Intro to Art Licensing | Part 3
This week is all about licensing agents. Licensing is all around you, and even if you're just learning about it - it's been around for ages. Think about Disney products - whenever someone wants to use Mickey Mouse - they need a license to do so - and you better believe Disney gets a kickback every time (cha ching).
Some examples of licensing include fabric, home decor, greeting cards, stationery, wall art, and more! Because licensing involves a lot of legalities - some artists chose to work with agents. An agent's job is to help advocate for your work - they talk with the client, show your artwork, book you jobs, and negotiate the terms so you can focus on crafting. Sounds amazing right? Well there are pros and cons - as with any path. A pro - is having someone on your side to help you along the way, and take something off your plate. But before you think that the only way to be successful is to work with an agent, I want to remind you that plenty of people are kicking (so much) ass without one. Some of the cons include giving up a (large) portion of your income to your agent. They'll take a percentage of your sales as compensation. It's hard to find the right agent - it should be mutually beneficial and your agent should truly believe in you, your style, and your abilities. It's totally possible to land big name clients on your own - without a well connected agent. You'll need to do your research, and split your time between making, and networking - but you'll keep 100% of your profits. Figuring out the right answer depends on your specific, unique needs and situation.
I'm excited to be teaching a class all about licensing for lettering artists with my friend Katie, called Art Licensing for Letterers!. We both had similar introductions into the licensing world, and are so excited to dive WAY deeper into these topics with you in class. We'll share real-world examples, a peek into our process, and REAL pricing scenarios.
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