I'm reading from my book "Seven Essential Practices for the Professional Artist" which you can download for free here: www.themindfulartist.com or purchase as a hard copy on Amazon goo.gl/ngnDI
When I first started to work with intention, I didn’t even believe in my work enough to set goals. Or, I thought that setting goals was something other people did but it felt too restrictive and linear for me. It didn’t sound like fun, I was afraid I wouldn’t achieve them, wasn’t sure they would benefit me. Then, I would set goals, file them away and forget about them, only to find them later and feel regretful that I had missed some deadline. Or, I’d remember an application deadline too late and rush to complete it, stressing myself out in the process and resenting the very contest I wanted to win! Clearly, I needed a better system.
I found some procedures and tactics that work better with my right-brain visual style than many of the traditional, left-brain methods I had learned about. I am now so much more on top of the goals and deadlines that are important to me. To prevent energy zapping guilt, I’ve learned to pace myself, prioritizing the important goals and letting go of the ones I don’t have time for, without fear or regret.
:::Create a big, delicious vision for your life. Where would you like to be with your art in one year? Three years? Five years? Allow yourself to playfully expand with this vision, unfettered by practicality or your own doubting mind. Most artists don’t allow themselves to dream large. We stop ourselves because our ideas seem impractical or unachievable or even embarrassing to admit. There's a difference between the essence of an idea and the eventual form it will take. Forms are fluid and negotiable. The pure essence of any idea can manifest in numerous ways. So allow yourself to dream freely and don’t worry about exactly how you will achieve your vision. It’s important to listen to these whisperings, yearnings or longings to know where to point your ship.
Give yourself some quiet, uninterrupted time. Write everything you can imagine down in vivid detail. Use color; draw pictures, patterns or symbols to make it more visual. Be sure to put the date on this so you can refer to it later.
What might it take to bring this vision into reality?
:::Make a reasonable list of things you would like to accomplish in the coming year.
Hold these visions lightly, not tightly. Remember they may happen in a different way than you expected them to. For example, if you would like your work to be seen by more people, be open to where and when that might happen. Could it be on your website or blog in addition to a brick and mortar show? If your overarching vision is to increase your income from your art, be open to what forms that might that take: Several small sales? One large sale? Leasing or renting your work? Commissions? Mass production of one image or piece?
:::Break big visions into small action steps. What is one small thing that can be done today to make this vision a reality? Do you need to do some Internet research? Or pick up the phone and call someone? Write that down on your to-do list and commit to getting it done by a certain date. You don’t need to think of the whole project at once. Too often we get paralyzed into inaction because our vision is so big, we feel overwhelmed. Just as every piece of art is an accumulation of actions and creative moments, the realization of your goals is simply small, manageable action steps taken one at a time.
::: Set aside regular and consistent time in your calendar to attend to your vision and goals.
::::Find an accountability partner and check in with each other at least once or twice a month.
:::Make commitments to each other as to which tasks and goals you will complete before your next meeting. At each meeting, follow up with your partner and share upcoming competition, residency and grant applications.
Watch all the videos in the series on this playlist: • Audiobook: Seven Essen...
"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron amzn.to/2TLFKVY
"Taking the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist" by Cay Lang amzn.to/3ca5hRS
"The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources" by Lynn Twist amzn.to/1kuvVVk
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