We’ve been covering a lot of territory lately; woke up yesterday
in Nashville (kinda sounds like a country song…), our last stop on a big swing
that took us up through the Carolinas, across Tennessee, down through Atlanta
and back to Florida. Contrary to what one may think, this Fall down time between the shows
is also a great time to visit your clients on THEIR turf – most of the new
product is underway and they are not wrestling with pre or post show art
planning. If you really want understand their end of the business, there is no
better way than a walk through the factory or warehouse. We also find these
trips very energizing from a creative standpoint – nothing like exploring a few
acres of a busy textile plant to get you thinking about your product. Sounds
weird but it’s true. We also managed to spend a couple days in Ashville absorbing
music and art (it comes from all points there), and then a few more days in Nashville
exploring “Music City”, the history of country music and the current honky-tonk
scene.
Why tell you this, and what does it have to do with art licensing?
Well, everything. Ours is a business in flux, much has changed
in the last few years and no one can really be sure where it will end up even
in the near future. Message and connection have supplanted the pretty picture in
our business, and artists who can offer a new and innovative viewpoint will
have the greatest success. The A+B=C path just isn’t working anymore, so I
think it can be beneficial (necessary?) to take a step back from that and think
in more general terms about living a creative life – how is it done in other
disciplines, what does it entail, how does one succeed, how did other people do
it?
You don’t need to write a novel, sculpt from stone or sing
rock-a-billy to appreciate the struggles and successes of the artists who HAVE done
those things – however I can guarantee that the more you learn about their
craft the better you will become at yours.
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