Last Wednesday night, the 17th of March, I did an interview (click here to listen to the full interview) with the delightful Tara Reed of www.artlicensinginfo.com. It was a question and answer about licensing and apparently she had a lot of people with a lot of questions! We were only able to cover about 12 of them, but it was very interesting for me to rethink this subject again. Licensing has changed so much since I first got started that it’s practically an entirely different business now. As with many other industries, technology has altered EVERYTHING. For the better, mostly, but since anyone and everyone can now show and sell on the internet, it makes it a little harder to stand out in the crowd and be able to actually make a living in art licensing.
One of the most commonly asked questions is “Should I get an agent?” An agent is an excellent way to get your foot in the door at companies you otherwise would not be able to access. Agents worth their salt know the right people to talk to the first time, so you’re not wasting your time. And as long as the agent is actively working for you (and by that I mean staying in touch with the people who can keep your program going once initial contact has been made), then they’re worth their weight in gold. If you agree upon a fee up front to just have an agent get you in the door, that’s one thing (If you do that, you, or someone on your team, better have the organizational skills to manage the program because it is an astounding amount of work if you don’t want it to just be a flash-in-the-pan program). If you agree to a percentage of the whole program because supposedly the agent will be managing everything, you will still need to stay on top of things to make sure everything is being taken care of. Make sure in your contract with the agent that you have an exit plan in writing in case things don’t go as planned.
Remember, your art work is the reason you are all gathered together there– DO NOT UNDERVALUE IT. And do not assume that just because you have a signed contract with an agent or a manufacturer or retailer that all will go smoothly now and you can just step back, make art and not worry. You have to stay informed and you have to make sure people honor the agreements you’ve made with them.
The other piece of advice I always offer is GET AN ATTORNEY. One who is well-versed in intellectual property law. Preferably not a friend or relative. And I don’t care if you’re going into business with your very bestest friend or even your own mother– get a contract spelling out everybody’s jobs, obligations, and exit plans. If your soon-to-be business partner balks at this, you need a different business partner.
If I sound grim, it’s because I’ve been through some grim times with just these kinds of problems and I want you to avoid them! And of course, most of my business life has been wonderful and yours will be too, with a little common-sense business planning up front. The bottom line is we’re all extremely, unbelievably lucky to be doing this for a living in any way, shape, or form, so HAVE FUN! …Just as soon as you get that contract signed.
~Mary
P.S. Going forward, I’m putting a permanent link on our website to Tara’s website, www.artlicensinginfo.com, for anyone who is looking for advice on art licensing. You can also check out Tara’s other great sites, like http://artmarketingwithtara.com/ and http://www.tarareeddesigns.com/, for more useful info and to see her own wonderful artwork. She’s a busy lady!
Hi Mary:
I bought a cast metal bookend with your design Life is Just A Chair of Bowlies. It looks old but I wish to know how old it is. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing all your amazing information with us!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary,
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this call and want to not only thank you for sharing your time and expertise… but also thank you for being you.
When I was a little girl, I remember seeing your art every where and thinking to myself – that’s what I want to do when I grow up. I knew at a young age I wanted to do something with art as a career and your products inspired me to believe it was possible. However until recently (and thanks to Tara) I didn’t even know art licensing existed. (I’ve worked in other arenas – professional doodler is my official title).
Listening to the call last week, that motivation was reinforced once again. Being able to hear about your success – listening to a real, genuine individual is invaluable. We all have our own paths to walk, but knowing we all have the same struggles, concerns and passion for creating makes reaching our potential that much more of a believable vision.
I know it sounds corny, but for me, not realizing what you did to get where you are, just knowing your name and that you were a successful artist, and then hearing your story, live… was the closest I’ve been to having coffee with a celebrity.
Thank you for taking the time to share!
That is so informative. Thank you!
I REALLY miss your magazine. Always my favorite.
-Trish
Mary,
I just got through listening to the podcast with Artist Tara Reed. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and advice with us. It truly gives me hope that I can do this. I am glad to know that you like to stay up late and draw until 1 or 2 in the morning. I do this, too! Crazy, but like you, I just can’t seem to do it during the day. Also, I love what you say your tagline would be, “go away and let me draw!” Love that!
I have been exploring the idea of art licensing, but still doing my homework. I can say from experience that NO business is “peas and carrots” all the time. You are going to have a few bumps in the road. My best advice is to love what you do and draw because you love it. I recently blogged about this a few weeks ago.(www.ladypaintsalot.blogspot.com) The title was “Love what you do!” I know that it will not be easy, but because I love it I will make it work. I, also appreciate your comment, “we are very lucky to be doing this for a living.” We are, and even if I don’t draw for a living I will draw because I love it and I am passionate about it. Again, Thanks for your advice and for inspiring other artist to keep plugging along! Keep creating the cute stuff! ~Carmen b.
P.S. If you start twittering…my twitter name @carmenbrunson. I would certainly like to tweet with you…I am a complete twitter addict! Get an Iphone. I put my on the table while I am working and just tweet when possible. Really, it does not require a lot of computer savvy and we will be glad to help you learn it!
Mary,
I have a rag type doll “Sailor Girl,” No. 1310, Style No. 0152.
i bought it in 1988 or 87 before I ever heard who you were.
I love this doll. She has brown yarn hair and sailor dress with
straw hat and glasses drawn on her face.
I cannot find any collector information about this doll.
She was produced by Star Shine, Inc.
Can you give me some place to research or any information?
I have many of your products.
Fondly,
Joyce Ridge
Hi Mary,
Your post summarizes and reinforces some of the most relevant points from your recent conversation between you and Tara Reed:
• As artists we should never undervalue our work.
• It is crucial to have the help of a lawyer and pay attention to contracts and what we are asked to sign.
• What to expect if we want to be represented by an agent.
Your shared experiences in the business of being an artist and making a living at it can help many of us conduct our own business professionally and save ourselves a lot of grief.
Thank you for agreeing to the talk with Tara and for writing this post. And thank you also to Ellen Crimi-Trent for adding her own insightful comment.
Leyla Torres
This is awesome of you! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you Mary for taking the time to talk with Tara. Tara does such a fantastic job of being a source of information and it was a real gem to have you as her guest last week. I have admired your work for years and can’t thank you enough for your generosity in sharing your expertise.
Just wanted to say “Thanks!” to Mary (and Tara, too!) for that great interview and I really appreciate the generous give and take of information and inspiration, not to mention encouragement and a few giggles.
Mary,
I’m not an artist though I have heard great things about you through Tara. I love your art as well as hers and it’s great to have such a powerful team of positive women come together to share the best ways to be successful and cheer eachother on! Congrats on your excellent interview. You and Tara are both heart-centered and offer peace of mind to artists everywhere!
Kelly
Thank you, Mary, for donning your business hat and making your beautiful work accessible to many while also being profitable to you. You’re setting a great example for artists. And an even better example for punsters like myself with your “Engelblog.”
Thank you, Tara, for conducting and sharing the interview.
Cheers,
Alice
Mary -
It was a pleasure and honor to get to interview you last week. Your candid comments and advice were much appreciated by all – the fact that you, too, work into the wee hours gave others (including me!) hope and an example to throw out there when told to stop. “If Mary Engelbreit works at night, it’s ok for me too!” (Haven’t said it yet but it’s in my back pocket!)
And yes, the more educated artists are about royalties, rights and the legal side of things, the better it will be for all of us.
Thank you again for sharing your time and expertise with us. Of course let me know if you want to do it again!
– Tara Reed
WOW! Thank you so much! This is awesome information!
m ^..^
I feel badly for all of us who do artistic work. Mine is stolen daily. Whole excerpts from my website taken without permission and posted as the other person’s work. No credit even given and ads sold to make money off those pieces. So I understand. I had to fight for my own name for the past year. Just got my url back.
Hugs to all of you,
Anna
Hi Mary,
Sorry I missed the interview.. but I am sure it was great. As a fellow artist who has been licensing for over 12yrs I can tell you the business sure has changed and not for the better. I am sure you told them to be tough and not give into companies trying to basically “rape” you of your due pay. so many companies are now trying to get people to sign over their rights and make them “exclusive” today that I just wanted to put my sense in over hear and tell fellow artists Don’t give in! Stand your ground!! I even after all my years of doing this business has had a pretty big shake down in the past couple of weeks. I turned down two major opportunities because the contracts were just horrible.
I am never signing over my work to anyone and I will never let these people think they can bully me because the economy is weak and they think they can get away with it. Do I sound angry? Well yeah.. I find it disgusting at how these companies think they can take advantage of artists, and those who are starting out might not see it as a disadvantage and sign on to such horrible contracts.
I am hoping that those who go into this business really do their homework, find out the standard of royalites and percentages and please never let them talk you into giving them your rights.. you are basically giving them your livelyhood away!!
You are not sounding grim you are being truthful and those who are aspiring to do licensing should thank you for your honesty! I recall a very popular blog that I gave comments on last year about Surtex and everyone called me a negative person when all I was doing was giving advice. It does no one good to hand hold when you are trying to make a living and those who only want praise and not facts are depriving themselves of an opportunity to really learn something.. so good for you!!
Plus hey I am who I am a person who tells it like it is.. I just have no time for beating around the bush as they say.
Ellen