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Happy August, !
I’m back with another installment of Inside the Art Brand Alliance, our monthly glimpse into the conversations and professional development happening within the ABA.
This month, we look at a specific art licensing opportunity: creating for puzzles.
Then, we invite you to join us for an upcoming panel discussion on what it takes to sustain an art business over many years.
First, a peek inside our recent member-hosted social hour, all about puzzles…
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Our Social Hours have been a monthly staple since the early days of the ABA. They began spontaneously as a response to the isolation and uncertainty we all felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over time, they’ve evolved to be a lively blend of socializing and learning, with a focused conversation topic each month. Each is an excellent example of the deep and generous body of knowledge available within the ABA community.
Recently our Allies Maria Over and Kaly Quarles hosted an hour exploring the world of creating and licensing for jigsaw puzzles. They shared a bit about their own extensive experience with this product format, then invited questions and stories from other members, many of whom have their own puzzle experience to share.
The discussion ran wide and deep, exploring creative development considerations like…
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Approaches to research and mood boards
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Traditional versus digital working methods
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Designing an image that is enjoyable to assemble without allowing the composition to become visual chaos
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The possibility that a tiny element from a puzzle might be enlarged for a sticker or another product, and what that means for the ideal finished file size
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The role of client check-ins throughout the project
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Production schedules and the often-surprising amount of time and labor these projects can require
… and member experiences negotiating actual puzzle licensing opportunities including candid talk about:
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varying payment structures and usage terms (with some members sharing the specific payments they’ve received)
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where compromising on the price, payment structure (royalty-based versus flat-fee versus buyout), or other terms might be worth it, and why
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ways they learned from the negotiation and the resulting project and what they might ask for or do differently next time around
As always, the discussion and learning has continued asynchronously in the network. There, members are collaboratively compiling a list of puzzle companies, including insights into their working experiences with some of those companies.
That is often how knowledge grows inside the ABA. One person begins by showing what they know. Someone else asks the question that reveals another layer. A third person adds an experience that adds complexity and nuance, and the community leaves with a fuller, more realistic understanding than any one member could have provided alone.
Join the ABA for on-demand access to this social hour, the ongoing discussion, and our entire library of event replays.
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Building an art business is rarely a straight line. There are seemingly endless variables and things to learn along the way. Even as we develop our skills and become more experienced, things change. Markets shift. Successful products begin to feel restrictive. Personal circumstances interrupt carefully made plans. Sometimes persistence is called for. At other times, the more courageous choice is to reinvent something or change direction. Decision-making is near constant.
On Wednesday, August 12, moderator Annie Galvin will be joined by fellow Allies Trina Dalziel, Emily Mann, Jessica Poundstone, and Viola Sutanto for a candid panel conversation about sustaining a creative business over the long term.
Each of these artist-entrepreneurs has built a distinctive business rooted in her own art, interests, and values. Collectively, they bring decades of experience across illustration, fine art, products, licensing, commissions, retail, client services, and creative leadership.
Together, they’ll reflect on the realities of working for yourself over the long term: what has become easier with experience, what remains difficult, and how they’ve responded when circumstances called for persistence, reinvention, or a change of direction.
We’ll explore questions such as:
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How do you distinguish a temporary setback from a genuine shift in the market?
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How do you continue evolving creatively while maintaining a recognizable brand?
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What happens when a successful product line or style begins to feel restrictive?
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Which boundaries, systems, and habits become essential as a business matures?
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How do you keep going through burnout, uncertainty, personal challenges, or disappointing results?
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What can you learn from a risk that did not work out?
The panelists will also speak as specifically as they are comfortable doing about the financial life of their businesses—including stronger and more difficult revenue years—and what those fluctuations have taught them about sustainability.
As always in the ABA, this will not be a conversation about a single formula for success. Each panelist has followed a different path, worked through different challenges, and made different choices. The common thread is that they are still here: continuing to make art, manage change, and shape businesses that can support their lives and creative ambitions.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 9am Pacific
We’d love for you to be there! We’ll begin with a moderated discussion and leave generous time for questions from ABA members. Learn more about ABA membership, which includes this event and so much more!
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Inside the Art Brand Alliance is a monthly email series designed to give prospective members like you a better feel for the trust, candor, and real-world examples members share inside our private professional network, while respecting the confidentiality that helps make those conversations possible.
Each month, I share a glimpse into a recent ABA conversation, event, or discussion, along with an invitation to something coming up next. If you'd like to explore previous issues of this newsletter, you can find the archive here.
And if you have questions about ABA membership, simply hit reply. I'd love to hear from you.
Warmly,
Betsy
Betsy Cordes
Founder/Director Art Brand Alliance
betsy@artbrandalliance.com
Art Brand Alliance on Instagram
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