RJ Gabriel
How to Set Attainable Art Goals for the Year: A Lesson in Realistic Goal-Setting
How the First Quarter of My Year’s Going
Lately, I’ve been noticing that I fall into a pattern every year with my art. The New Year begins, I get all beady-eyed and motivated to create work; I post a single piece of art on Instagram with a somewhat inspirational caption, then disappear for months without posting again.
And this has happened over and over again since I got back into art in 2020. So I figure it’s about time I ask myself — why can I not achieve the goals that I’m setting for the year?
Now, almost halfway through this one, I’m approaching everything with a newfound curiosity. Why am I not reaching my goals? What is holding me back? How can I reframe my goals so they are more attainable? Here are a few mistakes I’ve made with my goals and some tips on how you can better set goals for your art practice.
Why Set Goals For Art?
Now you may be asking — why should I even set goals to begin with? If art is meant to be fun, then won’t setting goals take the fun away from it?
Setting goals is an important aspect of any artistic, and even professional practice. It helps you stay motivated, focused, and productive as you try to reach new heights and challenge yourself along the way. But setting goals that are too ambitious or unrealistic can lead to a whole lot of disappointment and frustration (which is where I’m currently at), and can even lead to one of the most detrimental things in art – burnout. Because of this – it’s important we set attainable art goals that are not only challenging, but also achievable.
A Look at My Unrealistic Goals
My goals at the start of 2023:
- 24 YouTube videos (2 every month)
- Post 12 new blogs on your website (1 per month)
- Create a 12 new paintings (1 a month) to submit into a gallery
- Finish reading 3 of your art books
- Reach 1,000 followers on Instagram
- Complete 1 Oil Painting
- Complete my entire Travel Ink Sketchbook
Pretty ambitious huh? I know. Now let’s dissect these goals, and look at why exactly these are unrealistic for my current situation.
- Post 24 YouTube Videos (2 every month)
Up until this point I’ve never even posted 1 YouTube video – and at the moment, I’m not drawing enough to get good content.
- Post 12 new blogs on your website
If you’re reading this after I’ve posted this on April 28, 2023, this was my very first blog.
- Create a 12 new paintings (1 a month) to submit into a gallery
I’m at 0.
- Finish reading 3 of your art books
Out of all of these, this one is attainable! I’ve already completed 1, so I’m on track to knock out 2 more.
- Reach 1,000 followers on Instagram
This one is potentially is possible, but I’ve posted only once (at the start of this year), and I will have to start developing better habits to create and post more often.
- Create 1 Oil Painting
This has been a personal goal for a while. I have the materials, I just have to make time to experiment.
- Complete my entire travel ink sketchbook
I’m about 7% through this sketchbook.
So why am I doing this? It’s not to make myself feel bad (even though it’s kind of working), but it’s to really emphasize how unattainable this set of goals are with my current situation and habit structure. It’s good to dream big, but if those dreams are way out of reach, all it’s only going to do is discourage you from reaching any goals in the future.
My New Annual Goals
- Finish 2 pieces
- Finish reading 3 of your art books
- Reach 500 followers on Instagram
- Try Oil Painting Once
And these are my new, more realistic set of goals. Based on my current habits and the way life is going right now, I feel this is much more achievable. In my day-to-day life, I’ve got a full-time job separate from my art, other hobbies, a loving partner, family, and friends that I try to fit into my schedule. It’s a wonder how we get anything done at all.
How I Plan To Achieve These Goals
This year, I’ve been using Passion Planner’s Weekly Planner to keep track of my progress in all aspects of my life (work, hobby, fitness, etc.), and I’m enjoying seeing my life change day by day. The planner also has monthly prompts that have you recap how each one has went, and I have an accountability buddy that I meet with virtually every month to catch up and keep each other on track.
Check out the Passion Planner here and snag one for yourself:
Conclusion
In the end, all I can say is – don’t give up! I hope this helps you create realistic set of goals for your whatever your current situation is with your art. Continue pushing the boundaries and reaching new heights. Remember that life happens, and we won’t always be able to hit the canvas every day, or inch towards completing our goals. What’s important is that we acknowledge this fact, treat ourselves with kindness when we stumble, and celebrate each and every win.
Just keep going — we’ve got this.
Also, let me know if this is something that happens to you too! I’d love to hear any tips and tricks you may have found along the way to get better at setting goals yourself.
2 thoughts on “How to Set Attainable Art Goals for the Year: A Lesson in Realistic Goal-Setting”
Not for art, but I definitely set unrealistic goals for my writing—too ambitious while also trying to rush to get to a point that I’m not ready for yet. I’ve been thinking I need to downsize them accordingly to the pacing of my life, very much like how you did with your revisioned goals.
Honestly I think you pretty much nailed everything for how to set realistic goals. You’ve considered how to make a healthy balance of life and work and to also have an accountability buddy which is probably the harder thing to do for everyone.
I’m also trying to get my passion for drawing back that I lost around 6th grade, so this is really nice to help ease myself back in and help keep me from rushing to get good and keep me from thinking “I’m too late to this party. If I kept this up back then, I would’ve been able to make good art like all these other artists by now.”
Hey Justin, hope you’re doing well!
I know what you mean, it’s really hard for me to find that balance between pushing yourself at an attainable pace/level and just shooting for the stars. I feel like I do the latter too much and end up quitting altogether all too often.
I hope you find your passion for art, also! It’s definitely tough. Sometimes I feel like channeling that “child-like” wonder we had when we were kids helps you fall in love with your art, and the process more.
And truth be told, I actually have that thought a lot – the “if I kept this up piece.” I guess all I can say about that is try to remind yourself that each piece you create is always good enough, because it’s a step towards what you’re trying to become.
Stay in touch!
Artjay