033: RECLAIM YOUR ARTISTIC SUCCESS WITH SMART GOALS YOU CAN ACTUALLY ACHIEVE THIS YEAR

EPISODE 33

 

 

This year has sprung us many unexpected surprises but it’s not too late to get the controls back and make your next three months your best time ever.

 

It’s true.... there are so many variables in your artist life that you simply can’t control the outcome of but you can control your actions. You can make plans. You can choose to pivot and change direction. 

 

And the really good news is that you don’t have to wait for the ending to start fresh new beginnings.

You don’t have to wait for the end of the year or even the end of the month or your day ... you can start to get going right away.

 

Confession Time

I've never been much of a planner. I love living the moment and would enjoy the surprises that life brought my way. However exciting this may seem, this ‘strategy’ did not bring me where I wanted to be. It didn't improve my art or grow my art business. 

It was only when I started to get super intentional that I started to see more growth.

And the beauty of growth is that this will directly reflect on your bank balance. It was this growth that then gave me the freedom to travel and go on adventures….now that was really exciting.

A totally different approach than just waiting and wanting to be surprised by life.

So if you are not the planning type then I hope this episode will encourage you.

 

 Planning and goal setting can be learnt.

 

Many artists never reach their artistic best because they have no clear plan or vision for their art or art business.

 

It’s time to take a realistic look at your schedule. It’s time to walk out of the fog and get clear about where you want to go with your art and your art career. It is not too late. You can do something about it today!

 

Artist Task

Open up a scheduler, you may prefer a digital version or a physical agenda, whatever you choose have a look at the next three months. Start by circling the most important dates. Are there public holidays, special festivities or local events that you need to consider? Mark these on your calendar.

What can you make, produce or prepare these next few weeks that will simply be irresistible for your audience.

Can you make reproductions or prints from quality photos of your work or design gift vouchers for friends and family to give as gifts for an art piece, commission or a workshop?

 

This is the perfect season to create extra revenue with your art.

 

Write a list of all your art activities and circle what activities will bring you the most revenue during the next 3 months?

 

Choose one activity or task and start to break it down into smaller parts.

 

This episode comes with a breakdown sheet. This practical worksheet will help you break down your art goals into smaller, do-able steps.

 

You can press the link to access the sheet.

It's not too late! You can definitely still make this year count, no matter what the circumstances may be.

 

Making intentional plans and having a clear vision for your art is a huge part of any working artist success.

 

 In this episode we will be looking at these 3 steps:

 

1. Get clear about where you are going,
2. Set Smart Long & Short term art goals,
3. Break these down into smaller steps you can start to take today.

Get into the Right Headspace

 Firstly.....Determine not to overcome by the lull of these times. You may be thinking…

’Ohh it’s too late, I've sold nothing this year, so why would I sell anything now.’

or

‘The times are really bad so who would be interested in my art anyway.’

or

‘If it didn't work before, why would it work now.’

 

The list to not take fresh, smart steps can go on and on. 

Today it’s time to clear those cobwebs and start to surround yourself with good, positive vibes that you can turn into plans and goals that will bring you closer to your art dreams.

 

You have more control over your art success than you may think and it starts with a plan.

 

 * Remember....A wish without a plan is just that a wish...quit wishing and start to make a plan.

Long Term Art Goals 

Where do you see your art and art business in over 5 years? Can you picture this? Where will you be? What will you be making? Where will you be living? How much will you be earning?

It’s time to get excited about your art future and set some BOG’s.

Big Outrageous Goals.

BOG’s are goals that take extra time and energy to accomplish. They may seem out of reach but they will fuel your art dreams and give you the motivation and momentum to keep going.

 Do you want to travel the world, exhibit in a world renown gallery, work in collaboration with an art that you admire?

Take time to dream again and write down your BOG’s. What do you aspire to do in the next 5 years? Head over to the worksheet to write down your BOG's.

 

Goals are not strict rules but are a gentle beacon blinking on your horizon steering you in the right direction.

 

Start to Dream Again

Maybe disappointments, unexpected failures, or losses that you have suffered, have made it difficult to look past today…. then I want to invite you to dare to dream again. 

 

Artist Task

Sit down this week and start to write down what you would like to see in your art and art life in 5 years from today. Describe where you will be, what you will be earning, how much art will you be making, where will you be living. 

Then make it visual by making a mood board of your BOG’s.

You can cut and paste or make a Pinterest board of your aspirations and dreams. Start to get excited about your beautiful profession and all the possibilities that your art will bring you.

Hang or post your mood board somewhere where you can see it, reminding you of why you are creating and where you are going.

Once you have an idea of the bigger picture you can start to reverse engineer these larger long-term goals into smaller steps.

 

Short Term Art Goals

Next you can start to set Smart Art Goals for the next three months.

 What do you want to see happen these next 3 months? 

Let’s have a look at what constitutes a smart goal.

 

 Smart Art Goals are:

 

Aspirational 

 

This is an art goal that excites and scares you at the same time. If you are bored to start off with you will not have the motivation to reach it. A smart goal is always a little out of your comfort zone and it will require you to take steps.

 

Specific

 

Your art goals should be linked with one activity, or thought or idea in your art life or business. It is specific. If somebody were to ask you what it is they should understand it right from the start. Be clear and write a goal for one specific area of your art or art business. You can set numerous goals for the different activities in your business but just focus each goal on one area.

 

Measurable

 

Can you measure your progress as you take steps to accomplish your art goals? Smart goals have clear points of reference and are measurable. If you want to increase the traffic to your art website you should be able to see this in your statistics? If you want to paint 4 oil paintings you should be able to count the results. So add a number to your goal but make sure it's realistic. This brings us to the next ingredient of a Smart Art Goal.

Attainable

 

As you grow and mature as an artist, your experience will help you manage your expectations. You will learn to make realistic estimations about how long a certain task will take, how fast you can work and what you can communicate with your art clients. 

 There is nothing more demotivating than not reaching your goals, so take extra care that your art goals are attainable and possible to achieve.

Rewarding

 

Your art goals should give you a deep sense of satisfaction. It may not always be fun to do but when you reach then you feel that it was worth your efforts and that you will reap rewards for your art and art business.

 

Time based 

 

When do you want to complete your 6 paintings or get your art website up and running? A smart goal should fall within a specific time period.

 

Artist Task 

Take time this week to write 2 smart goals for 2 different areas of your art and life as an artist.

Head over to the breakdown sheet to discover all the area’s of an artist's life where you can start to create smart goals. Included is a  practical worksheet where you can start to break down your art goals into manageable steps.

 Click here to access your copy of this practical sheet

 

There really is no better time than today to start to get super intentional about your art and career. It’s not too late to reclaim your artist success and take steps to make this your best year ever.