In my house iCarly or Spongebob are on the TV quite frequently. They’re both shows that appeal to the kids and the adults or kid-like adults in the family.

I prefer iCarly and as reminded by a friend today, I’m a quite fond of Spencer. If dorky sense of humor cracks me up, he’s an artist AND he owns this fabulous penguin t-shirt…

Yes, I have been known to take pics of my TV. How else am I supposed to collect all those penguins?

Now, knowing a bit biased to my own penguin t-shirt designs, I have not tried to see if this one is really available anywhere just yet. However, if you are looking for the 3 cool penguins, I suggest you not follow TV trends, but instead grab this one…

3 penguins t-shirt

Cool, right?

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iCarly, Penguins and happiness

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, there’s no time to waste in making sure you’ve gathered all your Irish loving swag. Shamrocks wilt, rainbows fade away and that pot of gold.. well, the current economy has delayed that delivery for a bit.

But a penguin – now THAT I can help with, take your pick of the lovely bunch:

6 great penguins specific for St. Patrick’s Day available on a variety of t-shirts, mugs, hats, stickers and more. You can also grab yourself some Irish love with the I Love Ireland Penguin

Do you have your lucky penguin yet??

Or, just in case you need the four leaf clover and the rainbow, I have a penguin for that too…

So hurry, grab yourself some penguin green before those irritating pinchers come strolling along.

Get Your Green On!

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Do you have a Lucky Penguin?

A fun St. Patrick’s day activity for all your color loving kids (and grown ups too). Here’s an original JGoode doodle just for you, complete with a rainbow, leprechaun and even a pot of shiny gold – woo wee! Maybe in your Irish dreams, the shamocks are purple and the pot is filled with strawberry ice cream?

Grab your own copy of this s fun St. Patrick’s day coloring page

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St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Page

I talk to people all the time about reaching goals and achieving what you want. The message that rings true time and time again is, you have to go after what you want, it’s not going to come to you. Sure, sometimes good things just happen or fall into place “as they should”. This, however, isn’t a common occurrence with most people.

You need to know what you want first.

Before you can go after anything, you have to have an idea of what is it you want to go after. Seems like this should be common sense, yet think of how often we stumble around trying to find our way. Part of knowing what you want also includes knowing how to get there. If you’ve never been down a specific road, you’re not going to know all the detours and short cuts. yet, you can do your homework and prepare. Talk with people who have already traveled the path. Ask questions and research. Be open minded about what will and won’t work for you – or what you are or are not willing to try. Come up with a plan and then proceed to the next step.

Jump in feet first but start at the shallow end.

It’s very commendable to be willing to jump right into a new project or new direction. If you know what you want and where you want to go and you have goals you want to reach, why not just jump in full force and go get ‘em?

Because you need to test the water first and make sure you’re prepared. You may think you have all the pieces and parts you need, but there is always – let me repeat – there is always unexpected things that pop up when we venture into something new. Add this potential for obstacles to your “get ready” list. If you plan some wiggle room for unexpected things to come up, when they hit they won’t usually hurt as much.

Take your time and pay attention to the flow of things when you jump into something new and you can probably avoid some major detours.

Don’t give up on yourself on the first try.

Rarely do people succeed on the first try. Don’t assume your own non-success is a failure or that it’s your fault. Learn from the pitfalls and keep pushing forward. If you want something enough, it really does happen at some point. Keep in mind, what you want and what you get may not look the same, but it’s no less of a success… it’s just a different flavor. Be persistent.

Over the past 2 months I have met so many incredible people. Each with their own talents and strengths and long lists of successes. It’s intimidating to be around them – seeing what greatness that have accomplished. Then I stop to pay attention and realize they think the same of much of what I’ve accomplished or where I’ve been. We need to each stop and appreciate our strengths and our experiences… they make up what greatness we have to give.

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You’ve got to go and get what you want

I was thousands of miles away when I first got the call that Colorado legislation was plowing ahead with a new bill that would be recognized in Performance Marketing circles as the Colorado Advertising Tax. I had no other warning let alone preparedness prior to that other than “this is coming, but we don’t know when” and knowledge of similar bills in New York a year or so ago. I had no idea what to do. When someone else is dictating and calling the shots (e.g. legislators) you don’t have time to play around. You just have to jump in and get moving. There really aren’t any rules – other than use common sense, be polite and listen to your gut.

Here are some things I learned along the way that I wish someone had told me ahead of time. I hope they help you if you need to defend your stance with your local government.

The Checklist

Before the bill hits your state:

1. Find out who your legislators are – do the research ahead of time
2. Contact your legislators and start some dialog now while you don’t need them for anything
3. Keep in touch with your legislators – when the time comes you want them to already know you and your story
4. Reach out to not only your legislators but others in your area that will fight on your side – team work is key
5. Start a mailing with including specifically those in your area in the industry so you can stay connected when you need each other most.
6. Know your local resources – who has media connections, you already has close relationships with their legislators, etc.
7. Work on a game plan ahead of time – who is likely to get involved – also, who in the industry will help from outside of the state.

When the bill is actively being discussed:

1. Connect with local Affiliates that will be likely to fight with you.
2. Keep your chatter about tactics to closed communication with only those directly involved – others are always listening, don’t share your game plan with the universe by tweeting and blogging your every move.
3. Get a hold of information you can share with the legislators – the PMA helped us with this.
4. Plan a “Visit the capital” field trip day – gather a group of people to go literally door-to-door talking with legislators. If you can, try to plan far enough ahead so you can schedule appointments.  In Colorado, we had zero lead time so we just showed up. We did, however, make sure to be mindful of the legislators’ busy schedules.
5. Write letters and make phones calls to all legislators.
6. Repeat 1-5 until the battle is over

General food for thought

1. Have a unified message among your whole group
2. Keep in touch with each other – communication is a key to a successful game plan
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
4. If you have some skill or knowledge that can benefit everyone, share. You’re in this together, so fight together.
5. for a little  more insight on this perspective, read Things I Learned from battling the government

Remember, these are real people you are talking to. You need to be mindful not to completely wear out your welcome in the sense that if you bombard too much, people will stop listening. But make sure not to give in the first week just because things aren’t looking good. By all means, when they ask you to stop because their inbox is too full, really think about that before you stop sending messages… maybe their inbox is too full because there are so many of you that have written – the legislators work for you, they know it, they need to listen to you when you have a real issue.

In the end, remember to say thank you.

Special thanks to those who helped me along the way while I was sorting out this learning curve! You know who you are, yes, there’s brownies in it somewhere.

Another great read: The Power of Grassroots Affiliate Efforts

Post from: JGoode.com

Advertising Tax checklist – ideas to help you in the fight

I went to my first trade show to learn what I could about art licensing. I chose to attend the CHA Winter show because it was relatively inexpensive to attend and crafting is half of who I am, so the concept of the show was exciting in itself. Not to mention, another artist going to the show is also from Colorado and I knew her, so I knew I wasn’t going to be there completely alone.

I went to the show having no idea what to expect nor much of an idea of how to prepare or what I should be doing while there. I spoke to a few people ahead of time to get a rough idea of what would happen, but really, nothing beats the experience of being there first hand. Here are a few of the things I learned from the show that I think I can carry with me regardless of which show I might attend in the future. Also, I picked up on information and insight that I think will carry me through working in this industry in general.

Put together a press kit
You do not need to be an exhibiting artist to submit a press kit. You only need to be attending the show as a designer. I didn’t know this ahead of time. So the night before the show opened I made an quick display to hold some postcards I brought. There’s also a press kit contest, yet another opportunity to show off your creative genius.

Participate in the Designer’s Showcase
For about $100 I could have had a table display for a few hours one night of the trade show. Although I didn’t see a ton of foot traffic to this event, I think it’s a great experience for a first timer to meet other designers and begin showing off some of your work. I did not know about this ahead of time either, but I did have a press pass so was able to check it out.

Sessions are good
I purchased the “all sessions” pass so I could attend any of the extra learning sessions. I ended up only attending about 4 of them, however all were wonderful. Over the years I have found conference sessions to be a great opportunity to meet people. You never know who you might be sitting next to. Additionally, after the session is over, you can always go up and introduce yourself to the speaker/s and thank them for their time and sharing… another great opportunity to get to know people in the industry.

Be prepared to talk with people
Everyone I met at CHA was very friendly. I didn’t expect the warm welcome and crowd of smiling faces that I encountered. I should have anticipated it a bit more… how can people not be happy around all that crafty-ness? Everyone that is there is there to do business and talk with potential clients. However, there are moments of calm when I was able to chat with other artists and designers.  I also did a few walk thrus of the show floor to see what was what and meet more people. You should definitely come prepared with your elevator pitch.

Plan ahead, do some research and make appointments
Being as new to the industry as I am, I had no idea where to begin with doing research on who to meet. If you can plan far enough ahead, you can use the tools and resources that the CHA offers to do your homework ahead of time. Find out which companies will be attending that you’d like to chat with and start communicating before the show. Try to set appointments during the show. I didn’t have this opportunity so I did a lot of impromptu chatting… not nearly as effective as designated sit down talk time, but better than zero talk time.

Leave time to mingle
There are a number of opportunities to mingle and socialize with the other designers, but you have to be prepared to make friends. If you go to the event not knowing a soul and you keep to yourself, you’ll lose valuable “make new friends” time. Make a point to say hello and get to know people while you’re there. If you’re in a booth the whole time, there’s always end of day mingling, dinner, etc. Making friends is the key to successful networking.

Exhibit setup and prep requires some patience and love and tape
I talked with a number of people as they were setting up their booth who had extra unexpected fixtures or only partial information about their booth. This makes it really difficult to come prepared. If you aren’t going to walk the show before you exhibit (it’s always smarter to walk a show without exhibiting the first time you attend), I highly recommend you do all you can to plan your exhibit and materials with flexibility. The displays I saw that seemed to work the best were long thin panels of art. Big images also work nicely. You can pick your favorites or a theme of art for the booth display – catch their eye and draw them in – and then have multiple books to allow browsing of images when people stop to chat. If you can, talk to others that have exhibited previously and ask for their advice with booth setup as well.

Use the CHA Resources
The CHA has a number of resources to help you research and connect with other CHA members including the CHA networking site. If you attend any of the CHA shows and they offer an orientation, definitely go so you can hear about the benefits the organization has to offer. There are many!

And finally, for any show you attend as your fabulous designer/artist self…

Bring business cards! And have them with you always…
When I say business cards, I’m a big fan of making your cards part of you. Cards for artists, in my opinion, shouldn’t just be a nice card with contact information. Artist business cards should represent the artist with style and personality. Create your cards to be something that people will remember if they see it again. Everyone hands out so many cards in so many directions… make yours stand out, but remember to be practical. Standard sized cards are best so people can store them easily, but don’t hold back on the art… you’re not paying an artist to draw it up!

Be confident, you’re here for a reason
Someone has to toot your horn, and if it’s not you, who else will it be? For me it’s very intimidating being surrounded by so many talented people. I always end up doubting my abilities and my skill. Don’t let this stop you! You need to remember that you have a talent and you’re doing what you’re doing for a reason. When it comes to selling yourself and your work, this is no time to let shy take over. Just jump in, and be proud of what you’ve accomplished and confident of where you’re going!

For me, this was definitely money and time well spent. I am more confident in my interest to work in this industry and I met some amazing people… even a few new friends. I highly recommend taking the opportunity to walk a show if you can… the networking alone is worth the investment. Besides, nothing beats the opportunity mingle with like minded people when it comes to motivation and inspiration for success.

More photos from CHA Winter Show 2010

More reading about A first timer’s experience at the CHA Winter Show | guest post by Jen Goode on the Arti Licensing Blog of Tara Reed

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10 Things I learned at the CHA Winter Show

Whatever makes you smile, I hope you find it in abundance today. Share the grins and hand out hugs…

Happy Valentines Day to YOU!

The greatest happiness of life
is the conviction that we are loved,
love for ourselves,
or rather love in spite of ourselves.
~Victor Hugo

Every time I try to draw something serious and grown up, I end up doodling and goofy grins come out, taking over the page. I used to fight it. Adults need to be professional and serious and spend their working hours being productive so they can continue on knowing they’ve accomplished things.. right?

After years of trying to move ahead and strive for professional greatness, I realized it didn’t matter how much money I made nor how much others enjoyed what I did if I wasn’t happy… I wasn’t happy. The little grins of every day life make me happy. The silly songs we invent and hum as we go throughout our day or the images we see in the clouds as we glaze out the window, these are the things I remember when I drift off to sleep. Deadlines are just deadlines, after a while they all blend together. One task will out prioritize the next and it will happen 10 more times next week.

Real happiness is enjoying the moment, who you’re with, and why you are there.

As I get older, I am slowly starting to weed out the things I don’t love to make more time for the things that I do. This is what really makes me happy. Are you allowing yourself to enjoy more, do more… be more of who you want to be?

If you’ve read this far today… YOU also make me happy, thank you.
(You probably make me happy regardless, but I figure you just earned an extra star and I should let you know).

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A little extra smiley love to you today – Happy Valentines Day!

Another Illustration Friday, this time visualizing “adrift” and I’m happy to report I was able to sit and doodle, again!

I was originally thinking happy turtle and the swamp (probably and after view from watching the Frog Princess last weekend), but then between drawing and cleaning and nagging my 2 year old about potty time, the bathtub just happened to doodle itself right into the page.

After yesterday’s muddy moment, I think a bath is a bit more fitting anyway, don’t you?

Oh how lovely a nice long, hot, quiet bath sounds… joyful

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Adrift – a moment to relax and let life float slowly by

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had some time to participate in Illustration Friday, but since I’m trying this new concept of slowing down and focusing, I thought I’d stop for a bit today and just draw. It’s been a while since I’ve drawn just for the sake of happy doodleness, so of course today’s image had to have a smiley face.

This week’s Illustration Friday topic is Muddy – remember those days of jumping in the mud puddles with your favorite rain boots on? Ever stop to wonder if they cared for the mud you loved?

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Just a little muddy

Last night as I headed to bed, I realized every room in the house had a radio on.. a different station for each person. My room had the TV on as my husband was dozing off to sleep listening to FOX news. This is the most quiet time of day in my house and yet, it’s still not all that quiet.

During waking hours, we have at least one TV on and usually 2 computers (my husband and I both work from home). If all the kids are home we potentially have 4 computers on at once as each person is also listening to their own music or videos at the same time they’re either working, doing homework or playing a game. Between video games, ipods, TVs, toys with buttons and buttons on toys… the noise is constant.

The noisy just gets crazier from there… on my screen alone I have Tweetdeck and Twhirl and Facebook and email all buzzing in the background (and now “buzz” from Google egging me on) while popping up notices to let me know I should notice something. I usually have at least 10 other programs running as I update websites, create graphics, chat on 4 platforms at once (luckily Adium exists)… I don’t even have the volume on – it’s always on mute, but the visual noise can be so overwhelming. It’s a wonder I get anything accomplished. How did I let it get this bad? How do I continue to function? It’s like I’ve become desensitized to the stimuli of a “normal” day.

This needs to stop.

There’s too much noise and not enough focus. There’s too many conversations and too many ideas and thoughts and reminders and dings and blings and clicks and blips. There is no way I can jump back into being creative with all this chitter chatter clattering going on. It’s like too much bad coffee without even a hint of fabulous aroma – blech!

What would happen if there were no sound for 30 minutes?

I’d surely fall asleep. Now wouldn’t that be lovely?

How are we all surviving, let alone thriving with so much noise around us? No wonder our children have attention issues and a lack of concentration – as a society. I think it would do me some good to watch the sunset, listen to a water fountain or just sit and enjoy the sound of sleeping kids. Starting today I’m going to make a daily goal of sitting in the quiet a little more – unclutter my computer screen… the world will not stop moving if I’m not watching, but I don’t think what I miss will end the world either.

When was the last time you stopped to listen to quiet?

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I can’t hear the success – It’s too noisy in here