This is the story of my first ever art licensing deal.

…and it all started with me having a mini freakout while going through the security checkpoint at Los Angeles airport.

Not the best place to totally lose composure. 😬

But before I explain my meltdown, let me back up a bit…

A little over seven years ago, I quit my job. Before I began my journey into self-employment, I decided I’d give myself a gift.

I’d do the thing I’d always wanted to do, but never had time or money for:

A solo backpacking trip through Southeast Asia.

My friends and family thought I’d gone mad. In the span of one week, I quit my cushy agency job and booked a ticket to the Philippines to embark on a 6-week solo backpacking trip through five countries.

I’d never been to Southeast Asia before and I knew a grand total of zero people there.

I was 27, so my family logically concluded I was having a quarter-life crisis.

But here’s the thing– it didn’t seem that crazy to me. Why not do the thing I’d always wanted to do? This was the first time in my entire life that I had the two things I needed to actually pull something like this off.

Disposable income
Time freedom

I’d been slowly building up my side income for over a year.

In 2014, I started uploading my watercolor paintings to print-on-demand sites like Society6. It was actually paying off– big time.

The royalties I earned through Society6 granted me the financial security I needed to leave my agency job.

And just like that– I was a self-employed artist.

So, back to my first ever licensing deal…

Here I am, at LAX airport, the very start of my 6-week backpacking trip.

And I was about to go through airport security. As I was pulling things out of my pocket to place in the X-ray bin, I glanced at my phone and saw an email from a buyer at Urban Outfitters. I opened it and quickly scanned the message.

Urban Outfitters wanted to license one of my designs to sell in their stores. (!!!!!!!!)

They’d found me on Society6, browsed through my Instagram, and contacted me via email about this licensing opportunity.

I. Was. Floored.

I’d never in a thousand years imagined that something like this could happen for me.

Aaaaaand this is what led to my little episode at the security checkpoint at LAX airport.

After scanning that email, realization sunk in: This was my very first licensing deal! And it was with URBAN FREAKING OUTFITTERS!

I started jumping up and down with a HUGE grin on my face. (There may have been some fist-bumping and giddy squealing, too– I honestly don’t remember.)

I do remember getting pulled aside for additional screening. But I was unfazed. All I could think about was: “This is my first big break!”

I spent a good chunk of that 12-hour flight writing and re-writing my response to that email. I’d never had a licensing deal before, so the entire art licensing industry was brand new to me.

I emailed my reply during my layover in Tokyo and we got the ball rolling. Surprisingly, it was a pretty seamless process to get an art licensing deal off the ground.

A few months later, my “Good Vibes” wall art was sold through Urban Outfitters!

The icing on the cake?

They let me keep my signature on my art. (Never hurts to ask, right?)

This meant immediate brand association with Urban Outfitters. That licensing deal paved the way to even more opportunities.

Fast-forward to today: I now license my designs through brands like Target, HomeGoods, Anthropologie, Bed Bath & Beyond, Nordstrom, and many, many more.

At this very moment, I have 45 active licensing deals with companies all over the world.

And that 6-week backpacking trip?

Well, it didn’t quite go as expected.

I loved traveling so much that I didn’t want the trip to end. And turns out, it didn’t really have to.

I’ve spent the last seven years & change literally living out of a suitcase. I travel the world full-time, creating new art as I go.

I’ve visited 40+ countries, some for a few days, others for a few months. I’ve hiked active volcanoes in Italy, learned how to scuba dive in Thailand, tried skydiving in New Zealand (never again), trekked through the rainforest in Central America, and hosted art retreats all around the world.

I’m now living life to the fullest and I get to the two things that give me the most fulfillment: traveling and creating art.

And none of this would be possible if I hadn’t gathered my courage and hit “publish” on my first design on Society6.

Don’t get me wrong, it was not easy when I first started out. I was soooooooooo nervous and filled with imposter syndrome.

Were my designs good enough?

What if no one bought them?

Was I even ready for this?

There were times I thought about giving up, but a small voice in the back of my head encouraged me to keep pushing. It reminded me that my big dreams were worth it.

So I pushed through the imposter syndrome. I continued to take small steps towards my goals in whatever way I could.

I know how hard it is to keep pushing through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, which is why I started teaching online. I want to help other aspiring creatives reach their full potential as well.

I’m so grateful that I embarked on those first steps I never could have imagined where they might lead.

Now, my goal is to inspire my fellow creative community with the skills and knowledge that others need in order to reach their own success.

Essentially, I took all the things I wish I would have known when I was starting out. I packed all those tips and tricks directly into my online classes. These are the juicy value-bombs that would have fast-tracked my own progress by years. It gives me purpose to pass those lessons-learned onwards.

So wherever you are in your own journey, just know that there is a path for everyone.

I’m rooting for you!

xo,
Cat

The Story of My First Art Licensing Deal