Artists, Get Off Yer Butt!

As artists we often talk about how we flex our creative muscles, and we know that learning a new digital painting program is a good mental work out. We practice our chops to keep our drawing skills strong. When we want to strengthen them, we take a class or experiment with new and different techniques. Basically we dedicate ourselves to our creative fitness. But as artists, it's also necessary to keep our physical fitness in check too.

If you look through my house, you'll see an assortment of dumb bells, exercise dvds, and yoga mats. It may be that I'm one of those lucky people for whom working out is a something I really enjoy. I can't say it's always easy, and that sometimes I lack motivation. But I enjoy a good brisk walk, a day out mountain biking, an hour of Yoga, and of course, dance classes (no, not all in one day;). And I don't just do it to watch my weight, I do it because I want a body that can support the weight of my busy life as an artist.

So here's some things I recommend for working out, and how it's good for those of us who spend most of our day standing on our feet painting or bent over a drawing desk or computer. Ouch, my back hurts just thinking about it.

Ballet - Most dance studios offer adult beginning ballet classes. No, you won't be a room full of fairy-like five years olds in tutu's. Just adults! How is ballet helpful to an artist? It will give a real sense of what it feels like to move your muscles and limbs in ways you never imagined. Becoming more aware of how the body moves by experiencing it yourself through a dance class can immensely help your figure drawing. And it'll improve your flexibility too, which we start to lose as we age.


Cardio Kick Boxing- THIS is a challenging work out, folks, no lie! But it's great because it REALLY strengthens your legs. When you're standing for long hours at your drawing table, your easel, or perhaps standing on your feet all day painting kids faces at a birthday party, your legs will thank you for suffering through it! And if you happen to be an art teacher to grade school kids, it'll give you the endurance to keep up with them!

Yoga- If you want to develop your balance, your posture, AND learn some breathing techniques, this will do it. Yoga will teach you how to stay present and aware,and to breath through tough situations, which will help you stay cool and calm when a pushy client wants more changes to the art than what you had agreed on. And he wants them yesterday.

Hiking- Ahh, the great outdoors! There's nothing like being one with nature! Not only does nature inspire some serious creativity, it also gives you a chance to escape the fumes of your oil paints and the dust from your pastels (not to mention some much needed time AWAY from the computer). Your lungs will thank you.

Pilates - Pilates strengthens your core and lengthens your limbs. It not only improves your posture and how you carry yourself, it'll help you stand tall and confident when your'e meeting with clients.

Group Sports - Many artists spend a LOT of time working alone in their studios, which can get a little lonely day after day. And we also tend to spend an unhealthy amount of time in online communities, which though beneficial to networking, isn't quite as good for developing people skills in the real world. Playing softball or volleyball will not only keep you fit, it'll provide some much needed real-life social interaction with other people. You can Tweet about it later;)

Being an artist is physically demanding. We stand on our feet all day at our easels, or worse, we are seated all day at the drawing desk or in front of computers. For me, exercise has added to my life as an artist, and I would go so far as to say my art would probably suffer if I didn't have some kind of exercise routine, even if it's just going for a walk when the creative juices stop flowing as they sometimes do. I know that's it not easy to begin an exercise program of any kind if you've never done it before. Even if you start by taking a walk to the park, your body will thank you for it.

What kind of exercise do YOU do and how does it help your creativity? Let's talk about it and get each other motivated!

Women Who Rock! Interview with Licensing Expert Tara Reed

As part of my new, ongoing interview series with women who I think ROCK, I'm chatting with art licensing expert Tara Reed. Aside from being incredibly creative, Tara has also launched an impressive online presence to teach artists about the business of licensing. If you've ever been curious about how it's done, how YOUR designs can go from sitting in your studio to getting placed on product whether its home goods, paper products, or children's toys, Tara Reed knows how it's done because she's DONE IT and she's willing to teach you! I can tell you from personal experience that she's a joy to know and she really cares about empowering artists to reach their personal goals, from the creative standpoint as well as the business side of things. So without further ado, please grab a cup o' coffee (or tea;) and enjoy my interview with Tara Reed. She rocks!!


Hi Tara and thank you for taking time to chat with me. To get get started, can you tell us a little about your background in art?

No art school for me! Just arsty. I actually have a degree in Marketing from Penn State and went into sales after college. Got married, had a baby, became a stay-at-home mom / corporate wife. My then-husband changed jobs a bit climbing the corporate ladder so we moved every 3-4 years. My creative outlets included decorating the house, having great kids parties where I would make everything from invitations to decorations to piñatas, and I also got into scrapbooking.

My first ‘professional’ art job was designing things for the scrapbooking industry – working as a “Creative Alliance Partner” for EK Success. (That was their term for licensor I guess.) I then worked with Simple Scrapbooks Magazine for 2 years as a Contributing Editor – designing, creating & teaching classes and writing – pretty much whatever I was asked to do.

In 2004 I learned about the wider-world of licensing and exhibited at my first trade show – Licensing International Expo. At the same time I was also going through a divorce and had to decide to really go for it or get a more traditional job with a boss and benefits. I am SO HAPPY that I went out on the limb since I love what I do and wouldn’t have it any other way!

You’re a sought after talent in the world of art licensing. For readers not familiar with art licensing, can you describe a bit more what it is and what you do?
There are 3 basic ways manufacturers get art to put on their product – they either have employees who create it, they buy art outright from artists (meaning they pay a set amount up front and buy the copyrights to the art as well) or they license art.

Licensing is a contractual agreement permitting a company to use art on their product, for a period of time, for a % of sales. The artist retains the copyright to the designs and can grant other companies permission to use the same art on different products. So ideally you get paid by several people for the same art.



How difficult or easy was it for you to begin licensing your art? How did you decide to begin licensing your art?

I was badgered into licensing. ☺ A friend who also worked in scrapbooking went to the National Stationery Show in 2003 and called me. She told me she was in this show called “SURTEX” where artists were showing their work and manufacturers were looking for art. She thought I should try it.

I told her she was crazy, I wasn’t good enough, and all the other self-doubt / big fear things that can come up for a person. She kept talking about it so I finally gave it and said, “OK, let’s check it out.” We shared a booth at that first show in 2004.

It took time to learn what people were looking for, how to design for products other than scrapbooking and how to interact with the manufacturers. But once I got started I was hooked. It was so freeing artistically not to have to ask yourself, “What are people taking pictures of and what do they need for their scrapbook?” Whole new themes and applications opened up and I wanted to design EVERYTHING!


When I first saw your site, the first thing I wanted to know what your designs have been used for. Can you tell us about that?

My art has been on all sorts of things – I have quilt fabric collections in independent stores around the world. I have done a lot of rubber stamps that have been sold in Hobby Lobby, Michaels and independent stores. Ceramic dishes, garden flags, coasters, art prints, calendars, wrapping paper, gift bags and greeting cards… a little bit of everything really! I don’t always know where they are sold but I’ve seen my designs in Ross, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Fred Meyer, Kroger Stores, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JoAnn Fabric and more.


What do you use to create your designs?

I hand paint 95% of my art with watercolors and then scan and manipulate it in Photoshop. I love the feel of playing with the paint and water – it calms me when I’m stressed and just makes me happy! I don’t know that I will ever go all digital but never say never, right?

You’ve made a business of teaching artists about art licensing. What made you decide to begin teaching aspiring artists about art licensing? Did you have any mentors as you were learning the business of art licensing? How and where can artists learn about art licensing with you? Will you be speaking at any upcoming trade shows?
As I mentioned before, I used to create and teach classes when I was working with Simple Scrapbooks Magazine and had done so locally as well. I considered becoming a teacher when I was younger – I’ve always enjoyed it and am told I’m not half bad which certainly helps!

When I was totally focused on building my art licensing business, I missed the interaction you get from teaching and speaking and knew I’d find a way to get it back in my life at some point.



Having the business background definitely helped me on the business side of my own business and I was asked a lot of questions when I was at trade shows. The licensing industry is a very niche market and there weren’t many resources to learn the ropes. There are classes at trade shows but they require travel, hotels, and the cost of the class. I worked with a consultant for two years who helped me learn more and focus my energies. In 2008 I was interested in internet marketing and decided it could be a cost-effective and new way for artists to learn without the huge expense.

A year later, I have written 5 eBooks for artists interested in licensing, have done a few teleseminars including one on Goal Setting for Artists, do monthly “ask” calls where I answer questions submitted by artists. Paul Brent, an industry veteran, is also participating and sharing his years of experience – it’s quite an amazing resource and I’m still pinching myself that it’s happening!

The main website that links to everything offered is:

www.ArtLicensingInfo.com

I don’t have any speaking engagements lined up at this point but expect to teach at SURTEX again next year… stay tuned!

Thank you so much, Tara, for taking time to talk with me. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you Cyn! I’m always honored to be asked to share and thrilled for artists to learn a little more about licensing. It isn’t for everyone which I think is an important lesson to learn before you put a lot of time and energy into something. That is what I try and explain in my “How to Get Started” eBook… artists can get the first chapter free by going to www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/freebie.html

I also love to connect so here are some places people can do that as well:

www.twitter.com/artisttarareed
www.facebook.com/artisttarareed
www.linkedin.com/in/artisttarareed

July Recommended Book

Every month I'm going to recommend a book that I love. Last month I recommended a book about character design. This month I'm going to suggest you have a peak at "I'm Really Not Tired", a picture book written by Lori Sunshine (what a great name!) and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler.

"I'm Really Not Tired" is a story about Samuel McKay, a little boy who is determined to find out exactly what goes on in the house when he goes to bed. Certain he's missing out on a lot of fun (and ice cream), he recruits his favorite teddy bear Petey to help him sneak out of his room at night and discover what they're missing.

This book is written in rhyme, which is much harder to do than you'd think (if you ever tried writing a picture book in rhyme, I'm sure you'd agree). The story is not forsaken for the sake of rhyme- there's plenty of story here. And the words flow like butter, the true sign of a well written rhyming story. Parents will have fun reading this book to their kids.

The illustrations in this book are stunning. Each spread is detailed in just the right places to let the reader and the child pause and dive in to the images. It's clear the artist felt very connected to the story, and with his skilled hand, manages to take us all back to the age or time when we were 5 years old and determined to keep ourselves awake with our own imaginings.

Together, the author and illustrator have created a delightfully fun book which takes you along on Sam's imaginative, sometimes funny, nighttime journey. I loved this book!

Click to see at Amazon.com

Illustration Friday- HOLLOW

It's been a few months since I've drawn anything for Illustration Friday. Since I wanted to do some warm up sketches before digging into the meat of my drawing today, I did this quick 20 minute concept sketch for today's theme, which is Hollow. That's the truly great thing about IllustrationFriday.com. You don't have to post finished masterpieces or detailed studies. You can if you want, but you can also just let the theme serve to inspire a quick doodle. Sort of a way to get the creative juices flowing. And I don't know about you, but by the time Friday rolls along, I can use all the inspiration available! I want to develop this concept further by including some other animals who are intent on making this boy's quiet time a sheer nightmare by stealing his books, running off with his flashlight, maybe even setting a trap for the boy to trip on, who knows. Yet the boy is mesmerized by his book and fully intent on getting to the last page in spite of the mischief makers trying to distract him. Whether I finish this sketch remains to be seen. But it sure felt good to inspired by "Hollow"! I hope you give IF a try too.