Richard Cowdrey - “Frosty the Snowman”

I want to use my first posting to thank you, the artists at Shannon Associates, for giving us the privilege of showing your work. We fully understand what a responsibility it is to be entrusted with your careers. We also do not underestimate the trust you have charged us with in supporting you and your families. It has been such a pleasure to work with professionals who concern themselves with their work and the integrity of our industry.

Things are happening so fast, that many in our industry are loosing track of reality. They are listening to fear disguised as activism. Truth must remain a part of the process and this takes time and consideration to discern. It does not matter what you call yourself - an illustrator, artist, writer, or photographer. At the end of the day, it still all begins and ends with your portfolio and I am blessed to be working with artists who understand the importance of their work. No one can make or break an artist's career (although many try to take credit), and your focus and efforts are appreciated. Thank you for putting the art first.

As an industry, we have just completed an amazing year and it appears that this fantastic roller coaster ride shows no signs of slowing down. It has been a time of innovation, opportunity, exploration, and education. With the bombardment of new information it has been our decision to pour our efforts into the countless areas of growth while continuing to expand in the current markets.

The wheels of change are moving forward with ever increasing speed. The artists at Shannon Associates have shown, by example, how to move ahead in this rapidly developing market without reacting with "future shock". You have taken control of developing your portfolios, marketing efforts, product development, and careers.

As we all have witnessed, this business is not the same as it was a few years ago. There are many new factors introduced into our industry that have completely revolutionized our field. We have not seen development like this since the post-Civil War boom of the Golden Age, if ever. Just look at some of the factors that have entered and revolutionized our field, each of which is extraordinary in its own right: sourcebooks, faxes, fedex, computer art (2-d and 3-d), the "me" generation (followed by the "d" generation), competition for buyer/suppliers/audience, photography boom, corporate loyalty/ art director turnover, fear factor, corporate bottom line/ firing "experience"/ hiring "less expensive", the internet, FTP, monopolies falling, imagery rights, and the rise of the stock industry. Obviously, each of these factors brings with it both positive and negative changes, but each one brings with it a new set of challenges on creators and representatives.

It is such an exciting time to be involved in this industry as we watch the opportunity opening up all around us. There is certainly a great deal more work to do as agents in reaching this broader market and exploring all of the new opportunities but we are looking forward to learning where the next challenges are going to arise from.

Thank you again for all of your hard work, your loyalty, and your faith. These are all held very dear to all of us at Shannon Associates.