One of the keys to building an art business that lasts is cash flow. It takes money to make and market art. And then there is always a waiting period between when money leaves your bank account to pay the bills and when you get income from your efforts to pay yourself.
 
 "If you haven't licensed your art before, you may wonder how long it will take to make money. Of course, it can vary and each artist's experience will differ. But below I have outlined the 7 basic stages that will give an idea of what to expect:

"As you can see by this example, it can take some time to get the money flowing. Sometimes things move faster but I want you to prepare for this type of time line. If you understand it going into it, you are less likely to get frustrated and give up.

"Once you have things in the licensing pipeline, you start to get very excited at the end of each quarter and watch for the mail carrier!

"Some artists will buck this system and seem to become huge overnight. It is easy to become a little envious. One of my clients once told me that in her experience, it is the artists with slow and steady growththat do really well in the long run, many who are overnight successes lose their appeal to consumers just as fast."

So slow and steady wins the race - but you have to start to win.

If you have been following this series, you have already:

Talk back about your licensing experiences and questions by posting a comment here.



P.S. If you want to know "Five Things Artists Should Consider Before Deciding to License Your Art", join me and Tara Reed*  on Wednesday, March 10th at 4:00 p.m. Pacific. Click here to register. If you can't make it, register anyway to get the recording and content outline.

Tara is active in licensing so you will get the latest information and advice that works. After all, we want you to build an art business that lasts and helps you make a better living.

If you prefer learning on your own, check out these resources.


*FTC Disclosure: When we find artists like Tara Reed who have deep, proven experience in a topic that will help you make a better living making art, we put them front and center.  When these fine folks offer services and products that are first class, sometimes we agree to help each other get the word out to you with an "affiliate" arrangement, which means that we will earn a small commission for referring you to their resources. Those are marked with an asterisk.

Thousands of Blogs tell you how to make a better living making art. It's great to have so much free information at your fingertips. Isn't more information what everyone wants? Yes and No.
 
Yes, as long as you can filter what you read for usefulness to you with a questions like these:

• Does the author have experience working with artists like you?
  
  
• If the advice is about painting, will it work for you as a sculptor?
  
  
• Will the information help you solve your art marketing issues?
  
  
• Will applying the information make it easier to run your art business?
  
  
• Will this advice leave more money in your pocket?

No, if you end up in overload - the gap between how much information you find and what it takes to turn it into useful knowledge.

One of my aims is to keep you from feeling overwhelmed and to simplify the business side of art. I don't have experience in every single nook and cranny of the art world. No one does. But I want to answer all of your questions. So I collaborate with art world insiders* with deep "niche" knowledge and experience working with artists.


February Sponsored Spotlight: Art Licensing

Here are three highly recommended resources to help you decide whether or not you should license your art:

Stay warm and dry!



P.S. *FTC disclosure: When we find artists who have deep, proven experience in a topic that will help you make a better living making art, we put them front and center.  When these fine folks offer services and products that are first class, sometimes we agree to help each other get the word out to you with an "affiliate" arrangement, which means that we will earn a small commission for referring you to their resources. Those are marked with an * asterisk on our web site, in ArtMatters! and our tips.

Over 7,000 brands and licenses showed up at last year's Licensing International Expo. The show attracts retailers who are here to find "The next hot property. The next big thing."

Licensing is a way of generating income from your art.

"Licensing art can sound like American Idol™ for art. Put your art on stage and become an overnight sensation! A road to riches, paved with glitz, glamour and lots of cash. When people first hear about licensing, they often hear about the rock stars of licensing. The people making millions that have become household names. Names like Thomas Kinkade, Mary Engelbreit, Debbie Mumm, Paul Brent, Susan Winget and the like.

"This is often what you hear, 'So-and-so's art is on thousands of products each year, selling millions of dollars in retail stores and the artist gets a percentage.' Well yippee! Who wouldn't want to do that?

"But how did those artists get there? There is a lot of work, dedication and persistence that gets you from learning about the industry to becoming a rock star of licensing. Here are three things I recommend artists just learning about licensing do, to decide if licensing their art will be a good fit for their art, their lifestyle and their goals.

1.    "Make sure you like the way the day-to-day job will be. Don't just throw on your rose colored glasses and create. Seeing the end goal is good but if you are unhappy with the way to get from zero to millions (or even thousands) you probably won't get there. Like any business, there are steps to take, things to do on a daily, monthly and yearly basis to move you towards your goal. Things like creating art collections, figuring out what manufacturers license art, contacting them (or finding an agent to do your sales and marketing side), etc.

2.    "Start to think about your art like an artist who licenses. Thinking like an artist who licenses their art is a shift for many people. Unlike creating art to sell in a gallery or commission work, you need groups, or collections, of art to license, not just single images. Think about products you see in stores with art on them, then consider the pieces a manufacturer needs to make it. Take paper party goods for example. The plate might have a central image and a coordinating border around the edge. The napkins have a repeat pattern. The cups have a solid color and bordered edge. Then you might see a few images used for invitations and decorations. So what does the artist provide to the manufacturer to achieve this party collection? What themes do you see over and over?

3.    "Make a plan and create at least a dozen collections to get started. Even if you want an agent, you need to show that you aren't a one-hit-wonder and that you can produce art for licensing again and again. Quality, quantity and speed are three keys to success in licensing. Another reason to create a dozen collections is that during this creation process, you will discover if you actually like thinking and creating like a licensed artist. It isn't for everyone and I believe that there are so many things you can do with art, why not pick something you love and are passionate about?

"When you have your dozen or so collections, start looking for an agent or showing your art to manufacturers. See what they say, listen and adapt."
~Tara Reed

Source: Published with Tara Reed's permission
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tara_Reed

As our affiliate, Tara Reed will be able to answer all of your questions about licensing your work in our upcoming TeleClasses. Tara is active in licensing so you will get the latest information and advice that works. After all, we want you to build an art business that lasts and helps you make a better living.



P.S. If you prefer learning on your own, check out these resources.