As you may already know, Borboletas is my trademark for the reproductions of my art; ceramics, mixed media and any other mediums. I am working to have a good branding that will propel my art to a new level. I am seriously considering licensing as you read on my last two posts. I need to get focused to make this happen. Eight years ago I sold eleven of my ceramic designs to be cast and reproduced in resin. They were easily sold because it was a big company with an excellent marketing strategy. That was when licensing was something completely unknown to me. Not that I was not dreaming about that kind of business. I remember looking through a Spiegel Catalog and daydreaming of one of my ceramic pieces selling there. Now, after two years connected with a group of creative artists from the whole world I have learned a lot about this licensing business.

I am a amazed by all the information I have gathered in the past two years just because I bought two books that changed the way I was seeing my artful life. They were Taking Flight: Inspirations + Techniques to give your creative spirit wings, by Kelly Rae Roberts and Collage with Color by Jane Davis. Jane is also a ceramist and is now a licensed mixed media artist and a writer of some amazing books on Collage Painting and Ceramics. Today I am celebrating, along with 700 or more “flyers” the first anniversary of our common E-Course that has changed almost all of us. This E-Course was created, too, by the amazing Kelly Rae Roberts. She managed to give us everything she has learned to get your creative business in the place you always dreamed it could be. She is a living proof of everything she taught us. We call ourselves “flyers” because the course name was “Flying Lessons: Tips and Tricks to make your Creative Biz Soar”. You can see at the side of my blog page a link where you can buy the E-Book with everything we learned in the E-Course.

Maybe now I have the answers to many questions around my art career… just maybe… but I have a good feeling that I am on the right path. I am determined to live as an artist and to take my art to the place I want it to be. Licensing is an option but it is not the only one. We have the opportunity to choose what is the best path for each one of us. The important thing is to be honest with ourselves, to listen and trust our inner self, to do what we love….with passion, to focus and work hard.

I love when customers say that my art makes their home joyful, or that they smile when they see it or they love having a “Borboleta”. I am humbled to those comments but I enjoy each one so much. Those comments make me feel I have something to give, and maybe that is a Smile… Then, along with the logo with the butterfly or “borboleta” I will attach this tag line, “Art that makes you Smile”. I am committed to always remember that tag line in my daily creative process and this way… I will always Enjoy the Ride!

To celebrate this amazing year of online friendship connecting, learning, deciding, enjoying, sharing, loving, embracing, trusting…Today, May 30 2011, I made this new mixed media. ….another bicycle but this time I can see each one of us riding this whimsical bicycle, as the birdie, juts letting LOVE leading our way….and This is for You…My flying Friends from all over the world….

With LoVe,

Elizabeth

As I was entering the Jacob Javits Convention Center for SURTEX I felt excited for what I was going to see. The first booth was Jonathan Adler’s. I used to match Jonathan’s trademark with white or gold ceramic sculptures like cats or elephants or “crazy” things. Can you believe the same workshop reproducing his ceramic work was working with some of my ceramic designs, too? I did not finished an agreement because the costs were too high for the market I was targeting. What I found was a huge line of stationary items with Jonathan Adler’s name in it. Now I can see, I am not alone. I can’t stay making just ceramics, or work on the same theme, or make the same piece over and over again. I love change, i love variety, I love colors, I love experimenting with different mediums and themes…It was great to see a lot of artists working in different mediums and markets.

Then I saw Curly Girly in a booth just by herself, not in the licensing area….in the sellers area, with a variety of products….Amazing. And then….Vera Bradley…Do you remember when she started this journey…now her designs were in a huge booth…so beautifully decorated. I visited Jessica Swift’s booth because she was the one Kelly Rae Roberts interviewed in the ecourse Flying Lessons I participated last summer. I talked to her and she told me it was a great idea to just walk the show first. She was very brave and went there for the first time last year. Now she was back with a lot more to show and with a lot more confidence. I also visited Tara Reed’s booth, lovely…so sorry I couldn’t meet her. I left my post card and she sent me a twitter message later…”I am sorry I missed you”. So nice of her!

The show has a lot of booths and one can easily get overwhelmed and tired. I talked to a few “new” participants, some in the licensing area and some in the sellers area. I received a lot of encouragement for some participants. The most frequent advice was…YOU HAVE TO BE HERE NEXT YEAR… A lovely lady with a beautiful coastal art (i am so sorry I lost her business card) encouraged me to wait until next year before looking for an agent. She even told me this: “You will get a lot of licensing deals here or in any other show, wait and come here next year, the results are worth the investment”.

After walking and walking I learned that all those people out there are just like you and me. The most important lesson learned: Go for it….trust in your art, trust your instincts, trust in your talent, trust in your creativity…trust in yourself…and work to make it happen.

I enjoyed every moment of the show, every booth visited, every conversation….Now I have to focus…focus….and make it happen. If I don’t send that proposal, if I don’t make that call, if I don’t go to that show, or fair, or store to offer my art…Nothing will happen.

My advise to you….no matter where or what you want to do….You have to make it happen…..No one will walk for you…no one will decide for you…no one will send that proposal….Just you will make it happen…Go for it….Trust your instincts,…Trust in yourself…and Enjoy the Ride!

I want to share this post with Jennifer’s Sneak Peek Friday…a beautiful blog to get to know some talented artists and their creative work In the Studio

With LoVe,

Elizabeth

P.S. I have no photos because I am a mother…a mother takes the food from her mouth for her children…My son is in Europe…with my Nikon…and with his brother’s Ipad….

“You are going to embark in an amazing journey” ….found in my fortune cookie at PS Changs Restaurant today after traveling from Puerto Rico to get to attend SURTEX at New York City tomorrow morning.

I am wishing for the best. …I will “walk” the show and I know I will continue finding my way in this artful journey I am immersed.

I just wanted to share my new and last minute press kit bookmark and post card I will be giving to possible licensors. They were designed just this past week, turned them to the press on Monday and getting them by Thursday. I know I have to improve them but here they are:

I woud like to invite you to visit Sophia’s Blue Chair Diary …. with lots of great artists sharing their Sunday Sketches…

With LoVe,

Elizabeth

Come and celebrate with me…The Winners of My First Blog Anniversary Giveaway….

I had a great time reading the comments on each one of the chosen prints!! And the winner print was ….Enjoy the Ride, Now is the Time….to Live, Love, Dream,Sing, Laugh..! This print was chosen by four of the twelve winners. The second most liked print was ….again with the words…Enjoy the Ride..Contemplate with your Heart. I am really happy that both prints will spread the message I use as my tag line in my creative business… ENJOY THE RIDE.

I am so happy to announce the winners of My First Blog Anniversary Giveaway. It was fun and inspiring. And the Winners are….ta ta ta tan….

Enjoy the Ride: Now is the Time to Love, Dream, Sing, Laugh, Live

Enjoy the Ride: Contemplate from your Heart

Sueños…in English Dreams

goes to:

Live, Laugh, Love

goes to:

and last but not least….and my favorite, which has a doily made by my mom is:

A Lovely Journey

going to:

Congratulations to all the lucky winners… Please send me your address to my email or through Facebook page.

Stay tune for more on my First Blog Anniversary Celebration!!!

Have a lovely day…and……Enjoy the Ride through this amazing life…

With LoVe,

Elizabeth

I am so honored to present this week’s guest post from the talented, creative, smart and friendly Katrina Sloma from The Kat Eye View of the World. We are both engineers and artists and we have met through Kelly Rae Roberts Ecourse-Flying Lessons. I have learned so much from her travel experiences and from the amazing photography she kindly shares in her blog. I am sure you will enjoy this great post and her photography from a series she called “Contrasts”.
Enjoy it,
Elizabeth

Here it is….from Kat

Find the balance point.
It hangs in the balance.
On the balance.

We hear this word a lot in our daily lives: Balance. When Elizabeth invited me to write for her anniversary celebration about my combination of technical and artistic endeavors, this topic is the first that came to mind.

I am an artist. Photography is my primary medium but I also write and paint. I love to explore the world of creativity and art, through whatever medium is available to me in the moment. My perception of the world around me, how I see, my experience of life, is deepened and enhanced by my artistic practice.

I am an engineer. Trained as an electrical engineer and working in the semiconductor industry, I have spent most of my professional life focusing on things that aren’t visible to the naked eye. I’ve learned to sort through measurements and observations to get to the root of an issue and solve a problem. My understanding of the world around me, the forces of nature, are important to my technical practice.

These are ostensibly opposite and unrelated roles. Left brain vs. right brain, mathematical vs. unquantifiable, explainable vs. unknowable. They should be in conflict with each other. And yet… they are not. What I’ve found is that they work together in surprising ways. The push and pull of opposing forces creates a balance that would otherwise not exist.

I’ve seen my artistic skills help in my technical work. They allow me to suspend belief and assumptions, to play and explore concepts, so that new observations can be made. My artistic skills allow me to describe technical concepts visually and intuitively, so that I can both understand the concepts myself and then explain to other people.

On the other side, the skills I’ve learned in my technical career support me in my artistic endeavors. I understand how and why my camera works, which allows me to focus on creative interpretation. I know how to solve a complex problem, by breaking it down into parts. In my professional role I’ve learned to take an idea, create a plan, and carry it through to completion, which helps me reach my artistic goals.

The most interesting thing I’ve discovered: Some of my strongest skills apply to both artistic and technical endeavors equally. I follow my intuition and make leaps in understanding. I am able to name things, to make them knowable and yet still hold room for the unknown at the same time. I have the ability to look at a complex system, break it down in to pieces, parts, and procedures, so it can be repeated over and over again with good results. I am able to communicate those systems and procedures to others; I teach.

When I first started on my artistic journey, I thought there was no relationship between my creative and professional worlds. They felt contrary, in conflict. What I’ve come to learn over time however, is the harmony that exists between them. Without one, I wouldn’t perform as I do in the other. My art is influenced by my technical mind. My engineering results are better for the creativity I bring. Just like natural laws which seek equilibrium, a balance is reached.

If you are feeling the strain of opposing forces in the roles in your life, take a look again. You might find there is more common ground there than you originally realized. You might be able to find a balance that works to create a harmonious whole.