What did I learn in "Make Art That Sells"

What did I learn in "Make Art That Sells"?

Oh my heavens. Did I ever learn a ton from "Make Art That Sells" ! I hardly know where to begin.

The number one thing I got out of the class is the deep knowledge that what I need to do with my business is first and foremost the things I love to do. And more than anything, I love art and design. I've known for a long time that I wanted and needed to focus on art licensing, as I've said before, but this class really drove that home for me. At the end of the class, I decided to jump in with my whole heart and soul and registered for SURTEX. It will be my first time exhibiting there, and I could not be more ready and excited. More to come on that in another post... but I'm booth 750 if you will be there!

Other things I learned:

1. Lilla said this over and over... "People buy your joy". And that is so very true. I can say first hand, that the pieces in my fabric lines that gave me great joy to create are the pieces that sell the most. No doubt about it.

2. "Your talent is not finite". Put in your 10,000 hours of practice, and you WILL get good at whatever it is you are trying to do. You may be predisposed to do well at one thing or another, but bottom line is no one ever got really great at anything without working at it. And working and working and working at it.

3. Sometimes my work looks really ugly before it looks great. Don't judge yourself as you create. Keep going and see how it evolves.

4. It is important to create lots and lots of art, icons and motifs before I start arranging it into a composition. The more I have to start with, the better the final work will turn out. i.e.: draw. a lot. all the time.

5. COLOR makes stuff pop. But I knew this one already. You might have noticed... I love color.

6. I had a lot of self-imposed "Can'ts" that I placed on myself... so there was a lot I never tried before. Never again. The second you hear an "I can't" out of me, slap me upside the head, k?

7. You need a support network. Working in a vacuum at home as an artist, it's hard to see the forest through all the trees... if you don't have a support network, get one. The people in the MATS class have become a bit of a tribe for one another through our facebook group. Get yourself a tribe of folks you can trust. Bounce ideas off each other. Give each other a pat on the back. Give one another suggestions to make your work better. Share resources.

8. Submitting work to companies is a numbers game. The more people who see it, the more likely it is that it will be licensed. Get my work seen is top of the list.

Below you will find a list of other MATS students who posted about their experience with the class. Such amazing artists and work! These people have become my tribe and I adore them!