5 Tips for Setting Art & Life Goals for Artists and Illustrators

Last weeks post were the WHYS for setting goals - this post will deal with the HOWS of goal setting.

There has been a lot of research showing that having challenging goals work by improving performance and results. I can tell you from personal experience that I certainly seem to accomplish more when I take the time to set goals and actively take steps to see them through. For example I wanted to take my family on holiday to Menorca and decided to pay for this from my Spoonflower income. This energised me to create and upload new content more often than I would have done otherwise because I had this goal in mind. And we had a fabulous in Menorca from the proceeds.

If you were never set goals in the first place, you would never find out if you could change your life or career around - as in my case. Below is my 5-step system when considering your own goals, whether personal, business or for art related matters.

1. Brainstorming

Write down as many things as possible for what you’d like to do, to be or to have. Remember, the sky is the limit! Think short, medium, and long term - say what you’d like to achieve in the next month, 6 months, next 1-2 years and next 5 years. It’s worth considering some of the below when brainstorming

- What have you always wanted to do or accomplish in this area of your life but have never attempted ( because of lack of time/money/experience)

- What would you wish for if you were absolutely confident that you could accomplish it?

- What kind of artist do you want to become?

 - What do you want to become known for?

- What kind of work do you want to create?

- What knowledge, experience or expertise would you like to gain ?

- How do you want to focus your time and energy?

 - What does your ideal lifestyle look like ?

- What does your studio or workplace look like ?

- Which clients or manufacturers are you working with ?

- How much income are you bringing in every month/ year?

2. Write down specific goals

A goal will not get off the ground until you write it down, so its there in black and white for you to see. It has a certain power and has been proven that people who don't write down their goals tend to fail easier than the ones who have written plans. Make statements that start with ‘I am….’ then add a positive emotion such as’….excited/ happy/delighted/overjoyed…etc’ then the goal, plus the completion date at the end. I could look something like this: I am thrilled to make $500 a month from POD sites by Dec 2019.

You can write them down in a goals book, sticking down images to help, or create a slide show of images and words on your phone using apps like Phonto. Or put them on post it notes all over your house. Use what works for you. The important thing is that you write down your goals and then you are reminded daily of why you want to achieve them.

3 Set goals with a deadline

When setting goals try to be realistic about what can be achieved within the timeframe that you set yourself (it took me over 6 months to set up my FIRST EVER website with just 10 images) This way, the goal is still realistic, but it will stretch you a little beyond what you think is actually possible so you will HAVE to grow as an artist/ designer to achieve them. By setting a deadlines you will be training yourself to working towards a date for completion, meaning you can pace yourself with a reasonable time frame.

4. Make an Action Plan

I don’t always achieve my goals when I’m ‘supposed’ to, yes I often fall short. However I do have an action plan in place so if I veer off course I still have a route to guide me. Sometimes at the beginning you get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, then crossing each one off as you complete it, you'll realise that you are making progress. For me it’s a lot easier to achieve my goals if I break them down into bite-sized parts, such as a daily to list, so its a lot more manageable and far less overwhelming. Successful people make positive incremental changes, and over time those changes produce huge results.

5. Remember that success is a marathon

When you look at other designers or artists who are successful, remember that they have worked for years and years to get where they are. They have put in the time and probable tears to reap the rewards of their effort. Please don’t feel too discouraged when you see the distance between where you are and where you want to be. Goal setting is an ongoing activity that will need to be reviewed and sometimes revised so you stay on track. Success isn’t a destination you can take a fast track to.

Writing down and working towards a goals is going to significantly accelerate your success compared to a vague idea.You will be amazed at what you can accomplish when you set goals and make steady progress toward them, and celebrate the tiny successes Goals are important in any creative career path but I think more so if you hope to run an art business, as they give you a sense of purpose; and a reason for you to wake up in the morning with energy and enthusiasm.Your future vision of a thrilling art life will get you through difficult days and rough patches, but also contributes to your overall happiness and wellbeing in the long term as a creative.