Shari Sherman

Shari Sherman

Friday, March 19, 2010

A Dream Come True and a Lesson in Licensing


In my last post, Kim asked about my book. Well, here it is! It is a pet sympathy book. I did the illustrations and Connie from DogSpeak in North Carolina wrote it. I have been working with Connie for about 5 years with my line of cards and the book. It is actually my dream to do my own book entirely by myself, but this was a great experience into the realm of book-making/illustration/licensing.


I am so proud of it, not only for my part in it, but for how much comfort it has provided to so many people who have lost their beloved pets. I have received emails and phone calls thanking me for doing the book and have had many people in the hut (my tent) at art shows asking for tissues because they can't get through it without tearing up. A friend of the author, Dean Koontz, purchased one to give to him after the passing of his dear Golden, Trixie. Check out his Trixie books if you haven't. So sweet!


I couldn't have asked for a better experience as far as delving into the world of licensing and royalites. Important stuff to know, technical, legal jargon about rights and such. When all ironed out, the end result is a nice check in the mail every quarter. The book is self-published through Connie's team up in NC and distributed by her sales reps all over the country. Look for it in specialty stores whereever there is a doggie/pet display. Or if you are interested in a signed copy by me, contact me at www.huladogdesigns.com and I'll be glad to help you!
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Self Doubt...quitting cold turkey


A friend and I recently had a discussion over a bottle of wine about self doubt. I have come to the conclusion (finally!) that there is no room for it. I think I have a pretty amazing life and am so thankful for every day I get to live it. I am a confident mother to a wonderfully bright little girl and a loving wife to a really great guy. The area of life where traces of self doubt have crept in and set up camp is my art, my creativity.

I have been an artist my whole life. I am one of those people who could draw detailed drawings from an early age, and I was the kid in school that won the blue ribbons and was asked to draw the posters for events. One of my very favorite days in elementary school was when I was allowed to sit in the back of the class with a bunch of markers and transparencies and color them in to be used in a presentation to the class. To sharpen my skills, I would sit for hours with the encyclopedia and do pencil drawings based on the photos of animals.

So when did the self doubt start? Of course, huge amounts of time can be spent on analyzing my childhood and my parents, but I am to the point where I just don't want to, and am ready to forgive and let that go. In the scheme of things, my childhood wasn't that bad compared to others, and it all just starts to feel like a lame excuse..."if they had supported me more...." blah, blah, blah. They did the best they could with what they had.

Also I think I started to experience some traces of self doubt when I decided to start my business and take my art to a professional level. I believe this is a common experience among a lot of artists. Putting your art, which is essentially your feelings, your viewpoint, your Self out there for others to judge is a pretty big deal. And when you are trying to make a living as an artist, you can't help but get confused about your worth as an artist based on sales. Which is wonderful when sales are brisk, but when the economy turns, you start to care about what people think, and the ugliest doubt of all rears it's head...."Am I good enough?"

I KNOW the TRUTH is that I AM. There is plenty of practical, logical evidence when my paintings sell, in how many thousands of my books are selling across the country, how many commissions I continue to receive, and how my clients tell me they love my work.

My friend asked me..."why do you do it?" My answer is: I can't not do it. If I decided to not do any more art, my life would always be "missing something". The thought of that is sad and ridiculous. I do it because I have an almost constant flow of ideas that I want to bring to life. I do it because I feel like I have something to say. I do it because I still love to dip my brush in paint and play with colors and words. I love to cut paper and use glue and glitter and stamps and ink. I love to create things with my hands. I do it because my art makes people smile....I do it because it makes ME happy.

So the time has come to take a deep breath and let all the other stuff go. None of the past matters, critics don't matter, and self-doubt doesn't matter. It is not serving me in any positive capacity. It's only purpose is to hold me back. So, I'll take what I can learn from any experience I have and let the rest go. My intention is to create art....filled with the truth that I am more than good enough!
Posted by Picasa