Archive for art licensing
Core values
Core values….those values that keep us focused on what is important. These values are the compass of life and no matter what happens we have our core values to guide us. If we always keep those values in the fore front of our plans, we can’t go wrong.
Dreams can come true and we can keep our core values in tack.
looking back and looking ahead
Reflecting on the past is good; a way to see how far I have come and what I have accomplished. Being honest about the journey….accepting the good and the bad and learning from the experiences. This time of year always makes me do some of that looking back…remembering and reminding myself of my blessings and being kind to myself for my failures and letting go of stuff that I don’t need for the journey that lies ahead. I am thankful for the new year; this chance to grow my art licensing business, learn new skills, accomplish goals, and grow personally.
So I look forward….leaving behind those things that might keep me from accomplishing goals or growing personally. 2010 is a new year of great possibilities and I will find something good in every day. I will look for all the opportunities, walk through the open doors, stay focused on what is important, let go of excess baggage and most of all I will LIVE!
Living the creative life….
I am looking forward to great things in this new year…stretching out ahead is a clean calendar ready to be filled with all things creative. This journey to license my art and live a creative life is continuing and I look forward to what lies ahead.
There is much work to be done in my life this year…many dreams to continue pursuing and opportunities waiting to be explored. So I am pressing forward with a grateful heart in anticipation of good things to come.
I recently discovered this website Craft for Health and today my art and my story are featured on their blog. This is a great site and I look forward to getting to know these two ladies and learning about their work.
Artist Tara Reed http://artlicensingblog.com/ has a great post on choosing a verb for 2010 rather than making resolutions. A great idea…I think I will need more than one verb…create and prepare. Two action verbs that will lead me further on this licensing journey. There are lots of opportunities and I want to be ready for everyone that comes my way!
Live the creative life!
Always learning….never standing still
One of the secrets to achieving my dreams is learning…..finding out everything I can about art licensing, blogging and how to earn a living doing what I love. When I find resources, I love passing that info on to others, who like me, want to live their dream.
So today…I am taking that opportunity to share a great resource.
I have been reading http://katydiddys.blogspot.com/ for quite some time….Laura Bray has a wonderful blog and she is always sharing information and encouragement with her readers.
Recently I signed up for her upcoming eclass: “Multiple Streams of Income”. Information about the class is here http://www.katydid-designs.com/Workshops___Classes.html
Laura has signed up creative experts to share their expertise and I am excited to learn and grow my business.
Go check it out…invest in your dreams!
This photo was taken this morning in my flower garden. I enhanced the photo in Photoshop.
“a wise investment is one that moves us toward where we want to go”. vlos2009
go confidently….
Heading out into the world of art licensing is daunting…there are many words of discouragement along the way. “it’s a hard way to earn a living, the economy is really bad and things are slow…no one is looking for new artists” …these are just a few of the words of wisdom floating around. It is enough to make me wonder what I was thinking when I decided to pursue art licensing? Am I crazy or can this work?
Quite frankly I don’t know what lies ahead….however, I don’t plan on giving up my dream! Some things can be put off or given up….licensing my art is not one of “those things.” Success comes slowly over time through hard work and perseverance. The key is to keep pursuing, never give up.
The first step to achieving a dream is action….do something. For me that means creating art to build a portfolio, developing a brand and researching the licensing markets. All of these are time consuming and will involve lots of work.
My theory in life is simple—I was going that direction anyway so why not work on a dream or two along the way. If I am going to achieve, I must put in the time and work to make the dream happen.
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau
fabric design
I love fabric…all kinds of fabric. My stash is large and it is very hard to pass up buying more fabric anytime I set foot in my local Hancocks or Hobby Lobby, in fact any fabric store works for me…just give me fabric.
Since I have been sewing from an early age…eleven or so…my sewing machine has had lots of fabric pass through the feed dogs….dresses, blouses, slacks, coats, purses, home decor and of course, there are always the patching jobs that seem to fall on me.
Sewing and crafting have been second nature all of my life and I learned through the patience of my mother who along with my grandmother could sew anything they wanted. They both loved quilting and my mother still keeps a quilt in the frame and one or more ready for the frame.
So….fabric has played a big part in my life and walking down the isles touching and seeing the bright colors and wonderful designs is like walking through a candy store for me.
As an artist. one of my goals is to design fabrics….it will happen!
These pictures are of some of the quilts I have inherited from my mother and grandmothers.
Nothing fancy….just scraps from clothing projects or even old feed sacks; however, each stitch lovingly placed by dedicated hands.
creative people
There are many creative people on the web and I love reading the blogs and looking at creative sites. As this site develops I will be featuring other artists who inspire me to keep going after this dream of licensing my art. So many artists are willing to share their knowledge and that really impresses me.
Today the sites I would like to highlight are:
www.artlicensingblog.com This site is a wealth of information and Tara Reed is one talented lady and so sweet to share her knowledge.
www.melodyhogan.com Melody Hogan is a gifted artist and a friend
www.monicalee.typepad.com Monica Lee is another talented artist and her site is always a neat place to visit.
I wish all of these ladies much success as they continue to pursue their dreams.
Live your dream!
