We were lucky to catch up with Dru Kuhlman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dru, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I come from a creative family—my mom, dad, sister and I were musically inclined, and we all could draw. As a child, I loved to doodle, learned to play my dad’s ukulele at nine, and took piano lessons for several years alongside my sister. Music and art played a significant role in my life, and by high school, I had dreams of attending art school. However, my high school art teacher bluntly told me I had no talent and wouldn’t succeed in art. When my parents heard this, they didn’t support my desire to pursue art school, which was extremely disheartening.

With my art college dreams crushed, I joined the Air Force for a six-year tour. Throughout my service, I entered international military art competitions, consistently placing first or second in the mixed media and drawing categories. I also photographed Air Force vs. Army football games at Ft. Meade, MD, with my work being published in the Air Force newsletter.

After my service, I pursued an engineering degree in college. During that time, I entered a college competition sponsored by Photography Forum magazine, earning an honorable mention, with my photo published in Best of College Photography 1991. Out of over 26,000 entries from the U.S. and Canada, this was a significant achievement.

This was my last creative endeavor until 2017.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After a 26-year pause to raise my son and care for aging parents, I returned to art. The art and photography world had transformed with new digital tools, and I was drawn to digital art and photography. In November 2017, I started building an abstract art portfolio with a goal to license my work. Over the next three years, I expanded my collection with mandala art and fairy-tale art for kids, reaching a total of 60 pieces by mid-2020. Once my portfolio was cohesive, I registered to attend an international licensing trade show in Las Vegas in May 2020. I researched the show’s various licensing categories—like entertainment, food and beverage, gifts, novelties, financial services, and more—to identify companies that might be interested in licensing artwork. I then explored company websites to gauge compatibility with my art style and reached out to schedule meetings during the trade show. All my efforts paid off by landing my first licensing deal with a company that printed my art on debit cards.

In the years that followed, I secured additional licensing contracts by connecting directly with licensing agents at various companies. These deals have included licensing my art for wall art, jigsaw puzzles, umbrellas, and diamond art kits. More recently, I’ve collaborated with film and TV production companies, where my art appears in their productions. One of the best aspects of licensing is the quarterly royalties these contracts generate.

I’m most proud of my latest series, Le Revenant. Let me share the story of how this series came to be. I had just moved to the western slope of the Colorado Rockies, gleefully leaving behind 18 years of desert life in Sin City. It was June 2021, and though the landscapes had changed, my imagination was still reeling from a creative plateau devoid of inspiration. My idea of pushing through this plateau was to dive into fantasy novels, movies, TV series, and BBC network historical fiction. Unwittingly, this binge lasted two years, all in search of a spark.

That spark unexpectedly came from the TV series Outlander. The time travel aspect ignited my imagination and significantly influenced the development of this series, where I planned to incorporate elements from European history, fantasy realms, and mythical locations. This also made me wonder: what if we could revisit cherished places after we’ve passed away? How could I develop a series based on this concept? The only thing I was certain of was the series needed to consist of a European theme, goddesses, and mystical landscapes. Months of research into castles, historic sites, and misty landscapes shaped my vision. My concept of goddesses gradually evolved into spirits, and one day I discovered that in French, “revenant” signifies both “ghost” and “returning entity.” This was the perfect match for my new series, which embodies the ethereal return of goddess spirits to beloved places. Thus, Le Revenant was born.

This series was licensed to Diamond Art Club in October 2023, with the debut design released in May 2024. So far, five out of the twelve designs in the series are complete, and the two that have been released have already become bestsellers on DiamondArtClub.com.

Art prints of this series are available on my website: https://drukuhlman.artspan.com/large-multi-view/Le-Revenant-Series/3994939-1-299000/Le-Revenant-Series.html

Gratitude and Community: I value the support and feedback from my community of followers and clients. Their engagement fuels my creativity, and I strive to provide value and inspiration in return. If there are products you’d like to see my artwork on, or a production you’d love to see my artwork in, please let me know via [email protected].

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is validation. The realization that my art resonates with someone is priceless. As an artist, you never know how your work will be received. There are times when I choose not to share certain pieces because I personally think they’re terrible. However, I’ve learned not to judge my own creations too harshly—what I may see as flawed or unattractive can often become someone’s beautiful discovery.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes, the following information and my experience with licensing may help others in their journey. I highly recommend artists explore licensing as an additional revenue stream. While the industry may seem daunting, securing licensing agreements is not as difficult as it might appear. It is competitive, but if your work is unique and appealing, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to land licensing opportunities.

Before reaching out to any licensees or signing contracts, I recommend thoroughly studying this book—it’s an invaluable resource: The New and Complete Business of Licensing: The Essential Guide to Monetizing Intellectual Property Paperback – June 5, 2018, by Greg Battersby (Author), Danny Simon (Author)

In addition, I have a small business subscription with LegalShield.com, and I consult with their attorneys on all my licensing agreements. They’ve identified numerous one-sided clauses in contracts and recommended alternative language to help reduce my liability in these agreements.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://drukuhlman.com and https://drukuhlman.artspan.com/home
• Instagram: @drukuhlman
• Facebook: @drukuhlmanart
• Linkedin: @drukuhlman
• Twitter: @drukuhlman

Image Credits

N/A