Still here! Barely.  I’m feeling rather like a swollen tomato ready to pop at any moment.  I go to bed every night wondering if tonight is the night…but no baby yet.  Funny how she nearly came 3 weeks ago, and yet we’re still here!

This week I have been able to attend the fantastic BYU illustrators and writers for young readers conference. WOW.  It has been a week long (8am-5pm) intensive workshop/seminar that has given me so much inspiration and motivation to go more into children’s books.  I have been able to meet with editors from Random House, Bloomsbury and Harper Collins who been great mentors and teachers this week. Not to mention the fantastic authors and illustrators who are motivating me to get more involved in the world of children’s literature and art.

The best part has been the workshop I have been able to be a part of every morning for 4 hours with instructor Will Terry.  Will is a very accomplished illustrator for children’s books, and he has really helped me to get a better understanding of how art is applied to children’s books; a very different world then in design or gallery art. And most of that 4 hours has been used to draw and create…a very nice present before baby comes when I will need to take a break for a while!

So, I am still here….with posts lacking due to my body being very focussed right now on other things besides me.  Baby is taking most of my energy, and I can’t wait to meet this little person who gets all the attention at the grocery store and in long lines. She’s a big one she is!

Maybe next post will be an announcement??? Stay tuned.

I have been wanting to start a discussion here for some time, but have been deliberating how to post about it as it seems to be a subject that isn’t talked about much: Protecting your artwork from being copied or closely replicated.  Unfortunately, this is happening a lot in the online art world. How close it too close?

So, Question of the day: How do you protect your art?

First, let’s chat about what you can do to protect your art from being out-right stolen. This should be your first concern.

PROTECTING YOUR IMAGES:

1) Watermark your images.

So many people treat the internet as an image gallery for free use. With a WATERMARK over your potentially downloadable image, you are telling people that the image is yours should not be used for personal or commercial use. You will also prevent people from stealing the image and selling it elsewhere.

2) Post your images as small as you can without losing resolution. As long as your art is not vector art, you should never be saving your images to the web in a size that could be reproduced or used by another person/party.

3) Register your image(s) with the U.S. Copyright office (if you are in the U.S of course). Here is the link to get started.It is easier then ever, and less expensive than it used to be. http://www.copyright.gov/eco/index.html

4)Educate yourself on intellectual property: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property

5) Disable Downloads: if you can, disable your images from being downloaded on the internet. On ETSY, there isn’t control over that, thus the vital importance for your image to be watermarked and protected with a copyright notification.

These steps should be taken First. But what about the fuzzy lines that surround borrowing, adapting and copying? Let’s chat.

PROTECTING YOUR ART, IDEAS, COMPOSITIONS AND STYLE:

1) Doesn’t copyright protect my idea and composition? No. Art and craft is so subjective, and ideas really can’t be copyrighted. Here is what the US copyright office has to say:

“Copyright does not protect ideas, concepts, systems, or methods of doing something. You may express your ideas in writing or drawings and claim copyright in your description, but be aware that copyright will not protect the idea itself as revealed in your written or artistic work.” http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html

2) What can I do when I see someone else coming up with creations obviously similar to mine?

I would love to here your reaction to this, but here is mine. Contact the artist if necessary telling them you are noticing some copying going on. If they still persist, contact them again if you feel you need to. But for me, this is where I stop. You are an ARTIST! You are not a huge million dollar company protecting your branded and patented products. You are just one person with a ba-jillion creative ideas constantly going through your brain. To waste your creative energy by going after a copycat is a waste of that creative energy.

Why?

You are the original creative idea, and have power to always rise above the competition. Competition is good and will most always be there. You can spend your time getting angry, or you can spend your time staying ahead of the game by keeping your art fresh, lively and cutting edge. Most likely if someone is copying you, it isn’t going to be as good as yours nor will it have the LIFE of the BREATH of your creative-from-your-own-gut creation. So leave them alone, and focus on how you can make your creations new and fresh and always ahead of the market.

This leads me to another point:

Keep your own sources fresh and honest. Never let yourself copy another artist’s style unless of course you are using that as a way to learn new techniques and educate yourself. Copying is a good thing for learning how to verse your hand in various art forms and styles. But your work should then take what you learn to a new level, always allowing your own voice to come through. When you choose to copy art as your primary resource, it will be FLAT and will lack the LIFE that really great images require. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap! The moment you are trying to make your creations look like someone else’s, your art will most likely be easy to copy itself. Remember, there was only ONE Rembrandt. He had MANY students, and to this day, experts can’t tell which was a true Rembrandt and which is a student’s hand on a select few paintings. But regardless, there was only one Rembrandt. Do people remember the copycat? No. They never will. Be fresh and mark your own path. Don’t let yourself be a follower.

I love this quote below. It hangs in my studio always reminding me to stick to my own instincts and not be tempted to ride on the coat tails of others:

“You must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

So, there you have it!

My experience is very limited however, and I would love to hear your take on this topic.

What have you done in these situations? What have you done to protect your artwork?

Do tell.

In the mean time, happy art making!

For more GREAT articles on this subject, read here, here , here and here

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have little feet again. What would the world look like if my head was as high as my hips are now. I guess that is why I can’t stop drawing for children…I am constantly curious what they think about when they walk around with those little feet in that magical world of their’s. Sometime’s I remember what it is like, and other times…I have just as much fun imagining. But that’s it: Little feet imagine.

I have kept a little secret for a bit here. I have been doing a lot of illustrating…but instead of for the shop, it has been for my first book! I just got word yesterday that it has been sent to the printers, so it is official!

Here it is!

Full of Life: Mom-to-Mom tips I wish someone had told me when I was pregnant

Written by Nancy O’Dell

illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright

Published by Simon & Schuster

On shelves April 09, 2009

I have goosebumps all over. I haven’t been able to say anything for so long, and it feels so great to finally get this out in the open! Nancy Singer contacted me a while back about working on a pregnancy book, and by December it was official. Nancy O’Dell, the ever popular celebrity icon of Access Hollywood had her first baby over a year ago, and decided to write a book about pregnancy including all the bits no one seems to be writing about. Mom-to-Mom tips she calls it. She has done a great job!

I was committed to illustrating this book long before I knew the author. And then to find out that the author was a huge celebrity…and that I needed to make the illustrations look like her…I knew I was in for a fun adventure. The editors needed black and white chapter headings with a few icons along the way and I had a great time working together with them on the project. I will say, that illustrating a REAL person forced me out of my own personal style a bit (no generic vintage faces here!) But I am glad. I learned a lot a long the way!

I am sold on the author/illustration business. I love designing new products, but book illustration is so amazing…especially when working with a fantastic group of people…all passionate about what they do. I can’t tell you how invigorating it was to get emails first thing in the morning from NYC with tips and corrections that would steer the ultimate vision for the layout. Soon I hope to get more into illustrating children’s books, but until then, I feel really grateful to put my name on a fantastic publication. Thank you Simon and Schuster for giving me my first chance in the industry!

I feel a huge sense of relief that this is all over with. It was a fantastic experience to be illustrating this pregnant woman while I myself was feeling my own baby kick in side me. I had a huge connection to the material which was so magical! (although, depressing at times to think that there are people in the world that DO look that beautiful when 9 months pregnant!)

It sure wasn’t easy, but it was a wonderful challenge! Note to self: DO NOT…and I repeat…DO NOT illustrate a book while throwing up and pregnant, packing up and moving your home, catching walking-pneumonia, taking care of sick children, moving into a new home or over the Christmas holiday. Oh boy. I think I will try and avoid that next time! In this case, miracles happened and now a life long dream of mine has come true….

I am a published illustrator!

(You can see the book online here.)

Yesterday I came across these pictures and just melted. Aren’t they so charming? Who doesn’t love Audrey, and who doesn’t wish they had a pet baby deer?

I was COMPLETELY inspired, and had the spontaneous need to get some sweet Valentine cards in the shop of a much younger Audrey (or whom ever you will) and her dear pet (no pun intended.) So, between packing, shipping, cleaning and errands, I managed to get some new Valentines cards made up. I realize it is a bit late, but I have been rather busy with some other projects I can’t mention just yet.

They will be in the shop tomorrow, with a couple other things I hope. Happy Valentines!!!

We are in the middle of it all at the moment…moving I mean…and though I love the idea of being out, I am not loving the idea of living with boxes and junk everywhere. I do love that I have been able to uncover some things that I have had to put away for a while. My oil paints. After Addie started walking, I realized that I would have to find another way of making merry…thus my present photoshop addiction. But it is in oils that I first started my painting adventures. Sure, drawing is always first. But I was lucky enough to start private art lessons at the age of 10, and after one painting in acrylic, my teacher let me switch over to oils, and I have been hooked ever since. The smell, the feel, the sheen…oil paint is honestly sacred to me:)

I haven’t painted since 3 years ago today when I finished my first and last portrait painting. It was a Christmas present for my husband. I can still remember Addie crawling at my feet while I painted this!

I think that this other painting was also done that same month, my last landscape painting since the day I put my paints away.

And today, when I pulled out my paints from storage, I was wishing I could get my hands dirty again. Messy and DIRTY. Someday! Small space living allows room for the most important things…and someday, this will be important again. But right now, I would rather have my babies crawling at my feet…but oh, the smell of these tubes did give my heart a flutter!

OK. It has been too long since I started a dialogue about the nuts and bolts of having a creative business. Sometimes I don’t really feel like I have much to share, since I learn so much everyday myself. So really, today I want to share some great blogs/write-ups on the topic of PRESS KITS AND PRESS RELEASES.

I am currently working on getting a press kit out, so this has been on my mind lately.

So here is the PR 101

What is a PRESS RELEASE? A written release of news worthy information sent to journalists or media personnel to encourage a story or a write up about the product or event. The release features the who.what.where.why and how of your company in a compelling way and should have some kind of urgency to it. (”my company teaches kids how to make their own dolls” vs. “Teach your child to make their own christmas gifts!”)

**An elevator pitch will help you here!

What is a PRESS KIT? A packaged set of merchandise for members of the media for promotional use. Things to include in your Press Kit:

• Background info on your and your company
• Fact Sheet listing specific features, statistics, or benefits
• Biography of you and other key executives in your company
• Past Press Coverage
• Photos of your products and people involved (high res photos)
• A press release (mentioned above) detailing the current news the media kit is sent in reference to
• Media contact information
• A CD or DVD if it is appropriate for your company
• relevant advertising material, such as: postcard, flyer,etc.

WHY ARE THESE IMPORTANT?

• enables press coverage in a wide variety of magazines and newspapers
• reaches diverse readerships
• possible to get you into really big features

Jaime Lentzner wrote on her blog today about the very topic: PR. She has some great tips about getting your products out there in magazines and other media. It is too good to sum up. read it here:

Bell and Boo mentioned yesterday about how she is busy getting press kits out and mentions to make sure you always follow up, and make phone calls to ensure your products are getting seen.

Startup Princess is chalk full of great marketing resources for Press Releases.

• Here is a fantastic article with inclusions you need to consider in a Press Kit.

At the last Startup Princess Retreat, I learned some new ways to get your Press Release out on the web. Here are THREE big ones:

PR WEB: get your Press Release out to the WWW. Here is more about how it works. It costs a bit, but allows for Maximum distribution to major newspapers, magazine, online distributers, etc. Have yet to try it, but I have heard nothing but rave reviews.

RAMBO:(stands for Reach a Mom Blogger) allows you to pick a category and see if companies have posted an interest in featuring a product and/or service similar to yours. Great way to send samples to magazines and blogs that will feature and your product! Feature of Twittermoms.com

BLOGS/TWITTER/FACEBOOK: Social media outlets there are so many blogs that feature new products daily. Find blogs whose readers would be a good match for your product and offer to send a free sample or offer a discount to the readers. One of the best ways to get your name out there to people who buy online. TIP: blogs run by real people with real interests. Don’t oversell yourself. Twitter and Facebook are a great way to mention updates in your shop that can potentially reach more people than your normal readership. Find the medium that works best for you. I am big on reducing excess computer time. Blogging is my thing, but I am dabbling in others and have been able to make contacts with people I wouldn’t normally get to!

Well folks, there is more. Oh so much more. When I get my press kits done, I am happy to share how they look. Details are everything…and so I am taking my time. But in the meantime…if any of you have anything to add to the discussion, please do! There is so much out there on PR for business, but not a lot on PR for CREATIVE business. Any other tips? Make a comment! Have questions? Leave a comment!

Happy press making!

When I first heard about Stephanie Neilson (the plane crash, the blog, and her amazing family) I immediately noticed a few things. Besides how overcome and impressed I was with her family, I noticed their amazing family pictures they had taken only 3 weeks before the crash. I was smitten by how the photography completely captured the love this family had for each other.

By searching through Nie Nie’s archives, I found the info I had been searching for. Wendy of Blue Lily Photography was the talent behind the lens, she lived in California and she was coming to Utah in October. I couldn’t have felt more lucky. This woman is gold. She is magic even. She had exactly 1/2 hour with our family in the Orchards (she was only in town a few days and had over 35 families to shoot), which frankly I was terrified about (it can take me 1/2 hour to try and get my kids in the car! how could she capture my family in 1/2 hour!)

But like I mentioned before: Wendy is Magic. She LOVES kids and LOVES people and has a gift. These are just a FEW of the pictures I love. I am having the hardest time deciding my favorites!

If you are ever in the market for family pictures, find out her travel schedule. And get a slot FAST! She is quite the popular gal. Check out her blog here. Thanks so much Wendy! We love you to pieces!

In this day an age, we are split doing many things. No longer does the woman stay at home all day with the kids, she is homeschooling; or teaching music lessons from her home; or has a daycare; or she is a soccer coach; or even has a side business. Sometimes I forget all this since it seems times have changed all so slowly. (what? it isn’t 1952 anymore?)

And yet, we still want to dedicate ALL of our time to one thing inparticular. In my case, I want to be COMPLETELY 100% at home, or I want to dedicate an ENTIRE DAY to my art. I have talked about this before: times are different now. We are required to have split focus. I don’t believe that this requires a frantic, A.D.D approach to life. Quite the opposite. It requires us to be FULLY present in what we are doing in the moment. I have found that true satisfaction with a job or task you are doing is to be completely aware of that task (i.e. not coming up with your next blog post while you are feeding your children dinner…just feed your kids dinner, and enjoy the experience!)

Since our lives are scattered between so many things, being present is even more important. And also that much more difficult. Take being in a yoga class for instance. What is the main focus? Listening to your breath. The simplest most basic of functions can be one of the hardest to become aware of. Yet when we do allow our minds to only sense what it going on in ONLY that second, there is an incredible sense of wholeness and fullness.

Same thing applies to our multi-tasking. We must be living in the present in every task we are accomplishing to achieve that same sense of wholeness and wellness. And again…one of the most challenging things to accomplish. But during dinner I was thinking about the crisis of going to the post office yesterday and forgetting it was Veterans day which means my customers will get their packages a DAY late. By dwelling on that, dinner was a chore rather than a moment to connect! (I did realize my flaw early on, and completely enjoyed my husbands made-from-scratch lasagna…yummy:)…and seeing my daughters new found love of mozzarella cheese). But my point is, just because we multi-task doesn’t mean we have to think about all things all the time. Quite the opposite. We must think about one thing at a time, and trust that will be enough.

I didn’t think this post would be as long as it is: but my thoughts this morning were prompted by a blog post I read from a retailer of mine in the UK, Livy & Me. She admitted to going into teaching full time this year, and wanted to tell her customers (she is the owner of Livy & Me: unique baby gifts) that her store would still be going strong. She also referenced a site that caught my attention: Business run by humans: a site deticated to REAL LIFE PEOPLE running REAL LIFE BUSINESSES (which is most of us I think).

People aren’t going to get a recording when they call you, they aren’t going to get a template email…they are going to get YOU. And YOU is a busy multi-tasker full with many other facets of your life: something that you should be proud of…not stressed about. It also causes problems…like a few weeks ago when I was really sick, and spent the afternoon in the hospital…business slowed down a bit. And I had an upset customer. But once she knew I was REAL, and REAL LIFE happens, things were cool.

Being real for your customers is as important as being real for your spouse, or kids, or friends. So in a sense, what we do all day DOES fall under one umbrella: Being REAL. And oh, what a gift that is! And it can infact be a wonderful experience…but only when we take it one at a time, and live completely in the moment of what we are doing NOW. NOW is REAL. So, enjoy the now, and you will enjoy it ALL!

Happy thoughts and love!

xoxo

Sarah Jane

{Sorry! no pictures today! my picture insert button is asleep or something…guess that makes me real!}

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

Thomas S. Monson

Oh how true!!! The total chaos around the house (like Ian pulling out the entire roll of toilet paper and his new found skill of sneaking utensils out of the kitchen and putting them in the washing machine) is simply physical proof that I live with angles. Funny angels. Clever angels. Know-how-to-push-me-to-my-limit angels…but angles. Oh…I wish they could just stay tiny forever! I just hope that when we are all big and fat and old, that we will still love each other just as much…maybe even more. But I sometimes find that hard to imagine! Just stay little!

Have you ever tried Googling that phrase? I have. I know. A little embarrassing. But the truth is, you can’t really find an answer to that question. Experience is the only teacher.

Well, I guess if you googledd that phrase now, you would find this.

I was invited to be a guest blogger at Le Papier Studios, (A DARLING shop by the way…get your christmas goodies here!) and I spilled the beans about balance, and life and priorities and trying to live all three roles.

Something I hope to learn more about everyday. Life is meant to be lived…and when life is busy, there is no reason you still can’t enjoy it all. So…here is my two cents on the subject. (Ok…more like 10 bucks…it is a bit long, but then, couldn’t we all write novels on this subject?)

Enjoy!

Since we are getting our place ready to sell, I realized I don’t really have any decent pictures of my Addie and Ian’s room. It is quite a tight space: all of their toys, clothes and beds fit into this little space that I can’t even take a full picture of because I can’t stand back far enough! But Small Spaces require creativity, which is my favorite kind of problem to handle.

Details:

- “Manners can be Fun”: Anthropologie. Published in 1936. My mother used to read this to me, and I am sure her mother read it to my mother. Fantastic illustrations. We bring this down when the kids need a little more reenforcement besides mom and dad.

- “The LIttle House” is on my top 5 children’s books of all time. If you haven’t read this, you need to.

- Letter A: from Anthropologie. On sale for $6

- Toad likes to hang out up here, but he often comes down to play.

- Wooden display cabinet I hand painted a while back

- Babaar print: We purchased a print while in France at a flea market. I am sure you can get them in the states though. I just liked the size…and that it was from Provence.

- IKEA shelves are a lifesaver. Not only do they fit everything, but they are square. I like squares. And White.

-The felt Crowns are from Cakies. We love these!

-Vintage alphabet poster $4 at a book arts paper store

There are more details I didn’t catch here…but all the more reason for me to take pictures when we move into our new space!

Categories: just for kids, my family, on being an artist
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