Part of life is making changes and setting artistic goals.
That is how you grow and become the artist you have always dreamed of being. However, it does not have to be a dream any longer. Learn to set artistic goals that will bring the achievements you want from life.
It is easy to become caught up in your dreams. Just thinking of the possible outcomes can lead to unrealistic avenues for achieving those intentions. While a bit of wild dreaming is expected and can motivate you to continue to pursue your dreams, they can also bring about disappointment, depression and discarded goals if you are not careful.
Road to...Artistic Goals
Here are some practical steps for achieving your artistic goals.
Who is your target market? – Many artists fail at determining a clear destination for their artistic goals, because there is no mental picture of who your targeted market really is.The goal is yours alone so be honest with yourself. A common goal is to paint and show your work more, but this is too general to be an artistic goal. Instead, define what you actually want: I want to exhibit in 6 shows and paint 2 pictures a month in 2012. This is an achievable and measurable artistic goal.
Set short and long-term milestones for your artistic goals – The purpose of milestones is not only motivation but also a sensible breakdown of a larger overwhelming goal into a smaller manageable one. Start from the end and work backwards, the next step is to develop weekly goals. Working backwards helps you achieve your goals by seeing the big picture first.
Small artistic goals are seen as doable and you are less likely to become discouraged.
Expect setbacks –. To expect that you will not experience any disappointment during your journey is unrealistic. Determine how you will handle interruptions, unexpected events and low creativity, before they come to take a bite out of your productivity.
Have confidence in your dream – It would be nice if everyone could be happy for you but that again is unrealistic. Each person has their own dreams and may not understand the time and energy needed for you to experience your goal.
This person may not have the time or energy to be fully into your dream. That is okay. The one who needs to be going full tilt about your dream is you.
Reevaluate your intention – It is okay and often necessary to stop and reevaluate your intentions. About once a month is a good time to stop and determine if this goal is still valid to you? Has your goal changed? When situations in life change, your overall goal may not change but your steps to achieve it will probably need adjusting. Should this be true find a new course to reach the same destination. Artistic goals are yours to do with as you wish. There is no obligation to stick to one if your heart is no longer in it. Step back and take a moment to reevaluate where you to spend your passion.
I invite you to enter your name and email in the box in the right corner of this post and listen as I talk with you about your goals. I’ve also included a link to a post that will encourage you in setting your artistic goals, http://www.valleofyellowcreekartstudioblog.com/how-to-make-artistic-goals-and-accomplishing-them-a-top-priority please check it out.
Ellene
Ellene Breedlove
http://ElleneBreedloveDavis.com
http://WWW.Facebook.com/ElleneBreedloveDavisWatercolorArtists
Learn to Set Artistic Goals for Personal Improvement
Thanks for your comment, Justin. I’ve found that when I try to hold on too tightly my goals seem to disappear. That’s the reason my day planner helps keep me on track and steers me toward the end result of my goals
Hi Ellene,
I found that by visualizing my goals, feeling the good feelings in my heart and then releasing them, the goals usually manifest quite easily. It’s when I hold onto goals that they seem to evade me.
take care…
Justin Mazza recently posted..Changes to Mazzastick.com for 2012
Cindy, Sorry I missed your webinar last night, I sure it was a good one. Like you I get so caught up in painting that I forget to just live. I usually paint from photos that I combine to make a painting, so I do some photography. Photography could soon turn into a hobby also if I didn’t keep it in check. Also, I received a new camera for Christmas and I’m anxious to make lots of new photos.
Hi Dorien,
Many thanks for your comment! It seems I get much more accomplished if I take baby steps, it’s the overall big picture that can trip me up. Making it seem that it’s just too big to tackle.
Thanks Anne, Sure hope you can set some short and long term goals for your singing!
Hi Keri, Many thanks for being my new FB Fan! It seems that being a creative type person that there are so many things that interest us if we don’t make goals and hold ourselves to them, we really won’t get much accomplished.
Thanks for stopping by Kittie. Making smart goal choices is definitely the key to staying on track.
A great common sense approach to goal setting. People do tend to set quite fuzzy goals and then wonder why they don’t achieve them.
Making sure your goals are SMART definitely keeps you on track.
Nice post, thanks for the advice.
Kittie Walker recently posted..Conversation Marketing – Get With the Program
Ellene,
Lots of great points for your niche of business!
Honestly, I see so many creative-types (I’m one) not consider who their target market is. You are also realistic here, and that is important.
Enjoyed the read!
~Keri
Your new FB fan
Keri recently posted..10.5 Practical Social Media Tools For Small Business Owners
WOW that is a great post inspiring both sides of my brain.
I like this : “Set short and long-term milestones for your artistic goals – The purpose of milestones is not only motivation but also a sensible breakdown of a larger overwhelming goal into a smaller manageable one”. I get inspired to set an artistic goal too although not in painting but I would love to sing. Thanks!
Anne Egros recently posted..Getting A Balanced Life in Only Two Steps
I love your wisdom, Ellene: “Small artistic goals are seen as doable and you are less likely to become discouraged.”
Aren’t we all better off with baby steps?
This is a great reminder to just ‘do and go’ and not ‘think big and procrastinate’!
Kudos on a great informative blog post.
Fondly, Dorien.
Dorien Morin-van Dam recently posted..Business To Business Networking – Facebook 101
Elleen,
I think goal setting is very powerful in all aspects of your life. It is also important to remember that every goal doesn’t have to be business related.
For example I love to take pictures. Always have. But I am usually so focused on my business and reaching my business goals (which is not photography based) that I forget to pursue my other loves.
So this year I have a goal to focus more on following my heart and taking more pictures. Right now they are just “Photos of whatever inspires me to capture it for all time” but who knows, maybe it will develop into something more as the year goes on
Great post. It is good to have reminders about things we all know we should be doing
Cindy
Cindy recently posted..Reverse Engineer Your Goals – YMU Update January 9th 2012