What’s on your calendar that you’re excited about?
What shows, workshops, or events have you committed to that are going to motivate you for the foreseeable future?
If you’re saying, Not much, you have a problem.
You need plans on your calendar that spark anticipation and enthusiasm and come with built-in deadlines. And, more than anything, you need accountability.
Let’s talk about why you need plans, deadlines, and accountability, and then I’ll tell you how they work for me and my clients on a practical level.
Time-Wasting Shenanigans
When there are no big plans on the horizon you may flounder—finding it easier to procrastinate.
Without something to work toward, you lull yourself into the same routine day in and day out. You check social media, post to Instagram, send a newsletter, work in the studio. Repeat. Repeat.
You also get tangled up in news, as I have recently spent far too much time looking at headlines related to the election here in the States. Or you begin organizing everything in your house, which, of course, you reorganized two months ago when you had the same urge.
If neither of those, you might find yourself trapped in other time-wasting shenanigans. You’re dealing with the everyday. Going through the motions.
There’s zero motivation. Most consequentially, you’ve lost your North Star, the reason and the way for moving forward.
The bottom line is that you might be marking things off the list, but you aren’t moving the needle. You’re falling into a cycle of procrastination and stagnation, hindering your artistic growth and business potential.
I couldn’t write about this if I haven’t experienced it myself.
Listen to this Episode of The Art Biz
Identify Your Motivation
What motivates me these days is a deep desire to serve people. It just so happens that my chosen people are artists. I have so much experience that I know can help.
And I have thousands (literally thousands) of business tips and strategies on the blog, podcast, YouTube channel, and in my online classes that I’ve been leading for more than 2 decades. [ Check out my Essentials for Artist Success and planning workshops that are always available. ]
This is all in addition to my book, which had 3 separate print editions and one digital-only edition.
One of the ways I believe I can be of highest service is to make sense of all of this information for my students and clients. To bring it together and connect it so that it’s more useful. This is a huge motivator for me.
But there is no deadline attached to it. It’s ongoing—alongside, I might add, new and updated articles, podcasts, and videos that I continue share every week. It’s a moving target!
I have to find some way to prioritize it, and I promise I’m getting to how I do that.
Challenge Yourself for Growth
I’m doing it a little for myself because it’s my legacy and I have a deep desire to know that it means something. I want to see how it all works together—kind of like when you curate an exhibition or installation of your art and find new connections among pieces. But mostly I’m doing it to facilitate a better learning experience for my clients and students.
Here’s the thing: Nobody asked me to do this. The enormity of this project rests solely on my shoulders.
This also means that nobody is waiting on it.
But the WHY behind it all—my motivation—is powerful. Plus I am a sucker for a good challenge to continually improve myself and my work.
And I am a firm believer that postponing action is only postponing any potential positive results.
Your big challenge might be an upcoming solo exhibition, creating a new online course, or revamping your website. Of that list, only a solo exhibition has firm deadlines that come from others who are waiting on you to deliver images, text, and the artwork itself.
The other two—an online course and revamped website—have self-imposed deadlines. There are ways to make those seem more urgent, so let’s talk about deadlines.
The Power of Deadlines
By way of example, I want to share all of the deadlines that lend structure to my calendar.
- I publish a podcast and video every week and sometimes include an updated blog post and weekly newsletter.
- I have twice-weekly meetings with a team member, for which I need to prepare by reviewing tasks and projects.
- I write a Monday bulletin for our members.
- I host almost-weekly live sessions with my students and Accelerator coaching group.
It’s undeniable that deadlines provide strong motivation. My students and clients tell me that they feel more driven when a deadline is in place. Without an upcoming exhibition to mount or a commission to finish, they flounder. They’re not motivated. That’s why it’s vital to always have something to look forward to on your calendar.
I was just reading that, early in his career, artist Paul Rucker scheduled 1 exhibition a month—presumably to build momentum and have those deadlines. One per month! That’s dedication!
By example, I schedule classes, podcast episodes, and events without planning every detail because I know the deadline will drive me to completion.
But we also have to look out for what could happen with too many obligations on your schedule. The constant barrage of looming deadlines for shows will wear you down, and it’s crucial to note that not everyone is fueled by a busy schedule. For some people having too many obligations is too much. If this is you, at some point, you’ll tank, close the binds, and curl up in a fetal position on your studio floor.
We need to have some kind of check on our commitments.
This brings me to what I think is the biggest secret for getting things done: Accountability—both internal and external.
Internal Accountability
A deadline, whether it is self-imposed or handed to you by someone else, is, ultimately a form of accountability. Like me, you’re probably pretty good at following through on these time-bound commitments.
Self-accountability for such projects might be as simple as setting milestones, breaking down the tasks into a manageable schedule, and conducting a weekly review of the project to make sure you’re staying on track. If you follow through with all of those steps, you’re in good shape.
I give you a process for honoring these commitments and the ones you make to yourself in my planning workshops.
If you aren’t familiar, my planning workshops are sessions I lead 3x a year to help you make a plan for the upcoming season and beyond. AND to make sure that you aren’t over-committed—that you have just the right level of challenging projects and space for creativity and self-care.
The next sessions are coming up, and you can save a little when you sign up early. So you want to be sure to be on the notification list. Add your name to that list or sign up now if registration is available when you read this.
After one of my planning workshops, Margaret Galvin Johnson wrote to me: “I’ve gotten more done in the past few days than I have in the past few weeks.”
And from Mai Wyn Schantz: “I haven’t felt this focused and inspired in a long, long time! I needed some structure and organization to get going and stay on track for the months to come.”
While it’s relatively easy to motivate ourselves to do tasks when others are waiting on us, it’s more difficult to stay the course without the built-in accountability of a deadline, so let’s talk about …
External Accountability
There are tasks that, let’s be honest, we’d rather not do, and this is where we need accountability from outside of ourselves.
If you need additional accountability for your project deadline, you have at least 3 options.
1. Find an accountability partner.
The most important thing to know when working with an accountability partner is that you both need to be on the same page and committed to one another’s progress. As partners, you rely heavily on one another and are somewhat responsible for one another’s success (or failure).
I have a mastermind partner and my assistant who have served as accountability partners for me. I meet twice weekly with my assistant to review the progress of all projects, including my big project for this summer.
2. Hire a coach.
3. Join a group with built-in accountability systems.
In the Art Biz Connection community, we have weekly check-ins where members update us on their progress and share their intentions for the following week. We also have group calls scheduled months in advance, so you know that you need to do the work by a certain date if you want support from our artist mentors and other members.
[ The starting point for all of my programs is with the seasonal planning workshops that I mentioned. ]
Postponing action is only postponing potential positive results.
Deadlines and accountability are not merely organizational tools—they are fundamental drivers of creative progress and personal fulfillment. The path to your success as an artist and human being is paved with deadlines met and commitments honored.
Deadlines provide the framework within which your vision takes form. They combat procrastination and instill a sense of urgency, transforming aspirations into concrete plans.
Accountability, both internal and external, reinforces this framework, providing encouragement and support.
By embracing these principles, you transition from a passive dreamer to active creator, consistently moving toward the realization of your goals.
