Ashley sent this site to me: Design for Japan.
Lovely, poignant, bittersweet.
Design for Japan describes themselves as “A collection of artwork made in the hope of raising money for Japan after the earthquake and tsunami on 11th March 2011.”

Wednesday: New work by Rebecca Bradley

Hsinping writes from Taiwan:

“Dear Lilla,

I feel so sad about the disasters happened in Japan.
And I read your post, thanks for encouraging us to keep creating.
I made this drawing today.
I hope I will bring some uplifting spirits to people who see the drawing.
That is my way to contribute.

Thank you!”

Dear Creative People,
My heart is breaking for the people of Japan. And Libya, Haiti, Katrina…
I know for creative people especially, these things hurt deeply, and can take us away from our joyful creativity. I want to encourage you to find the will to continue to create, make art, sing, dance. It helps uplift everyone. That’s why mother nature made the arts. To uplift spirits during hard times. Use your gifts to contribute in that way.
Please let me know your thoughts.
–Lilla

Charles Hively of 3×3 Magazine writes this uplifting piece I wanted to share with you. -Lilla

“The results of our recent survey shows illustrators see a brighter
future for 2011. Based on 469 respondents from the US, Canada, United
Kingdom, Europe and Asia, 45% see themselves as better off financially
in 2011, 24% will be about the same and only 7% say they will be worse
off. This compares nicely to the AIGA Designers Confidence Index that
had 42.7% of graphic designers saying it would be better off, 47% about
the same and only 10.1% worse. A major difference was 24% of
illustrators answered that they didn’t know if they would be better
off, worse off or the same.

Asked about fees, 10% responded that fees had gone up, 29% that fees
had gone down and the majority, 46%, saying fees remained the same.

Asked about the number of projects, 32% saw an increase in the past
twelve months, 31% saw the number drop off and 28% saw the number of
assignments remain the same; 9% were unsure.

Participants included 53% from the US, 11% each from Canada and the UK,
18% from Europe and 7% from Asia. 53% were full-time illustrators, 34%
were part-time. 52% had a bachelor’s degree, 31% had a graduate degree;
58% were male, 42% female, 59% were between the ages of 25-44.

We will be able to break down the research in more specific areas of
age, years in the industry and education in an upcoming announcement
but for now we wanted to share these top-line results.

Find out the latest updates on the 3×3 blog.

Friday: Jillian Phillips’ new art, Part II

Scour, study and obsess the best blogs to see what’s going on.
Do something fresh and original. Don’t copy what’s there. Add to the pot. What’s the next step in the cultural conversation?
What would you love to buy? What kind of artwork would you love to see produced on plates, journals, bedding, puzzles…
Visit the Surtex and Stationery shows in NYC or visit the European shows.
Have a great website that is FAST! I hate to look at a slow site.

Wednesday: New work by Jenn Ski

Sarajo writes:

“Hi,
My nephew always reminds me that thomas friedman supported going to war in Iraq, but I think he’s come a ways since then. I usually like his op-ed pieces. This particular one is about more than the economy, but addressing short sightedness in general, and creating a sustainable economy and growth model. I think it affects us as image makers because we will be hired to create the images for a culture that has to move in this direction.”

Click here to read the piece:

I’ve been in business through three recessions and have done fine.

My advice for artists and independent business persons:

Stay positive
Do your best work
Have fun with it
Stay frugal
Find opportunities
This won’t last forever
Remember why you’re doing this work
Get emotional support from others
Give emotional support to others
Don’t take it personally
Face the facts of your finances
Promote, promote, promote
Work harder and longer hours
Be inventive and creative
Find new venues
Make your artwork or product so incredible people cannot NOT buy it
Rise to the challenge!
Rather than get discouraged, see it as a challenge.
What do you have to offer out there that is needed?
Be the very, very best you can be.
Meditate and get enough rest.
The best artwork is always in demand.
Know when it’s not going to work and when to get out
There are always opportunities out there in the world.
As my mother used to say, “It’s a BIG world out there, honey.”

Good luck to all!

Lilla

This is a great piece you might enjoy. I found it here.

Enjoy it!

So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years:

1. Ignore everybody.

2. The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours.

3. Put the hours in.

4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.

5. You are responsible for your own experience.

6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.

7. Keep your day job.

8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.

9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.

10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.

11. Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.

12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.

13. Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.

14. Dying young is overrated.

15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.

16. The world is changing.

17. Merit can be bought. Passion can’t.

18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.

19. Sing in your own voice.

20. The choice of media is irrelevant.

21. Selling out is harder than it looks.

22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.

23. Worrying about “Commercial vs. Artistic” is a complete waste of time.

24. Dont worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.

25. You have to find your own schtick.

26. Write from the heart.

27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.

28. Power is never given. Power is taken.

29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.

30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.

31. Remain frugal.

32. Allow your work to age with you.

33. Being Poor Sucks.

34. Beware of turning hobbies into jobs.

35. Savor obscurity while it lasts.

36. Start blogging.

37. Meaning Scales, People Don’t.

38. When your dreams become reality, they are no longer your dreams.

Tomorrow: Mike’s illustrations on how to install a washing machine (just in case you were wondering).

Kitty does these cool interviews with creative people and I was honored that she interviewed me recently. Read more here.

Here’s a piece of the interview:

Q: Artists… how do you choose new artists that you’d like to represent?

Lilla: We get about 1,000/year from all over the world.
1. We must LOVE the work.
2. We must feel that we can get lots of work for the artist. We usually know right away which clients of ours will love the work. But it’s always a gamble.
3. We must feel that the artist is stable, professional, and knows what an agent will do for them.
4. I must see great, enormous talent and genius. Not a one-trick pony, but a bounty of talent. Years of teaching and doing this helps me assess.

Read about a great evening with the Boston Design Salon here.

“Illustrators, artists, and surface designers skipped home from our Salon evening on October 14th with their creative juices rushing and heads full of new opportunities for licensing their work. Lilla Rogers, a straightforward agent with a passion for art and artists, spent the evening with our Salon to discuss
her side of the design biz. Lilla has been highly successful in her role of representing talented artists and selling their work to reputable clients in the U.S. and Internationally…” read more.