When it comes to design, Connie Haley can't sit still.  From her newest collection, Boho Bellus, an eclectic array of textures and patterns, to her recent foray into digital “painting,” she demonstrates once again that she's a prolific and versatile artist who's well-versed in the industry's latest trends. She blames it on a constant need for progression - “I get bored with one design style after awhile” but it's clear she's channeling an abundance of creativity while keeping her clients' needs in mind.

“I try to continue to reinvent myself as an artist,” Connie said. “Everything has a life expectancy and that includes art. You have to move on and keep developing something different. My first collection was Freshcut Studio in 2003, then Paperheart Scrapbook in 2005. Now I am developing two new looks simultaneously."

The first is Boho Bellus. She layers serene images and whimsical shapes to give the Boho Bellus line a sense of depth. Moving messages are paired with art that dances with motion and life; flowers appear to blossom out of the background and butterflies seemingly flutter off the canvas.

She also explores her playful streak in her series of digital paintings simply called the Connie Haley Collection. She manipulates familiar images, experimenting with oils, watercolors and everything in between, to produce lush, colorful artwork with exquisite detail. With the ability to replicate such a wide variety of media, Connie can focus on creating unique interpretations of  life's special moments.

“When you're working digitally, you can combine art techniques and materials that aren't possible in real life,” she said. “The creative options are endless. That's what makes it so much fun. Plus there's no clean up. I love to paint, but I don't like the mess!”

A farm girl from Michigan who now  lives in East Texas with her husband and two children, Connie draws on her experience for inspiration.“I love the outdoors,” she said. “ We live in  the country, and we have horses. When I'm looking for something new to work on, I'll take my camera and just go outside. I am always looking for something beautiful to inspire me.”

Connie's open approach to the creative process mirrors her business philosophy. She understands that the marketplace is fluid, and strives to be both proactive and responsive. 

She tries to anticipate a client's needs but then will work diligently to accommodate deadlines and special requests. “I am always creating new art in popular themes like floral, holiday or wedding.  I have several themed series on my web site.  But I always love to try something new.

“We like to have an idea when we put together a client presentation of what they may be looking for, so that we can have something to show them that is as close to it as possible,” she said. “We know whether they're looking for a holiday collection or a wedding or a baby collection or something else even more specific then that. We want the manufacturer to know that we understand their product and what it takes to make it beautiful.”

Once the development process begins, she remains available to help her clients create a  finished product that will be successful in the marketplace. “Once we come up with designs, we work closely with our client.” she said. "If they want something changed, we tweak and twist and work on it until it's perfect. 

“We enjoy working that way. Some artists create the image and then don't want to do anything else with it. We work with the manufacturer to get the product right. Today the manufacturer is looking to the artist more and more to help them with that. 

Connie's business sense comes from years of experience. She began her career as owner of an advertising agency, but discovered art licensing more than a decade ago when she began representing artists and photographers. As she learned more about the industry, she realized it was her true calling.

“When I started as an agent, I  thought it would be in a marketing/advertising role, but then I learned there was a whole licensing industry out there,” she said. “It was fascinating to me. I've always been an artist, and there were a lot of creative things I did when I was involved in advertising, but this was much more suited to me.”

Over the course of her career, Connie's designs have appeared on millions of products, and she's excited about to 2009. Ganz has licensed three of her collections — two from the Boho Bellus line and her Painters Garden tabletop line — which was released as the Connie Haley Collection this January.

“I'm very excited about the giftware Ganz has developed,” she said. “It will be the biggest giftware collection I've ever had, and I am very proud of it. It is incredibly fulfilling for an artist to be able to do what  you enjoy, and to see your designs come to life in the marketplace. I look forward to creating more imagery for Ganz and for other manufacturers.”

She's grateful for her success, and credits Leanin' Tree Greeting Cards, and specifically vice president Susan January, with putting her art licensing career on track.

She was the first one who licensed my first collection, Freshcut Studio,” Connie said. “When I began dabbling in creating my own art for licensing, I put a small portfolio together and brought it to Susan. She and I had worked together with another artist I represented. I showed her a small portfolio of about 12 images and she told me right then that she wanted to build a greeting card collection of 40 around them. I was absolutely floored. Being my first collection and a new artist, it was just unheard of. She took that leap of faith with me, and we've been working together ever since. I absolutely adore her and everyone at Leanin’ Tree.

Since that auspicious beginning, Connie has been privileged to work with large, international companies as well as tiny start-ups trying to make their way in the industry, and she's learned that each client's needs are different. 

“We have been fortunate to have long-term working relationships with several manufacturers,” she said. “Our relationship with each of them is different. Some have giant creative departments and others have no creative department at all — we're it for them. Some of them will bring us specific projects and we'll work to their specifications. The other part of the time, we're busy coming up with beautiful imagery on our own, then finding the right company to license it to. “

At Haley Art & Design, we’ve been doing this a long time. We have created art for many products. We are experienced and professional. We can take direction from the manufacturer, or we can come up with something for them based on our own creative inspiration.”

When it’s time to create, Connie approaches new ideas as an artist, but the business owner in her is never far behind. “We study the trends,”  she said. “That is absolutely essential. We go to the gift markets every year, and we study the trade magazines and publications. There are many resources available"

That discerning business sense may steer her decisions, but Connie can't deny that it's the search for beauty that drives her.  “I enjoy this so much more than my previous career in advertising. There, the measure of  success of a design is how many widgets it sells,” she said. “In this business, the measure of success for a design is how beautiful it is, or how much it inspires somebody. That, to me, is what art is about.”