Goals and Planning Archives

Dance with Me 12x12" collage with washi wood assorted papers acrylic on panel from Curvy Geometric series © Nancy Egol Nikkal

The Art Biz ep. 71: Goals for Artists and What You Should Be Focusing On Instead

I teach setting goals for artists. It’s the first lesson in the Art Biz Accelerator.

I encourage all of my artist-clients to articulate their goals because they have to know what they want to achieve before I can support them.

And, yet, I know there is something far more important, and more difficult, than setting goals: Doing the work.

We just survived a year in which we lost control of so much in our lives and businesses. We lost control of whether a venue would be open for a show or whether a live workshop would go on as planned or be canceled.

But, in fact, we never had control of these things in the first place.

You will never be able to control results or outcomes, but so much else is in your command. Before we move on in the conversation, let’s first look at goals.

SMART Goals for Artists

I used to teach how to set SMART goals for artists, which is a system for articulating goals and deadlines—a system that was definitely not devised by an artist. The acronym stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Time-bound

The way I taught SMART goals to my clients and students was fairly rigid. Goals had to be articulated as an affirmation and include the due date: I will do [this] by [this date]. If my student or client didn’t write it to my standards, I made the necessary corrections.

While I understand this is a tested system that has been used by millions of people through the years, I have let it go. It doesn’t work for most of my artist-clients.

I think the reason it doesn’t work is because

The Art Biz ep. 71: Goals for Artists and What You Should Be Focusing On Instead Read

©2009 Jacqueline Iskander, Impromptu in Blue. Mixed media mosaic.

Beware of “I Am Not”

I’ve been particularly sensitive to students and clients who utter the words “I’m bad” at this or that.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote Are You Walking the Talk?, in which I encouraged you to act on your words. Today, I ask you to think about the words you’re putting out into the world and those you’re saying to yourself.

Stop Defining Yourself in the Negative

Have you ever said any of the following?

I am not a salesperson.
I am not outgoing.
I am terrible at marketing.
I am bad at following up.

Every time you use any of these sentences, you are giving up. You’re telling a story about yourself that will stick. You’re defining yourself in the negative.

These are self-fulfilling prophecies. You can’t say, “I’m terrible at marketing” without being terrible at marketing.

Whenever you find you’re defining yourself in the negative, remember that you have the power to shape your story. How you choose to define yourself will influence how others look at you and think of you.

Will you define yourself in terms of limitations and failings? Or . . .

Will you define yourself in terms hopes and aspirations?

Beware of “I Am Not” Read

The Art Biz ep. 46: Structure Your Days to Be in Control of Your Art Business Now

So much of what is happening right now is beyond your control. You can’t control how many people get sick. You can’t control how fast the virus spreads. You can’t control what our leaders do (though you can vote and I strongly urge you to do that).

But you can control how you react. It’s critical for your well being that you pay attention to what is in your control. This is going to make you feel much more optimistic about the future, and give you fuel to carry on.

For the foreseeable future, I’m dedicating the Art Biz Podcast and this blog to discussing what you can do now to stay in control of your art business.

I want to begin this series by discussing how you spend your time every day, hour, and minute—even if you have kids at home.

In a recent interview with Colorado Matters, Craig Knippenberg, a licensed social worker in Denver, discussed the importance of structure at this very strange moment. Adults do better when they have structure, but kids absolutely need it, so having a schedule is even more important if you have kids at home right now.

1. Go to bed and wake up at the same time.

This helps you better plan your day and know when you need to start winding down for a restful night.

2. Make time for inspiration.

We all have different environments. If you’re homebound in a small high-rise apartment, you might look for inspiration online or out the window. But find it somewhere.

And I’m not talking about inspirational quotes. You’re a visual artist, so I encourage you to look for visual inspiration in clouds, the landscape, or online art exhibitions.

3. Continue learning.

During this period when you aren’t in the throes of writing exhibition proposals or planning your next event, study a subject that has piqued your interest. Maybe indulge in an online art history course. Or enroll in lessons on embroidery, mosaic, or illustration. You can bet that anything you want to learn can be found from the safety of your home. You can also be assured that you will grow as an artist with any knowledge you gain.

Yes, you can schedule these things. Devote, say, Thursday afternoons or Tuesday mornings to learning.

The Art Biz ep. 46: Structure Your Days to Be in Control of Your Art Business Now Read

The Art Biz ep. 45: The Impatient Artist: How Much Time Will Your Art Career Take? (encore)

Back in 2016 I sat down with Cynthia Morris to discuss an affliction many of our artist-clients suffer from: Impatience. Especially around making money.

This was the first episode of what became the Art Biz Podcast.

I originally started noticing this almost desperate desire for artists to make fast money at the height of the recession. Artists lost day jobs and, while they were excited to be able to focus on their art, they needed income to start rolling in much more quickly than was reasonable.

Nobody should cultivate a small business this way. It’s unrealistic to put that kind of pressure on yourself and on your art.

As Cynthia put it in our conversation: You wouldn’t decide to be an architect and think you can finish a building by the end of the year, so why would you think an art career would take off so quickly?

The hard truth is that your art career needs time to develop.

A lot of time. An unbearable amount of time for some people. In my experience, patient artists who are committed to their careers for the long haul are the ones who enjoy the ride, have a much healthier outlook, and, ultimately, reach their goals. They understand that there is no such thing as fast fame.

Today I’m republishing an encore of that original episode because Cynthia and I talked about things we need to be reminded of frequently.

We started by considering the pitfalls of impatience, and quickly launched into a variety of topics that all have to do with what it takes to be a professional artist.

The Art Biz ep. 45: The Impatient Artist: How Much Time Will Your Art Career Take? (encore) Read

More Faithful Than Contrivance by Jennifer Anderson Printz

5 Week Push for Your Art Goals

Caught you!

You were looking at your calendar. You’re counting the days until a fresh start. Thanksgiving … Christmas … New Year’s Eve … and, at last, January 1. Or, rather, January 2 because no one works on the first day of the year.

Maybe you’re lamenting the fact that it’s the end of the year and there is much left undone. (Incidentally, the core message in this post applies regardless of the time of year.)

You had big plans last January, right? That’s when you were wearing rose-colored glasses with glitter on them and sipping the New Year’s Kool-Aid.

Now you’d rather think about next year and give up on this one. You are so ready for a fresh start. After all, the holidays are upon us and, if we’re being honest, very little gets done during the holidays what with all the baking, decorating, wrapping, card-writing, shipping, egg-nogging, and Hallmark-movie-watching (no judgment).

Stop This Nonsense

If this is you, stop it. This is unproductive, and it’s no way to run a profitable art business. You can’t make progress or maintain momentum if you’re effectively writing off more than 5 weeks at a stretch.

Five weeks is plenty of time to make an impact. It’s plenty of time to get sh*t done. It’s plenty of time to cross a few things off your list.

Every day is precious.

Every day presents an opportunity that you can either grab with gusto or thumb your nose at.

High achievers don’t write off weeks at a time because they prefer the excitement of a New Year to the hard work of the current one.

Reevaluate Your Priorities

If you find yourself looking forward to the New Year rather than putting your whole heart into finishing this one in style, you have some difficult questions to answer.

5 Week Push for Your Art Goals Read

Juggling Multiple Income Streams as an Artist

Relying on sales of original works of art doesn’t always pay the bills. Sales can be seasonal, galleries can shut their doors, or the economy might tank. No doubt you are already aware.

This is why I am all for artists having multiple streams of income–when it makes sense.

Multiple Streams of Income for Artists

An income stream is a source of money.

Your income streams might include employment outside of your art business, but I want to focus on diversifying how you make money from your art.

Selling original works of art is probably the most appealing way for you to make money from your art. Other avenues include, but aren’t limited to, teaching, licensing, writing, and selling reproductions.

Sometimes multiple income streams go together under a broad heading.

For example, if teaching is one of your incomes streams, you might break down that money into income from online classes and in-person classes. Additional funds might come from how-to books and informational products.

They’re all related to instructing and marketed to the same audience.

Likewise, you might make products with your art and have separate smaller streams from note cards, note pads, and calendars.

When It’s Silly to Have Multiple Income Streams

Diversifying income sources from your art is tempting. You might think, More stuff=More money! Watch it.

As I described above, some sources make sense together because they are marketed to the same audience. Other times, they’re completely separate businesses.

One example is licensing. There is an entirely separate audience for licensed art than for original fine art. The people and venues you work with are different.

This means you essentially have separate businesses. Two businesses means you exert twice the effort. Three businesses will cost you 3 times the effort.

The result: multiple business plans, marketing plans, venues, and audiences. Each income stream must be attended to.

It’s silly to go to the trouble of creating a new source of income that you don’t have time or energy to invest in.

It’s also a terrible business practice to sell more “stuff” if you don’t know what you’re getting into. Many artists are spending too much time on things that have too little return.

Simple Math

You have to do the math. Is it making money?

Juggling Multiple Income Streams as an Artist Read

Why Putting Your Plan on Paper Matters

Since I started my art career, I had this one figure in my head that if I made that figure as my annual income, then I would consider myself successful. I also made this my Art Biz Accelerator income goal. Well, I just tallied up my annual income for 2018, and I EXCEEDED THAT FIGURE!!!!

I love seeing messages like this one from Sabra Lynne Crockett in my inbox, and I think it’s important for artists to see what is possible when you apply your knowledge.

She continued:

Before, I enrolled in the Art Career Success System, I was directionless. I was flitting from one project to another. Now I have a vision, and a plan to make it happen through actionable goals. Quantifying my accomplishments shows me that I’m not just spinning my wheels.

ABS: How did you shift your focus?

Before I even knew that the Art Career Success System existed, I had to get myself in the mindset that I was an artist. It took me almost two decades to declare that I was an artist, even though I made my living doing artistic things.

I always skirted around the idea. I would be asked, “Are you an artist?” I would say things like, “Well, no. I’m a decorative artist”, or,” I am a scenic artist.” I was limited by my own thinking. It was when I made the declaration to myself, and owned the label “artist” that the floodgates of opportunity opened up for me.

One of the opportunities that arose was enrolling in all four courses of the Art Career Success System.

ABS: What has made the biggest difference?

Why Putting Your Plan on Paper Matters Read

How to Decide Whether to Take on a New Project or Not

You are in charge of your art career.

This means you are the person who decides what to do immediately and what can wait for tomorrow, next week, or next month.

This sounded ideal until you realized how hard it is to prioritize your life and business by yourself.

You might have been accustomed to a boss telling you where to focus your energy. No more.

Entrepreneurship issued a wake-up call. You want freedom? Here it is! Go decide for yourself.

If you’re actively looking for opportunities, as you should be, there will be a time when you have more opportunities than you realistically have the bandwidth for. You’ll be hit with new invitations and requests from all corners.

But it’s unrealistic to involve yourself in every opportunity that comes your way.

Intellectually, you understand this. Emotionally, you want to believe you are somehow superhuman.

The projects might be exhibitions, commissions, licensing deals, wholesale contracts, teaching possibilities, separate jobs, or something else. They’re all projects that beg for your time, and they sound so exciting!

Your resolve is being tested by a voice that some people call a gremlin or troll. I call it The Tester.

How serious is she about this other project—really?
How good is he at knowing what he wants and needs?

All good entrepreneurs struggle with decisions in moments like these, especially if there is the potential for a big pay off at the end.

This is when you must ask yourself hard questions to help you answer the biggest question of all: 

How to Decide Whether to Take on a New Project or Not Read

4 Moves To Ignite The Passion For Your Art Business

Bang! Pop! Pow!

Is that the sound of leftover fireworks I hear? Or is your art business on fire?

I would love to hear that it’s your business on fire – that you are Hot – Hot – Hot for what you have to share with the world.

If you’re only hearing fireworks outside your walls and not inside your body, there are four things you can do, and keep doing, to ignite the passion for your art business.

1. Embrace your role as CEO.

When you decide you want to earn money as an artist, you are no longer just making art. You are building a business.

As soon as you accept your role as CEO of your art business, you will experience a dramatic shift in mindset. You will understand that your talent is bigger than you. It’s the basis for a dialogue you are intended to have with the world.

Along with this comes the responsibility of ensuring that your business is run professionally and profitably.

What’s not to get excited about?

2. Schedule something big – with a deadline.

Every forward-thinking entrepreneur needs something to look forward to, and artists are no different. You want to experience the momentum resulting from snagging a new venue, hosting an open studio, or landing a commission.

Without events and deadlines on your calendar, you risk wasting time on social media and neglecting the hard work in the studio.

Don’t wait for things to happen to you. Create your own

4 Moves To Ignite The Passion For Your Art Business Read

Good and Bad News: Your Work Is Never Done

Newsflash! You’re just getting started.

Whether you think this is good news or bad news depends on your disposition. Some people feel fulfilled and complete every day. I envy them.

I want more. Not more “stuff,” but more out of life. More experiences, more love, more friends, more cats. (Only kidding about that last one!)

I know it’s not fashionable these days to want more. “They” say I should be content where I am and live in the moment.

Can’t I want more and appreciate the present?

I have come to realize and accept that I will never be complete. I am just getting started.

My work is never done.

I will never feel like I’ve arrived. There will always be something more to look forward to, and new goals and dreams to pursue that are optimistic about the future.

This is different than being unsatisfied. People who are unsatisfied are negative, unhappy, and, often, annoying.

I’m satisfied because for me, satisfaction comes from a job well done: getting some exercise, cleaning out the garden, or ironing napkins for dinner guests (I know … ironing … weird, but true).

There is great satisfaction in taking the steps toward your vision and seeing each project to completion.

But the vision may shift, and the dreams will get bigger, which brings the next set of projects.

This is how I’m wired. I’ve been this way … um … forever.

I have come to embrace this part of my nature, and I’m happy and positive because I’m enjoying the journey. I can’t imagine a different perspective than the one ingrained in me.

This brings me to your life as an artist.

Good and Bad News: Your Work Is Never Done Read

Goals and Planning