Trends in Art - Art Licensing Makes a Natural Impact

If you are reading this blog, chances are you have an interest in learning about how to effectively get art into the marketplace. A key factor in having success on such a goal is to make art that is with the current trend. It is more than color, although that's a big part. It's more than subject, which is another huge factor. It's also about macro trends within our culture.

The desire to go green is a growing trend showing no signs of doing anything but getting stronger. Companies in all kinds of industries are responding. Partly because it makes good marketing and partly because it is good corporate citizenry. As an artist or publisher, you can be involved in many ways. You can use recycled materials where possible, you can donate to organizations that promote healthy green habits, you can create imagery that helps create awareness for doing things save Planet Earth. Use your own imagination and creativity to express your interest in this or other macro trends you observe.

The most recent issue of Licensing magazine, which is available free in digital form, offers numerous suggestions on recent trends in the licensing of 2D art. One is messaging as in incorporating an inspirational message within the art. The article on art mentions artist Lorraine Vail, who recently inked a deal with prominent art publisher, Editions Limited. One of her soft landscapes contains the phrase, "success isn't permanent and failure isn't fatal." Who can't relate to that?

The sources for trends are all around you. They are in retail stores and catalogs, on the Internet, on the television and more. It can be a real help to not just let things wash over you, but to stop and ask what is the driving force behind trends and changes showing up in art and home decor. When you understand a source's genesis, you are closer to being able to tap it for your own purposes as opposed to just being influenced by others in your own category.

When you are part of a trend, it is because you are inspired by the source and have developed an authentic and distinctive style to display it and you help define it. To me, that is different than merely following a trend without having a deeper knowledge of its roots. A desire to understand this is perhaps why Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference, has remained on the Amazon bestseller list for years. It's currently #44 on the list of 100 bestsellers there.