4 Things I learned from my first successful licensing income

When I typically tell the story of how I first started licensing my artwork, I always mention that my first licensing deal was with Anthropologie, and that is true to an extent. I would consider that the first deal where I met with the company to discuss the project, signed a contract, and then developed the product. It was a collaborative process.

But if I really think about it now, selling on Society6 was actually my very first taste of licensing.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but third-party print-on-demand platforms, like Society6, are essentially a form of licensing.

I, as the artist, am giving them permission to use my art to create and sell products under their brand, and in return, I get paid royalties. And that’s the general process of licensing.

This first experience with licensing was a sweet one. It opened my eyes to what was possible not only in terms of income, but also how it could support my creative business and life as a whole.

The Beginning

When I started my business in 2013, I decided to name it Parima Creative Studio, because I wanted to sell art, stationery, and home goods.

It was meant to be a hub of colorful products (that was the “creative studio” part), but I quickly realized that to achieve this, I would need to find a manufacturer to produce the products and save up enough to pay for the “minimum” quantity required. The minimum was usually in the thousands (ouch! It wasn’t like today, where you can easily find print-on-demand companies and order just one.).

To say I was discouraged was an understatement. How would I ever be able to pull together that much money to create one product with one design?!

It would take a boatload of money to create an entire collection (and not to mention the physical space I would need).

So I decided to put that dream on hold and focus on selling my art first.

Then I came across Society6, a newish company that started in 2009. It gave artists the opportunity to set up their own little shops and place their art on a ton of cool products like phone cases, pillow cases, and more without having to invest in inventory and physical space.

They would handle everything — the production, the shipping, and the customer service. Anytime something sold, the artist would get paid a percentage of the sale.

The only downside I saw was that the products wouldn’t be on my own website, but that ended up being a blessing (more on that later).

All else was exactly what I was looking for. So I signed up for a seller’s account.

It was super easy to do. I agreed to their terms (granting them permission to use my art), started uploading my artwork, and applied it to their various products.

At that time, Society6 allowed you to upload anything and everything to their site (I don’t know if this is still true). There was no pre-approval process. Your shop was yours to manage.

Since I was experimenting with a new platform, I didn’t want to give out my best work. I wanted to test the waters with art that I liked, but that was a little bit outside of what I usually did. Then, if it started generating sales, I could consider adding more art. This is a tactic I still use today.

A Slow Start

I didn’t start making money right away. It took a few months for me to receive my first PayPal payment for sixteen whole dollars.

This slow start might have been discouraging to some, but to me, it felt promising. I thought to myself, “Okay, well, at least it’s not zero! Let’s see where this goes!”

Then the following month, I made another $9, and then $50, and so it bounced between those numbers for all of 2014.

To me, this was a sign that it was working, and I decided to upload more art.

Then something happened that absolutely changed the trajectory of my business and Society6 shop.

From $50 to $4k per month

Back then, Society6 would curate artists to feature on their main home page and collections. They would choose artists whose art fit the vibe they were going for.

I was fortunate enough that one of my artworks was selected, and that resulted in a massive burst of sales.

That first month, I broke over $100, and five months later, I was making over $600 per month.

And each year it continued to grow, until I was making between $2,000-$4,000 per month!

I was absolutely floored.

I never could have imagined making so much money without hustling like a madwoman. It quickly became my new favorite way of making money.

The Lessons I Learned from My First Licensing Income

1. I don’t have to grow my business by myself

But, I think the best part for me was that I didn’t have to do any marketing for it. I might have pinned a few things or mentioned it sparingly on Insta, but it was hardly ever a main priority for me. All of the sales came through Society6’s built-in audience and their own marketing efforts.