There is no blueprint for an art career.

The road is unpaved.

This can make it more challenging, but also way more exciting… and really, what fun is life without some winding roads, anyway?

Everyone’s career is going to take different twists and turns.

That’s life. And, we’re all human.

 

I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t have ALL the answers.

 

NO ONE does! 

But, I DO offer a very unique + special combination of experience, knowledge + wisdom in some niche art industries and markets.

If you’ve found yourself HERE, you probably already know a bit about me.

But, in case you don’t…

Since 2010, I’ve been licensing my art + character brands.

I have closed many licensing partnerships + deals in gift, stationery and publishing markets.

I have worked with some of the best, most renowned gift manufacturers in the business.

I have launched my licensed + branded lines at AmericasMart Gift Show, and have also exhibited at numerous trade shows.

I know this business as only an independent, determined, tenacious, intrepid, make-it-or-break-it professional artist CAN know this business.

And, before ALL of that, I worked in children’s educational pub illustration + interactive media, and also had a five-year tenure as a successful pet portrait artist.

Day-job-to-dream-job…

And, throughout most of my art career, I worked full-time.

At. The. Same. Time.

(What the heck is wrong with me?)

I spent most of my day job career working as a marketing + ad graphic designer + illustrator for a media web site-slash-newspaper. (One you may have heard of.)

So, not only do I have experience in multiple art careers, but I also worked a day job while working in those careers.

Yup— I was basically working two full-time jobs.
I’m tired now just thinking about it… zzzzzz…

But, you know what?

 

Sometimes, our AWAKE dreams are more important than the SLEEPING kind.

 

Those days are now history, but the wisdom I earned from them has never left. I know exactly what it takes to manage that lifestyle.

Going for your dreams full-tilt at night and on weekends while ALSO grinding away at the day job is not for the faint of heart.

I’m right there with ya. I know.

I’m passionate about sharing my whole “day-job-to-dream-job” experience with others.

In fact, that’s actually an understatement. I’ve done a bunch of videos on the topic and have even talked about it to a room of 350 people.

Wait… let’s switch gears for a minute…

Ever hear of “Analysis Paralysis”?

Here’s my art licensing story…

I took the leap into art licensing after years upon YEARS of studying it.

I studied it…

Inside-out. Upside-down. Sideways. Diagonal.

I studied it every way a person could study something, WITHOUT jumping in.

Somewhere along the way, I think I morphed into a “professional student” of art licensing… Studying, taking classes, attending trade shows to take courses + get a lay of the land…

without actually jumping in, with both feet.

(Hey, I was already pretty busy with my children’s illustration career, my pet portraits, and my day job… so it wasn’t hard to keep myself distracted.)

 

Then, something happened…
Something unthinkable.

 

My mom had a massive, debilitating, life-changing stroke.

Well, that woke me up.

It distilled my passions overnight.

(When you witness a life dramatically altered overnight, it kind of changes how you view your own.)

After the dust settled, I decided to focus 100% on what I had wanted to pursue the MOST: pursue a career in art licensing.

Finally…

I stopped distracting myself.
I removed excuses.
I said good-bye to my children’s illustration agent.
I hung up my pet portrait brush.

And, finally… I dove in.

My point is, Learning is GREAT. It’s safe. It’s comfortable. And, it’s not boring! 

You can study ’til the cows come home, take class after class after class.

 

But, sooner or later, it’s time to fly the coop.

 

You can have all the book knowledge in the world, but eventually…

 

It can become TOO EASY to NOT TRY.

 

Out of FEAR.

Don’t go there.

Look, you WILL fail at things. Everyone does. It’s part of success.
I estimate that 80% of my tries have been failures… and continue to be! No exaggeration. Goes with the territory!

Fear is natural when you’re trying something new and scary.

You gotta accept it, shake hands, then… tell it to behave itself and stay out of your way.

(I actually like to think of that feeling of fear as the physical manifestation of bravery.)

It’s nice to have someone in your back pocket that knows the ropes… because some things aren’t so easily figured out in a Facebook Group.

 

When I was starting out, I really could’ve used the support of someone like the person I’ve become TODAY.

 

One-on-one time with a seasoned vet can be uniquely valuable. It can offer you clarity, a fresh perspective and insights you simply cannot get from from your friends, your peers, your co-workers, or your mom. It can be invaluable in ways you can’t imagine it will be, before you do it.

There are moments of uncertainty, or a fork in the road, where another viewpoint can be particularly helpful, maybe even critical.

Maybe you just need to get some specific questions answered, or advice, or just some unvarnished, no-holds-barred support from someone who’s been there, done that, and got the t-shirt… plus the snow globe, the ornament and the fridge magnet.

Eventually, you just have to GET BRAVE, DIVE IN and MAKE IT HAPPEN.


I’m here for you!

If you’re thinking about working with me, click the “Let’s find out…” button below and tell me a little about yourself and your goals.
I’d love to see if we are a good fit.

(And if we’re not, I’m happy to suggest someone else who might be able to help you. I have some smart friends!)

But regardless, I’m glad you popped over here! 😀

 

I’m ready to book with Kathy