Some people think that artists simply float along, do not plan a thing and just wait and see what the universe brings them in terms of opportunities. This image though couldn't be further from the truth. Professional artists are very busy people and the only way to survive such busyness is to set goals, work towards them and to be incredibly organised.
As the new year fast approaches, artists are busy reflecting on the year that has been and on their goals for the year ahead. And I'm no different.
This year I will be using a few different tools to stay organised (and working towards my goals in a very targeted way) including a new system that has been inspired by the lovely Laura Horn. Shall I do another post focusing on organisation for artists? Tell me in the comments below. Organisation however is nothing without clear, value-aligned goals.
In my thinking about the year to come and where I want it to take me, I actually took a step backwards to deeply think about what it is I want my art to do. What purpose do I want it to have? What impact on the world do I want my art to have? And in fact, slowing down my mind to consider this has had a huge impact on my goals for 2021.
So, I want you too to consider:
- What do you want to say via your art?
- What impact do you want your art to have on others?
- What purpose do you want to fulfill through your art?
- What is your role as an artist beyond artmaking?
Once you have these broader purposes in mind, specific goals are much easier to set. An example of aligning one's purpose with one's goals is my plan to a) apply this deeper understanding of my purpose (simply put: sharing the love of the natural world) to a new body of works and then b) approach retailers. Through the purpose-finding activity it has also been confirmed that I want to make art for the general buyer, not just for the elite. And the best way for me to share the love of nature with as many people as possible is through either direct sales on my website or through retailers. So ✔️✔️✔️ the goal is aligned with the purpose and my values.
So, tell me... Are you a resolution maker? A setter of goals? If you do set goals, do you find you make goals that are unrealistic? Or perhaps not properly aligned to your purpose? Maybe you often find yourself adjusting your goals through the year as you realise the disconnect?
Or are you not a goal setter at all because, dare I say it, you are afraid to fail? I can relate to this last point, so don't feel alone here! For those of you who don't set goals, for fear of failure, I encourage you to set 3 achievable goals and smash those goals out of the park in 2021. You'll feel a million dollars!
With love and gratitude,
Ros
x
P.S. If you haven't already grabbed my free watercolour video tutorial, you can GET IT HERE.