Licensing workshop and Surtex/Stationary Show

Last weekend I took Cheryl Phelps' art licensing workshop in NYC. Cheryl is pretty much a guru in the world of licensing and greeting cards—and I had always heard that she was an incredible speaker. I'm so happy I took it; She shared an insane amount of helpful information about getting started in the industry and marketing your work for product/packaging usage, and I left feeling super inspired.

In the last few years—as I've listened to feedback on my work from art directors—I've begun to realize the potential life my style could have in the licensing world, but was kind of overwhelmed at the sheer idea of getting into it. Seems so vast and foreign—I didn't know where to even begin to look for more information about how to get started. So, this was a perfect intro for me. She shared info, tips, and even contacts—and all in such a clear, non-intimidating way. I definitely have some ideas now about how to gear my work toward this, and who I want to work with in this market.

The workshop also coincided with the Surtex and National Stationary Shows in NYC. I'd always heard that these are the shows to be in as a licensing artist, but I never actually fully understood how it all worked or what it was all about. So, the day after the workshop I stopped by the Javitz Center to check it out, and now really have a much fuller sense of the industry as a whole. I definitely would like to make a real plan to begin to persue the field over the course of the next year—and see if I can add licensing/product illustration & greeting cards/stationary to my resume in the near future!