Ready to License Your Art?
Welcome back! This week, we’re diving into one of the most popular ways to make money from your art. It’s called Licensing. If you missed last week's video where I gave you an overview of the surface design industry and what we’re covering over the next several weeks, go back and watch it.
Today's topic is licensing which essentially means you're renting your designs to a company and they're putting those designs on products that you've approved. You get paid a licensing fee based on how many of your products sold.
Licensing is a very important category to become knowledgeable about, so I've got three tips for you, but the first point I want to address is that you need to BE PATIENT when you want to go the licensing route because it takes time.
Briefly, you’ll have to pick an industry that you think your designs would be really good in. Identify companies in that industry that will be the best ones for you to target. Create a completed portfolio so that when you decide what companies you want to approach, you have something to show them. Also, you’ll need to start to build your network so that you know who the Art Directors are at those companies. The Art Director is the decision maker so they are the specific person you need to get to know.
My three tips for you are to:
#1 - Pick one industry to start.
You need to choose one industry to start. This is where creatives can get stuck because there are so many options! The key is to move forward and pick an industry that you’re super passionate about. Getting licensed takes time. You need to be willing to do the work required to identify companies inside that industry that will be the right fit for you. Staying focused on just one industry to start sets you up to make progress more quickly than a scattered and disorganized approach.
#2 - Develop a compelling portfolio.
Keep making tons of art. This is important because your signature style will emerge and become more evident. And the more art you have, the more you can hand pick the best of the best to put into a gorgeous portfolio. Your portfolio becomes your business card that you use when you’re ready to approach companies. Fill it with your most beautiful work to showcase both your style and your skills as an artist.
#3 - Build your network.
There are many ways to build your network of contacts. You can use LinkedIn, which has a search function that helps you find people based on their job function. You can also go to trade shows as a member of the audience and visit all of the key company booths to collect business cards. Don’t overlook doing research online and visiting other artists websites to see what companies they are working with. Frequently the name of the company is listed alongside examples of their licensed work.
To learn more about Licensing, my friend Juliet Meeks is running a free 5-day challenge called Get Ready to License right now. Click HERE to sign up. It’s only available for a few more days so don’t miss it.
Don’t forget to pop over to my YouTube channel to watch the video version of this blog. Click HERE and please subscribe while you’re over there.
I’ll see you next week.
xo,
Anne
Discover how to Craft a Career You Love in Surface Design by downloading my free ebook HERE.
Have fun and I’ll see you next week.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
