I contacted Sparky (David) and eventually ended up chatting with him on the phone. He had been to Surtex, a licensing show in NY. He shared his thoughts and we discussed a few things. I really liked some of his marketing ideas …then a big giant weight dropped out of the sky and landed right on my head. I had been contacting people with great marketing ideas for the podcast and this guy had great marketing ideas. The math was pretty simple from there, so I asked David if he would come on the show for an interview.

Sparky says...Slow Down

David did a great interview and I learned some really important things from him but the one thing that really stuck for me was the idea of slowing down.* If you haven’t listened to our latest episode this is the part where you should stop reading and head over to check out ep 308 An Interview with Sparky Firepants*. It’s a very simple idea but also one that I sometimes overlook myself. The basic idea is to narrow your focus a bit. Hone in on you market.

It’s good advice and I’d even heard myself mention it a time or two but after talking with David I think it’s time to take a new look at what I’m doing and how I’m marketing myself. I think as artists there is a great temptation to be and do as many things as we can, it’s part of the growth process. As a smart marketer though we have to decide which ideas to pursue and how best to present them. We have some really great interviews coming up on marketing and I can’t wait for you guys to

hear them. So what does all that have to do with mind mapping you might be asking. Simple, if I hadn’t created a mind map I probably wouldn’t have gotten to the point where I actually sat down and began researching. No research, no Google…No Google, no Tara Read… no Tara Reed, noSparky Firepants…you get the idea. The point is that the mind map lead me to take action and by taking action I made something happen and making things happen is what it’s all about. Don’t let your ideas swim around inside your head. Get them out, organize them and then take action. See where they lead you I ‘ll bet you might be surprised.

If you have someone you’d like us to interview please let me know by posting a comment below. Thanks for listening to CI and Pod On.

In the last post I talked about the basic functions of a mind map and finding software to help you create one. You are free to choose any way you’d like to build your map. The truth is it’s not super important what you use. Whether you choose a software program or build it by hand the most important part is the content.

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind as we begin building our new map.

• There is no right or wrong way to build your map.
• Even if our destinations are similar no two journey’s will be the same. In other words your map will look different then mine.
• Start with what you know. Don’t worry you can always add more detail as you go.
• This map will be a work in progress so if it starts out looking a little thin that’s OK.
• If you are not exactly sure how or what the next step is start with the main task and break it down.
• Have fun and dream big this is not the time to apply the brakes.

The Map
Did you decide what you wanted to be, what you wanted to do, where you wanted to go? If so then it’s time to start your journey. Place that destination at the center of your map and then begin adding the things you already know to your map. You’ll be surprised at how quickly it fills up and how much you already know about your journey.

My Journey
I’ve been wanting to expand my art into licensing for a while now. I know very little about it but  thought this would be an excellent opportunity to begin exploring. I’ll be starting a mind map to help me find my way. I know I have a lot to learn but hopefully if I do a good job with my map it will make my journey  a whole lot easier. The more I learn the more detail I can add to my my map. In the center of my new map I’ve placed the words Licensing my Art and added a couple of things I already know about licensing as subcategories. From here I’ll start Googling the info I have. Next time we’ll see what I’ve discovered, how it’s helped me and how I can apply the info to my map and my journey.

I begin my licensing mind map with a few things I already know. Next I will begin a Google search on things I know and see where it leads me.

Lists are great but most people tend to think in a nonlinear fashion. Our thoughts come randomly and are often ideas sparked by other ideas. One idea leads to another. A mind map is designed to capture those thought patterns, record them as they come and help organize.

So how does a Mind Map work?
The basic concept is to start with a blank page. In the middle of the page we place our main topic. From that topic we begin to record related ideas, tasks or other items.

We record our ideas as the come. Linking one to another using lines to show how they relate. Some ideas will have many subcategories and others will have only a few. It is not important how your map looks but that you generate and record your ideas as they come.

Here’s a little tutorial demonstration I built to show how to start a simple mind map. You can use mind mapping software or build your own mind map it’s totally up to you. There quite a few mind mapping applications out there some are even free. For this demo I used the free version of Mindmeister (CI is affiliated with Mindmeister).

Some things to keep in mind as you work on your mind map.

• A mind map will take a little work (don’t get discouraged if you don’t complete it in a half an hour while texting to your pals).
• Don’t skimp on the details. The more info you have the clearer your path will be.
• Have fun. Don’t be afraid to dream (you can always edit later).
• Make sure your map is easy to get to and easy to edit, otherwise it will become a chore and end up being ignored.
• A mind map is almost always a work in progress.

Homework: This is the big moment you’ve been waiting for. It’s time to dive in and get messy. Find your mind mapping software of choice and get familiar with it. Pick a random topic and build a simple mind map. The purpose of this exercise is to start getting the hang of building a mind map.

Now that we know our destination it’s time to start planning our trip. This is probably one of the most important steps in the process. First thing we’ll need is a map. The better the map the easier the trip. On the CI podcast, Chris and I began our trip by preparing a mind map. If you’re not familiar with mind mapping or missed the episode I highly recommend going back and giving it a listen (check out CI-ep-206).

We chose to record our journey using MindMeister. It allowed us to collaborate online and update each other with email alerts. We recorded our ideas for the show, this site, and everything else we could think of related to future plans for CI. We refer to and update our mind map all the time. It is in a constant state of evolution. Each time we have a great idea or a shift in direction we refer to the map. Without it we would more then likely forget half the ideas we’ve had. It keeps us focused and also allows us the flexibility to build and grow.

The mind map will be the main building block for the next several lesson plans. In the next post we’ll take a look at how to construct a mind map of your very own.

Homework: Download FreeMind or the free version of MindMeister and begin messing around with them a little bit (I believe you can find tutorials on both sites). Either program will work well for future posts. MindMeister has recently announced a tie in with Google Docs.

Authors note. Do to unforeseen and unrelated events for both Chris and myself we’ve had to take a little time away from CI. Sometimes life just throws you a curve ball and all you can do, is do your best to roll with it. I am slowly but surely getting caught up with all the projects I had to put on hold and am pretty much back to my normal routine. I hope to be able to continue adding to this blog regularly and posting new episodes of the CI podcast in the near future. Thanks for patience and understanding. Pod On!

Truth is there really is no one simple answer. Everyone is different. We all have our own decisions to make when it comes to choosing the path we want to follow. What might work well for some may be a disaster for others. How you reach your destination will be up to you. There are so many different directions and so many choices to make, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Don’t be discouraged at CI we’ve tried to put together some basic building blocks to help you find your way. We’ll go through them one at at time. Many of the things we talk about on the show will be featured on this blog as well. So be sure to check out the podcast.

Step 1- What do you want to be when you grow up?

Remember when you were a kid and people asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up? Now it’s time to answer that question. The more specific you can be the better. I want to be an artist is okay, but I want to make my living as a children’s book illustrator is better. Take some time to think about it. If you’re still not sure how to answer the question think about it this way. You are planning a trip, before you get in your car it’s a good idea to have a destination in mind. Without a specific destination how can you plan for your trip or for that matter know when you’ve arrived. I want to go to California is good. I want to go to the Monteray California is better. I want to go to Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, California makes finding your final destination a whole lot easier.

If you don’t have the exact address yet don’t worry. Fill in as much detail as you can for now and as we move forward the final destination will become much clearer.

Homework: Think about what you want to be when you grow up. Write it down. Fill in as much detail as you can.

• Have fun
• Be creative
• Take your time
• Be specific

This is part one in a weekly series I’ll be doing about getting your art career started. Thanks for reading… see you next week.

1. Set up a Twitter account
2. Set up an account on Linked In and find the CI group and sign up.
   
3. Set up a blog and start building your site.

Make sure you add content to your blog on a regular basis. Keep it interesting and have fun with it. Begin commenting on other blogs. Team up with other artists and begin getting your art and name out there. Once you’ve completed your home work add a link to your blog, website and or twitter account in the comment section of this post so we can all find you. Good luck, I look forward to seeing your art.

Creative Independence cohost, Illustrator Bob Ostrom of Bob Ostrom Studio

Welcome to Creative Independence where we look at the many ways that creative professionals from around the world have found to create independent lifestyles by leveraging their talents and skills.

Thank you for visiting our site. My name is Bob Ostrom I am a professional  illustrator. I   co-host the podcast Creative Independence along with multimedia designer Chris Wilson.

Cohost Creative Independence, Multimedia designer Chris Wilson

If you are not familiar with our podcast please feel free to check us out on iTunes.

We are in the middle of a very exciting time here at Creative Independence. We are in the process of building and launching the new Creative Independence Network. Rather then wait to launch the site at a later date. We’ve decided that this is an incredible learning experience and have invited you, our listener, to follow along with us as we go. Each new podcast episode will feature a task in the chain of events it takes to launch our new site. We will begin by discussing our basic strategy and continue right through to the end where we will build and launch our brand new website. Chris and I will both be blogging about our experiences along the way.

Thanks for joining us, we hope you will find this collection of information helpful in you own quest for Creative Independence.