I love New Year’s Resolutions – they focus the mind and hopefully create a plan to make the next year better. In the spirit of the New Year, some questons about the past year and are you able to measure what worked and what didn’t?
To help you personalize your goals for the year ahead and focusing on three basic and important categories – you will be able to assess and set new goals for 2023.
Using the prompts below, ask yourself – Is this a goal I would like to make for myself? If yes, how can I improve in this area and what are the steps I can take towards this goal?
Reaching Out – Informing people about your work.
- Are you able to make a soft introduction to your art in any scenario?
- Have you submitted your portfolio to any galleries?
- Have you submitted your art to any blogs?
- Have you exhibited your work in a public space or at an art show?
- Have you posted your work on-line?
- Have you regularly attended gallery openings to introduce your art to the local art community?
- Have you asked new people you meet for their business cards and followed up with an email?
- Have you sent out a newsletter updating people about your artwork?
- Have you sent a catalog of available work out to previous buyers?
- Have you regularly invited people into your studio to see your artwork?
- Is your website up to date?
Creating New Work – Production of your work: getting it done!
- Have you taken creative risks with your work and tried new things?
- Have you developed creatively and given yourself permission to experiment?
- Have you been consistent with your production throughout the year?
- When production was slow was there a good reason?
- Did you find ways to increase your production?
- Were you able to meet deadlines?
- Did you work on the art that you really want to be making?
- Was their any artwork that you wanted to make but didn’t get around too?
Generating Information about your art.
- Have you written about each series or collection that you created this year?
- Have you written about each individual piece you created this year?
- Have you written about the work that you created this year in the greater context of the work you were making before? ie. in the context on your career.
- Have you developed the path of your career as a re-tellable story?
- Have you documented all of the work you made?
- Are images of new work on your website?
- Is detailed written information about your new work on your website?
I hope that these questions give you a moment to think deeply about these three basic elements of your art career. Don’t be afraid to make new year’s resolutions that are outside your comfort zone as an artist.
Wishing you a creative and prosperous 2023!