Learn How to Set Your Art Career Goals
Do you allow galleries, buyers, and commissions to dictate your career path? Do you think it is a waste of time setting short-term and long-term career goals? This is a mistake. It is your art, your talent, and your life - so why not own the journey and dream big? Setting career goals will give you focus, direction and sense of purpose. Most importantly, they empower you to define what success means to you.
What should you do to set your career goals? Here are a few ways to help you get started:
1. Set Realistic Goals
Don't set incredibly high expectations for yourself. Make sure your goals are within reach. They should be compatible to your current abilities and practical enough to reach in a reasonable time. For example, setting a goal to exhibit your artwork in 20 galleries this year is beyond your control, because you cannot assume 20 galleries will accept your work. A more attainable goal is to commit to sending twenty exhibit proposals out in a few months.
2. Set Goals That Motivate You
When setting goals, they have to mean something to you and have a value to achieving them. If it is not very important to you, then you will not be driven to put the work in to achieve it. Think about what means the most to you when building your list of goals, and prioritize them accordingly.
3. Write Down Your Goals
Keeping your goals in your head is not helpful. Don't you have enough in there already? Commit to writing them down in journal, on a whiteboard or laptop. Keep your goals in plain sight. This method can be a visual reminder as well as help you create a plan.
Write milestones and an action plan for each one. Try to use the SMART (S-specific, M-measurable, A-achievable, R-relevant, and T-time-bound) technique when creating these steps. It will ensure your ambitions are specific, measurable, and attainable.
4. Put It To Action
Take action now. Strive to push the needle on your goals each day. Here are few tips to keep you on the right path.
- Don't procrastinate. Procrastination can be a silent killer to your success. It can lead you to retreat to a habit of comfort.
- Manage your time. Set aside times that are dedicated to working on your goals. Dedicating as little as 15 minutes a day can keep you motivated and on course.
- Leverage Daily Goal Setting. Daily goals is a great way to stay on track for those big goals that are a year or more away. Set a goal every morning without fail. Put that action plan mentioned above to work. Whatever it is, as long as it is measurable, it will keep you on track.
5. Welcome Failures and Celebrate Successes
Failure by far is one of the surest pathways to success. Some of the most successful people have failed many times, but what made them successful is that they did not give up. So, when failure is on your doorstep let it in, Accept it. Learn from it. Then move past it.
On the other hand, success does come, and when it does take time to celebrate it. Whether the success is big or small, acknowledge it happened by sharing it with friends and family, announcing it on social media, or toasting to it over dinner. Celebrating will keep you motivated and confident that you will succeed time and time again.
Here are a few goal ideas to work with:
- Create a new series of work
- Improve my business skills
- Get into a gallery
- Build an effective professional network
- Grow my contacts list
- Improve my website
- Increase my art sales
Above all, stay committed and always assume success. If you would like further help, we offer Artist Advising on career strategies and building short-term and long-term goals.