~~CREATIVE GOALS 2023~~

[Aifrati]

It’s the beginning of the year and as with other aspects of my life, I want to really think about what I want to accomplish creatively this year. I’ve had trouble in the past with not following up on goals I set for myself, so I have been reading, talking to others, and learning a lot about best practices for goal setting and about tips to help me follow through.

Does anyone want to join me in mindfully setting some goals and following through this time? We’ll put into practice what more knowledgeable people say work while getting ideas and support during the process. If so, sign up in the forum and let’s start. Do you know someone who might want to join us? Please forward a link to the thread and invite them. The more the merrier.


For the month of January I would like us to start by doing a *mindful* exercise of reassessing our goals, prioritizing them, and thinking of specific ways to tackle the first few in bite size chunks. Then we’ll start setting goals for February and for the rest of the year as we go along and see what fits.


Start by reading this article by Danny Gregory:


https://sketchbookskool.com/blog/how...reative-goals/


I like that this article provides specific and actionable things to do to set, follow through, and reassess your creative goals, no matter what they are.


Note: This applies for any sort of creative goals. It is published by Sketchbook Skool and its examples and focus are mostly based on drawing, but they apply to any creative endeavor, in fact, they apply to any goals even the not creative kind.


Below I will summarize the steps for the first few weeks of the year. If you are joining us later in the year, just follow the steps below for the first week or two before diving into your goals.

The plan at a glance:

Week 1 – Free flow goal brainstorming and start of goal refinement
Week 2 – Refinement and prioritization of goals
Week 3 – SMART statement definition of your goal for February
Week 3-4 -- Goal reaching action starts!

Then we will evaluate, reassess, and redefine our goals each month as long as you have goals to work on.
If interested, join in above. I’ll state the steps for this week in the next post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some notes on how this group will work:


- Anyone can join, regardless of what your creative goal is. Maybe you have a process goal of doing art every day, or a skill goal of learning how to incorporate collage and Hd/hp elements together, or an outcome goal of making a large mixed media piece for your living room… Or you are diving more into writing a memoir or a novel, doing a large sculpture, and following other creative endeavors.

- You can join us at any time during the year. Just follow the steps delineated for the first few weeks to join and dive in.

- You can come and go as you wish. Just make sure to check-in and -out when you do so.

- Once you join us, checking-in regularly is expected. You should check-in at least once a month, but I suggest doing it at least once a week or every other week, as this helps to keep yourself on track. I might send a short PM reminder to check-in at the beginning of each month to participants who haven’t checked-out indicating they will be away and who have also not posted within the previous week or two...

- If you don’t plan on working on a goal for a particular month due to life getting in the way or just because, please let us know at check-in and feel free to still come here and participate in sharing tips, motivation and support.

- There isn’t any expectation of trading. This thread is for support, accountability, tips, and inspiration. With that said, do let us know if something you create and share here is available for trade.

- We are not setting any goal statements just yet. We’ll do that when we are ready for our first goal. When we do, these statements will be specific and will follow the SMART format referenced in the article (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic/relevant, time-bound). More on that when we get to that point.

- I am considering pairing up to meet up through Zoom monthly for support for those who would like that sort of interaction. Would you like to do something like that? (It would be optional, of course).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who wants to get serious about their creative goals?

Aifrati
LuAnnP
Periwinkle
Flashviv

[Aifrati]

First step this week (08 JAN 23)

Following Danny Gregory’s article (above), let’s find a sketchbook, journal, or notebook and fill a whole spread with all the creative goals that come to mind. They do not need to be refined at this point but do group them into skill goals, process goals, and outcome goals as per the article. Write everything that comes to mind that you want to accomplish creatively. Either take a picture of your page and share it in the forum (photo or link to it) or transcribe your entries on a post and share them with the group.

Take a couple of days to look at your list and reflect on why you want to accomplish those goals. What will they bring to you? Are you doing this for yourself or others? Keep on adding and refining the list this week. Also start thinking about what the steps to follow to accomplish each goals look like. We will dive more deeply into that in the second and third week, but it does not hurt to start thinking about it.

Then, get ready for next week when we will prioritize each list and come up with a single, shorter, and near-term list to tackle first.

[Aifrati]

All goals that come to mind so far. May add more this week. I’ll transcribe in post later, but here is a pict of them hopefully they are legible.

615E32AA-70A2-41B9-BDA7-FF9C9B56EFD8.jpg
Skills

gouache
acrylics
pastels
oil pastels
figures
hands
portraits
wc crayons
cartooning
collage
mixed media
fountain pen
ballpoint
stamps/linocut prints
alcohol markers

Process

daily arting/sketching
join urban sketcher events
join swaps/run swaps
go through acquired online art courses
do one weekly challenge a month/(?)

Outcomes

zine about painting/drawing journey
Vivi’s memory book
Large mixed media piece for the sewing room
finish current projects
cartoon about Vivi

[jo.on.the.go]

Thanks for the invitation to join this group. I am interested! I will get moving in the next day or two.

[LuAnnP]

YES! I am happy to see this conversation getting started.
I will work on the first "assignment" tomorrow.
Today, I would like to report on the progress toward a goal I first reported in November.

I will be hosting the first "Art for All" event at the Topeka Art Guild on Saturday, January 21.
A BIG step toward achieving a life-long art goal.

I am smiling ear to ear as I type this. I put up the posters this afternoon.
Fingers crossed. Getting something scheduled and getting some actual attendees are two different things... but I am hopeful.

Thank you, Ada, for giving me a place to report my joyful news!

[wildholly]

Congratulations LuAnn!

[Aifrati]

Yay! Welcome Jo and LuAnn!

Congrats LuAnn! May your event run smoothly, get plenty of participants, and may you and them have lots of fun! Make sure to keep us posted.

[Periwinkle]

Congratulations, LuAnn! That sounds really inspiring.
Thanks for the invite, Aifrati! I'd like to be part of this group. My goals are pretty refined already and haven't really changed. I'll try to do some general brainstorming about them this afternoon.

[Periwinkle]

Making a brainstorming goal list was easier than I thought, and it's nice to see them together on paper.
2023 goals.jpg

[LuAnnP]

I jotted down some ideas earlier this week, but tonight I refined them a bit. I DO have them in a cute little notebook I have reserved for this discussion but it's a lot faster to type them then to photograph, change resolution, upload, and link them here.

Skills:
Oil Paint!
Video-making:assorted tutorials for Art for All
100 figure drawings/paintings this year (for "The Muse Group" on FB)

Process:
Set up a system for a cleaner studio
Learn to take it in stride when art materials get wasted or abused (It's gonna happen during AFA)
Watch at least one art tutorial a week.
Set up a simple checklist for all these things!

Outcomes:
Regular attendees at AFA
Additional workshops beyond Saturdays
A partner so we don't have to skip weeks when I have family plans

[Aifrati]

Welcome Periwinkle! I’m so glad you are joining us. I’m loving your list and LuAnn’s. And yes, brainstorming the list is easy. I keep wanting to add to mine and do. I also like seeing them all together. It helps me realize I can’t do all at once and must prioritize on what I would like to do first. It also helps inspire me when stuck creatively. I try to do something I haven’t tackle from the list or done in a while, to get unstuck. It has worked for me. The hard part is getting over the trepidation of starting something new. I don’t know why I have difficulty with that at times.

[Aifrati]

We are on our second week and for this week we will work on prioritizing our list. You may start by prioritizing each list (process, outcome, skill) by itself or going straight into making a single priority list from items on any of the lists. Regardless, the important thing is to make a shorter list of things you want to start to work on in the near future (think the next 3-4 months or so). Also think about the small steps/actions you would have to do to accomplish each goal. We will be going back to tweak our lists often as our priorities change, progress is made, and and goals evolve. So don’t get too attached to your first prioritized list or see it as if in stone.

Some goals will take months or years, others days or hours, but even if it is a long term goal we will focus on the small steps that will take us closer to the goal that we can measure to assess our progress. For example, one if my mid term goals is to finish a memory book of my dog Vivi, who crossed the rainbow bridge last summer. Rather than focusing on the final outcome for now (the completed book), I will focus on making a spread or two a certain week, or creating a cartoon story another, etc.

I came across the following two articles that touch on making a little progress everyday and on making process goals that will lead to your wanted outcomes. Here they are in case your interested. They are short ones:

https://www.kentsanders.net/creative-goals/
https://chrisbailey.com/creativity-set-process-goals/

[Aifrati]

My prioritized short/mid term list ( next 3 months or so):

1-Do something creative everyday
2-Work on Vivi’s memory book - choose pictures (to add as is and to paint/draw), add cartoon stories.
3-Review cartooning classes and work on exercises
4-Make comic stories of Vivi
5-Review gouache course
6-Finish started drawings in my sketchbooks
7-Join/Host swaps

[flashviv]

Hi
I'm late to the party but here I am. Love what this thread is all about. Having some accountability is just what I need at the moment as I have many things distracting me from my art at the moment. Here are my goals after reading through Danny Gregory's post and spending a couple of days thinking about it.

a. Skill oriented.
· Learn coloured pencil techniques
· Learn botanical drawing

b. Process oriented:
· Drawing every second day
· Participate in online learning about botanical drawing / coloured pencil

c. Outcome oriented:
· Draw in Perpetual Nature Journal every week.
· Sojourn Sketckbook - draw in this on weekends and holidays.
. Participate in AFA HD/HP swaps

[Aifrati]

Welcome Flashviv! Glad to have you here! You are not late to the party at all. One can join at any moment during the year.

[Periwinkle]

Hi All! Here's my shorter list:

1. Keep drawing and painting; work larger (A5 to A4); save more than before; trade a few.
2. Focus on illustration style with pen and watercolor: sometimes with a time limit; other times without.
3. Give quality time to my watercolor class (landscapes are important).
4. Have fun with other techniques, subjects, and media as time permits, including the lessons I've purchased, especially (all spring) Doll World.

Thanks for hosting this group, Aifrati!
Here are a couple of illustrations I did/finished yesterday as exercises for my watercolor class: 2023 01 16 Shop Front slower oH15, pH20 30%.jpg 2023 01 16 Shop Front faster aH20, bH20, aut. lt. opt. aut. adj. colors 30%.jpg

[flashviv]

I found the articles you posted on setting/achieving goals interesting and useful Aifrati.

Prioritizing my short-term list-:

Check in here weekly to revise goals.
Decide on Pateron Artist to follow.
Find a time to draw every second day that works with my work/life routine.
Create a drawing in Perpetual Nature Journal every Friday or Saturday.
Complete ATCs for one swap before committing to another.

[Aifrati]

Ok. This is the third week. Hopefully you were able to determine which goals you will be working on starting as soon as you are able to express it about it as a SMART goal, but the goal is to start next week in February. After that, every month you are ready to work on goals, you will state your SMART goal again, whether is new or the same.

The idea in doing this is that we are being mindful in the timeline and conditions we put for ourselves and that we are thinking of the necessary small steps will take while keeping them realistic and attainable. If something didn’t work, we should identify what are the barriers and reconsider our goals and conditions so that we can remove barriers, work around them, or set more realistic goals.

So what is a SMART goal?

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic/relevant, and time-bound.

Example of a general goal statement:

“I want to get better at painting dogs in watercolor”

How do I convert that into a SMART goal? By making the goal more specific about how you want to accomplish that and in which timeframe. Continuing on the above example:

Specific (what are the small steps you will take?).

“I will paint a dog from a reference….”


Measurable (how many times per week/day? or alternatively, how many total?).

“….every day…”


Achievable (when/what conditions are attainable for your circumstances?).

“…after dinner.”


Relevant and realistic (what conditions would make it realistic? or, what conditions keep it relevant?).

“It does not have to be a finished painting, nor a large one, but I’ll spend at least 15 minutes trying different techniques for painting fur or ways to render facial features.”


Time-bound (what is the timeframe for this particular step?).

“I’ll do this for the next two weeks”


Note: I recommend you set your SMART goal for the next few weeks, not extending past one month. You can reassess your goal at any time, but this time limit of a month or less will encourage you to reassess often. You want to be able to accomplish your goals and call them a win at the end of the day vs getting frustrated and quitting altogether, so it is important that we catch our “wishful thinking goals” early and make them attainable. While reassessing your goals you can decide to keep them going, modify them, or change to something completely different.

[Aifrati]

My goal for this week is to work on Vivi’s memory book and on ATC’s for the mid-Jan PAT.

SMART goal:

Specific: Illustrate 2-3 stories of Vivi’s early days in her book, and sketch/design 2-3 ATCs for the PAT.

Measurable: As above: 2-3 illustrated stories and 1-3 ATC’s total; work on something every day.

Attainable: Work on them during my evening Zoom art meetings (3x per week) or after dinner on other days.

Realistic/relevant: Work for at least 30 minutes after dinner or one hour in Zoom meetings. Do not focus on necessarily making something start to finish each time but at least make progress on one or several.

Time-bound: For this week. (Last of January… starting early because they are the ongoing goals for this month for me)

[flashviv]

This week I have been focusing on finding the right time to do art. I have played around with mornings, afternoons and after dinner. It seems once I sit and start that anytime is a good time for me. I do seem very reluctant to give up my tv time in the evenings though! I work four days and find that I like to spend big blocks of time (3hours) on my days off working at various projects. But I do get tired in this time.

So my goal for this week is to spend an hour in the mornings (everyday) working on progressing works in progress.