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Episode 23 – Basic Photoshop Tutorial – Adding Borders

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 19:09:38 +0000

Episode 23 – Basic Photoshop Tutorial – Adding Borders

This video is a basic Photoshop exercise showing how to add a border to a painting. I know Photoshop can be intimidating at first, but learning a few techniques will save you a ton of time during your licensing career. If you are new to licensing your art, you will find it a real benefit to create several borders in different color palettes using different patterns, then saving them in a file on your computer titled "borders". If you are creating a plaid or stripe, you could simply paint one strip approx 16" long by 2" wide (depending on what size you usually paint) and use that one strip to create all four sides of the border. You could also paint a toss or all-over pattern in the same fashion.

If you don’t have time to spend creating borders, no worries, after you’ve been licensing your art for a while you’ll have a large inventory of paintings with borders and can re-use those borders for new art. Either way you slice it, you will be glad to know how to use Photoshop to add borders and help save time.

Enjoy the video!

Is there a Photoshop tutorial you would like to see? If so, contact me and I will see if it’s something I know how to do and, if so, I would be glad to share it with you!

Episode 22 – What You Say When You Talk To Yourself

Wed, 02 Jul 2014 19:35:18 +0000

Episode 22 – What You Say When You Talk To Yourself

What do YOU say when you talk to yourself? Are you feeding yourself with positive or negative self talk. Sometimes you don’t even realize what you are saying to yourself is bringing you down and creating more of the same negative thoughts and feelings. You can be your own worse enemy. Even simple things such as, "I’m always late", "I am forgetful", or "I’m so clumsy" can create more of the same problems.

Programming > Beliefs > Attitudes > Feelings > Actions > Results

Negative programming can come from anywhere. It could be a parent, teacher, friend, sibling or coach that said some negative things to you in your past. At the time, you may have let it roll of your back but if you heard it enough times, you start to believe it. Maybe you didn’t experience that as a child but somehow, over time, you created your own negative self talk. The good news is, you can reverse it! You can re-program yourself and kick the negative thoughts to the curb and replace them with positive thoughts through self talk.

Author, Shad Helmstetter, goes into detail on the subject and offers many examples of positive self talk. Learn how to change old negative programming into positive programming and watch your life change. I recommend this book to everyone; no matter what age whether you’re rich or poor. It can help everyone.

The book is available on Amazon, or he offers it in PDF format here. Personally, I think you should buy the book and then pass it on to someone else

Episode 21 – Feeling Grateful

Fri, 16 May 2014 21:45:00 +0000

Episode 21 - Feeling Grateful

Episode 21 – Thank you from Teresa Kogut on Vimeo.

Today’s video is about you and for you! I am grateful for everyone who has inspired and encouraged me throughout my career. I am grateful for all of you who have supported me by purchasing my work whether it’s an original painting, print, pattern or licensing product. Without you, I couldn’t continue to do what I do….creating for a living!

Many thanks and gratitude also for those of you who have taken the time to drop me an note, email me or message me to say how my art has touched your life. Sometimes I get so caught up in my day to day business and family life that I forget the real purpose behind what I create….hopefully bringing joy and peace into the home and maybe even inspiring others through the word of God. If my art can lift your spirits or be a reminder of the good in every day life then I have accomplished something that simply overwhelms when I think about it.

I feel God gives each one of us a talent and we give it back to God by sharing that talent with others. I am so grateful He chose me to be an artist and that I am able to share it with you. Full of gratitude for you today!

Episode 20 – Art Licensing Is A Business

Wed, 22 Jan 2014 20:20:44 +0000

Episode 20 - Art Licensing Is A Business

Rule number one, art licensing is a business.

Throughout your licensing career, you will meet some amazing people. You will connect and build relationships with them. You will build trust. However, remember, art licensing is a business. As long as your art is selling products for them, they will keep working with you, but if the sales of your licensed products decline, don’t be surprised if they stop working with you. The key is to not take it personal.

There must be trust on the part of both licensee and licensor. They trust you to provide them art in a timely manner and you trust them to sell the product and pay your royalty on time. You are business partners in a sense so there has to be trust.

Over the past 18 years of licensing my art, I have made a few mistakes…..ok, more than a few, but from each one I gained knowledge and experience. In this video, I share my experience with my first licensee and how that relationship taught me a valuable lesson about business.

Thinking back on this experience, I almost laugh at my naivety. There are many glaring signs that point to my licensee as the infringers upon my rights as an artist. At the time, had I taken my feelings and emotions out of the equation and looked at this logically from a business point of view, I would have seen it.

Lesson learned, my friends. I hope you can learn from my mistake.

Episode 19 – Bloopers Part 2

Thu, 26 Dec 2013 20:36:16 +0000

Episode 19 – Bloopers Part 2

I really enjoy creating videos to inspire and share information with you….but I must say, thank God for editing! Seriously, if I had to create a video with no mistakes, it would take me days to complete a 4 minute video! Hope you enjoy watching some of my outtakes I put together in this short silly film.

Episode 18 – How to Create An Optin For Your Blog Using Aweber

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 23:50:56 +0000

Episode 18 – How to Create An Optin For Your Blog Using Aweber

(intro and outro song is Sunnyside by Leftover Cuties)

In Episode 17 I spoke about the importance of building your email list. As promised in that episode, this week I am showing you step my step how to create an opt-in for your blog using Aweber.

If you are not using a video for your opt-in, you won’t have to create a new page like I show in this video, instead, you will follow most of the instructions in the video until a certain point. Instead of creating a new page to embed your video, you will do the following:

In your WordPress dashboard, click on ‘Media’, ‘add new’, ‘add new’.

Select your file….whether it is a PDF or another file…..after it uploads, click ‘edit’

copy and paste the URL code

Paste the URL code into Aweber…….the rest of the video is the same

It’s that easy! Thanks for watching and I hope you found this information useful. Now go and build your email list!

Episode 17 – Most Important Tip For Your Business

Wed, 20 Nov 2013 00:50:09 +0000

Episode 17 – Your Email List Is Most Important For Your Business

Even in the world of social media, email marketing is still the most powerful and important tool for your business. While it is important for you to relate to your audience via social media platforms, your top priority is to get their email address. The news feeds on social media are fast moving so not all your posts will get read by your audience, however, when you send an email blast to your list, you can rest assured that your audience will see it….but will they open it? That is up to you as well. Make sure you fill your monthly newsletter with helpful information. Here is a list of some things to consider putting in your newsletter:

personal photo
tell a little bit about a recent trip or vacation
share a joke (keep it professional, of course)
include inspiring quotes or share an inspiring story
tell a funny story that happened to you
share tips for helping them in their business
give advice to help solve a problem
share a family recipe
include links to the articles you wrote the past month
include links to any videos you’ve uploaded in the past month
share some exciting news….personal and/or business related

You can also send an email blast each time you write a new article or upload a video. Maybe you just have an amazing story or video you want to share only with the people on your list. Be careful not to bombard your audience with selling your products or useless information; that’s a sure way to lose them.

Watch this video for tips on collecting emails and building your list.

Comment below if you have any tips to include to help people build their lists. Thanks!

Episode 16 -Create a PDF Link Within Your WordPress Blog

Tue, 05 Nov 2013 18:13:27 +0000

music credit: Sunnyside by Leftover Cuties

Create a PDF Link Within Your WordPress Blog

There will be times when you want to link a PDF that you’ve created for your clients & followers to your blog. I searched and searched YouTube and Google for instructions on how to create a link for a PDF file on my blog….they all made it seem so complicated BUT It’s super easy to do….if you have a WordPress.org blog. Let me say (as I’ve said in the past) WordPress.org with the Thesis 1.8.5 theme will save you many grey hairs now and down the road. It is easy to use and there are many great plug-ins and layers to WordPress that will make blogging fun, easy and effective. If you don’t have a WordPress blog yet, you need to put it at the top of your "to do" list for 2014. I offer an step-by-step Ebook that will help you set up your WordPress.org blog in an afternoon. Check it out.

In this week’s episode, I will show you just how easy it is to create a PDF link within your WordPress blog. Once you see how easy it is, you will use this simple tool over and over with your clients & followers. Enjoy!

(Please excuse the mess behind me in this video. I’m working like crazy on classroom projects for the school’s auction/dinner and I have stuff everywhere!….I know you creatives can relate )

Was this video helpful to you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Episode 15 – Learn Why You Should Join The Gather, Dream, Create Inner Circle

Thu, 24 Oct 2013 06:00:06 +0000

Learn Why You Should Join The Gather, Dream, Create Inner Circle

Episode 15 -GDCIC from Teresa Kogut on Vimeo.

GDCIC (Gather, Dream, Create Inner Circle) is a private membership site for all people who love creativity…….watercolor, acrylic, oil, mix media, sculpture, 3-D art or fiber art. Whether you are an artist or you love to collect art and meet the artists, this is where you want to be! Think of the inner circle as a virtual magazine…..if you love Where Women Create, Prims, Art Doll, Studios, Mercantile Gatherings, Quilting Arts, you will love being a member of the Gather Dream Create Inner Circle.

What does Gather, Dream, Create Inner Circle offer me?

Tutorials – Including punch rug hooking, punchneedle embroidery, jewelry making, create a journal, prints on wood, textured & grungy painting, how to paint a dog portrait, mix media collage work, spun cotton, needle felting and much much more!
Store visits – Take a look inside some of my favorite country gift shops and antique stores in the Midwest and learn about the shopkeepers.
Artist Interviews – Meet successful artists via Skype Interviews and written Q & A to hear their story and learn about their art/craft.
Studio Visits – Go with me inside the studio of amazing artists and maybe even watch them at work!
Show Reviews – Any time I attend or exhibit at a show, I will tell you about the experience and share photos.
Atlanta Review – Learn trends and inside market information, especially good if you are interested in licensing.
FREE ebooks – You will have access to my ebooks at no charge.
Art Licensing Info – I will share licensing information with you to help you get started in your career.

Click here to learn more or subscribe to a one-year membership for only $75.00!

Episode 14 – Questions Part 6

Tue, 15 Oct 2013 19:58:58 +0000

Episode 14 – Questions part 6 (last one)

Back in July, I sent a mass email to my list letting folks know they could ask me anything they wanted about my art and licensing career. There were several questions and some of the answers are lengthy so I divided it up into a mini series. Enjoy! (If you are not on my email list, click here)

IN THIS EPISODE I answer the following questions…

How did you sell your first art piece? (from Julie Bibb)
Are you or would you considering making a new Quilt Jounal so we can record all of our projects? (from Linda Klungle)
Are your fabrics still being produced? (from Linda Klungle)
How do I get exposure for my Etsy store? (from Lynda)
How did you get started in angel art? (from Kathleen Antidormi)
What kind of patterns do you offer or are you contemplating some pattern business? (from Kathleen Antidormi)
What are your plans for the future? (from Kathleen Antidormi)
How did you hear about ACCA? (from Kathleen Antidormi)
What forms of art are you involved in? Do you paint in oils, watercolors or acrylics? (from Kathleen Antidormi)
Do you sketch first? (from Kathleen Antidormi)
Do you do computer art? (from Kathleen Antidormi)
What is Gather, Dream, Create Inner Circle? (from Kathleen Antidormi)

Hope you enjoyed the series. See you next week!