter and post on the Facebook Fan Page while I talked – interesting to see what strikes a chord! Here are some excerpts -

Over on Twitter:

Excellent audio stream! Microscope or binoculars, agent or no agent, numero 12 items in portfolio a good number. Thank you!

I always learn something new in these ASK calls!

Biggest Lesson learned early in art licensing @ArtistTaraReed #1 Never give up for more than half a day.

Hanging out on Facebook:

The personal experience about the company she has been sending post cards to since 2005 and just started working with 6 months ago is inspiring.

Listening to the Art Licensing call with artist Tara Reed and Kim the WordPress gal. WordPress is great by the way. Looking forward to her interview and will have some questions for her then.

Thanks, Tara, for a GREAT call! Fun to tweet with the group, too!

Great! As always, powerful questions and answers! I can’t wait till next month!

If you missed the call, the audio replay is now available to purchase.

The cost? A mere $15 through May 1st and then it goes to a whopping $25. Have you looked at the cost of live classes? This is a deal… no, a steal! Get your copy today!

(Plus, to be honest, selling some audios helps offset the cost of creating the infrastructure and time spent on these calls so … much appreciated!)

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

P.S. Wondering who is up next?

May 26, 2010 www.AskPaulBrent.com

June 16, 2010 www.AskAboutWordPressForArtists.com

The April Ask Call is tonight – will you be joining us?

Well lucky me… I get to follow the Mary Engelbreit call!

An artist could be intimidated by that… I was when I first realized who I was following. But since I’m very good at finding the silver lining in most things, I decided it was all good. Last month you heard from a woman who has been licensing her art for 30 years… tonight you get me – going on 7 years and much closer to the day-to-day activities of building a newer business.

I’ve decided that that is the beauty of what we are building with the monthly Ask Call series: a variety of perspectives and stages in the business.

Last month was great when many of you “Got Social”. The interaction and feedback was great so I’ve decided we should keep up the trend. Here are the details again… CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF TO PRINT OUT AND HAVE HANDY

Let’s get social tonight!

Here’s how it can work on Twitter:

During the call, add #ask to any tweets about the call.
If Mary says something quotable or that makes you go “A-HA!” – then tweet it! (don’t forget to add #ask)
If you use TweetDeck, or HootSuite – set up a column to track #ask so you can see and interact with others who are on the call. You might make new friends – I always do! Just remember to set up your columns to track the hash tag (#ask) BEFORE the call starts so you aren’t in a panic!
If you want to make sure I see a tweet, be sure to include @ArtistTaraReed – but I’ll be checking the #ask stream after the call.

If you prefer Facebook:

Login to facebook and go to the ArtLicensingInfo fan page.
Start talking. Just like on Twitter, if you hear something that makes you go “A-HA!” – add it! Comment on what other people are saying. Get to know your fellow licensed artists.
One advantage to Facebook is that the stream stays – it doesn’t limit you to 140 characters and people can go back to it later – almost like group class notes.

I hope you can make it – the call is free if you listen live. If you can’t make it, don’t worry. The audio replay will be a mere $15 through May 1st and $25 after that.

Here’s to talking business!

– Tara Reed

P.S. To see a list of all the past call audios – free and for a small fee – be sure to visit www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/audio-archives.html

P.P.S. Plan ahead for May! Paul Brent will be doing the May call on Wednesday the 26th – the week after SURTEX. We’ll have a short show recap and questions. Head to www.AskPaulBrent.com to submit your questions anytime.

Here’s the 411 on Twitter…

Yes, you are probably well aware that I love Twitter. But now I am taking 70 minutes to explain why.

I have combined 18 months of experience using Twitter and all the questions I get from people about how to decide if it will help them in their business.

The audio isn’t specifically for artists – but for any business owner who might want to get more insight than they are getting in newspapers and magazines.

SO, in the vein of Twitter I’ll keep this blog post short – if you or anyone you know wants to learn more about what can be accomplished with Twitter for business and some tips to make the most of your time and effort, please check out all the details at www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/twitter.html

And of course, if you are on Twitter – follow and chat with me!

– Tara Reed

Get Social during tonight’s Ask Mary Engelbreit call!

One of my favorite things about Alex’s Teleseminar Secrets class is the social interaction that goes on during the live calls. People are tweeting or posting to Facebook – it’s fun and informative. So if you are up to it – let’s give it a shot tonight!

Let’s get social tonight!

Here’s how it can work on Twitter:

During the call, add #ask to any tweets about the call.
If Mary says something quotable or that makes you go “A-HA!” – then tweet it! (don’t forget to add #ask)
If you use TweetDeck, or HootSuite – set up a column to track #ask so you can see and interact with others who are on the call. You might make new friends – I always do! Just remember to set up your columns to track the hash tag (#ask) BEFORE the call starts so you aren’t in a panic!
If you want to make sure I see a tweet, be sure to include @ArtistTaraReed – but I’ll be checking the #ask stream after the call.

If you prefer Facebook:

Login to facebook and go to the ArtLicensingInfo fan page.
Start talking. Just like on Twitter, if you hear something that makes you go “A-HA!” – add it! Comment on what other people are saying. Get to know your fellow licensed artists.
One advantage to Facebook is that the stream stays – it doesn’t limit you to 140 characters and people can go back to it later – almost like group class notes.

I won’t be able to be tweeting and commenting on Facebook since we don’t want typing noise on the audio and I need my full attention on Mary. But I really hope you all connect and comment – it will be interesting to see what you you have to say and share!

So let’s take these calls up a notch and interact. I’m excited – are you???

– Tara Reed

Thanks for all your good vibes! They worked!

I wanted to report in – I gave my 4 minute Teleseminar Secrets Challenge Speech last night and it went really well – or so I’m told! I was a little nervous but nothing like last year!

What I had to do was explain why I thought I should win “Top Vote Getter” for the Veteran Category – meaning I had made more than $1 with Teleseminars. It was supposed to inspire others, show my passion and what I felt teleseminars had done for my business. Would I be a good spokesperson for teleseminars? Did I make sense? Those were the parameters on which we were judged. (No results in just yet…)

When I sat down to write my speech, I thought about how much teleseminars had changed my business – how they have helped me connect with artists and other industry experts who have come on board to share. Most of all, I wanted to show how I felt it has helped all of us – now you can learn in the most remote region in your fuzzy slippers and you don’t have to travel to New York, Atlanta or Las Vegas. (and neither do I! I’m in fuzzy socks – every time!)

I think I got the point across and here is why: a fellow student was giving me feedback on my speech on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/LoydLarue)

First he said: you did a gr8 job @ the challenge.

I of course thanked him!

Then he said: You Are My Everything @Michael Bublé ==>http://bit.ly/7f8PsV ==>this could be your biz song mantra…?? just a thought.

I didn’t understand so I asked for an explanation. (Honestly, I have that song as the ring-tone when Craig calls so to me it was a romantic song)

@LoydLarue replied: I was just thinking of your passion towards your prospect / clients.. “You are my everything” made sense @ the time..lol

So I’d say my love for this side of my business shined through – yippee! I am also happy the speech is over so I can get back to my art and look forward to our upcoming teleseminars. You are coming right?

Wed, 2/17: www.AskAboutSEOforArtists.com

Wed, 2/24: Brand Yourself for Success in Art Licensing with Paul Brent

So… thanks for your support through this challenge, the blog and everything else going on. You are my online everything…

– Tara Reed

Good vibes needed please! (& the power of asking and trying)

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?
Brand Yourself for Success in Art Licensing – teleseminar by Paul Brent (on Wed, Feb 24th) – we’ve been talking about this for months and now it will be happening!
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!

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

Twittering Leads to a Fun Tour of KATU with a Blog Reader!

How cool is that? Many people who don’t get or don’t like twitter love to use the excuse, “I just don’t care what you had for breakfast.” (I’ll blog more about that later!) They might also say they don’t care what I watch on TV on Sunday night…

But guess what? My tweeting about it led to a blog reader (Susan E) who happens to work at KATU in Portland to email me and ask if I’d like a Brothers & Sisters poster. Well sure! Why not!

Susan was also nice enough to give me, my son & my BF Craig a personal tour of the tv station. I’ve never seen a tv station the way I saw it with Susan! What a great learning opportunity for my 16 year old as well – who decided that none of the jobs he saw looked like good possibilities for his future – so maybe we are narrowing in on a career… or at least checking a few possiblities off the list!

My point in two-fold:

1. You don’t have to Twitter if you don’t like it but you just never know where a random comment could get you! and

2. THANK YOU SUSAN! You were a wonderful tour guide and the gesture was much appreciated.

NOW… where am I going to put my poster????

– Tara Reed

follow me on Twitter.com/ArtistTaraReed

Put in "Twitter Time Out" for Excessive Tweeting! Really!

Oh yeah! This is a badge of honor if ever I created one myself. Let me explain…

I’m a bit chatty… I was never the girl to get in trouble for talking in class, oh no! I was a very well-behaved student. This is the first time that I can remember getting “in trouble” – we’ll call it “Twitter Trouble” for ‘talking’.

It was “The Big Call” with Alex Mandossian and the pre-kick-off party of sorts for the 2009-2010 Teleseminar Secrets season. Last year was the first time I took the class and it has changed my business. (go to TaraRecommendsAlex.com here for those details)

What was so cool was that not only did I learn all these amazing skills for my business, but I could interact and ‘meet’ other students on Twitter as long as I used the #tss hash tag. (That’s how I could find them.)

Well on December 3rd, I was having a great time talking to everyone! Such a great time apparently, that I was told I was shut down for “Excessive Tweeting” and to “check back in a few hours”. HUH? Sounds like social discrimination! Just because I’m a fast tweeter with a circle of friends I’m done!

At first, it was quite stressful. But I had an alternate account – as @MarianSparks said, “no one puts baby in a corner!” and Twitter can try and put me in time out but it wasn’t going to stick!

Now I’m so enjoying sharing the story! I’m beaming with pride! This is fabulous! I think one other person got put in time out too – I’ll have to confirm that with @NewThoughts.

I decided to make a badge, start a club and revel in my ability to out-tweet Twitter. (the rule, it seems, is no more than 150 tweets an hour…)

Feel free to DM me on Twitter if you ever get put in “Twitter Time Out” – you can put the badge on your website or blog and if you ask nice, I’ll send you a button. I’ll also put you on the list of club members.

Here’s to connecting and turning lemons into lemonade! (The lemon being “Twitter Time Out” and lemonade being my “club”)

– @ArtistTaraReed

EXCESSIVE TWEET CLUB ROSTER

@ArtistTaraReed (founding member)
@NewThoughts
@KimBeasley

And here’s a video of my dad’s reaction to my mischief…

Multi-Tasking Social Media just got a little easier…

As you know, I’m a BIG FAN of Twitter. But when Twitter first started connecting with Facebook, it put all your tweets and updates on Facebook and frankly, that is just too much info for the Facebook crowd!

So when LinkedIn said you could now add your Twitter account, my initial reaction was “I tweet too much to do that” and ignored the whole thing. But I got this email the other day and now I get it!

We’re delighted to announce that LinkedIn now works with Twitter. Try these new features on for size:

Make your Twitter account visible on your profile
Use #in or #li to share posts from Twitter to your LinkedIn status
Add the Tweets app to share your Twitter activity on your profile
Get Started
One more thing: Be sure to follow @linkedin to hear about new features, advanced tips, and more.

Best Regards,
The LinkedIn Team

Oh! So ALL my Twitter tweets won’t show up on LinkedIn, just the ones I add #in to… got it. This is good! This will save me time!

And I’m guessing Facebook now has the same deal… that’s probably why I sometimes see #fb on people’s tweets… I need to go investigate that because when you can save time and multi-task some of your social media efforts, you have more time to paint, create and prosper!

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara