Tips for Crushing your Art Business Goals

Do you have big dreams for your art career and business? Do you know how to evolve from a dreamer to a goal-getter and eventually living your vision? Have you really thought out HOW you will go about achieving this big dream?

How about we get introspective about not only where you are going (your goal), but also what is unique about who you are now and what you bring to the quest ahead. It’s a very personal journey that only you can set the correct pace for.

Good planning is key, so let’s talk about how to do it- with the least amount of pain and how to stick to it for the long haul. Adopting these tips will help you focus your time and energy, leading to a happier and more productive life, exactly what you, your art and business deserve. After all, your goals are a very special destination. Let’s make sure you arrive!

Take Stock and gain clarity

So, you have this awesome art career dream of ( you fill in the blank ). Hopefully, you can see yourself already there achieving it and the journey was well worth it. Before you take that first step let’s look at where you are starting from. This will help gage what you know now and will need to learn along the way. What assets you need to collect, such as tools, resources, mentors and funding. Get clear on what you bring to the journey so you can plan for any necessities needed along the way.

Ask yourself these questions being mindful of the creative side and the business/ boss side of your art career.

What are you doing well with your creative practice
What are you doing well with your business practice
Where do you need improvement or to challenge yourself creatively?
Where do you need improvement or to challenge yourself as a business?
What needs to be upgraded or invested in to achieve your goal?
What resources do you need to find to help your quest?
How can you network better?
What project will challenge you to reach your goals and the next level as a professional artist?

Be Realistic

If you are reading this, I’m guessing you are eager to achieve a goal. I’m excited for you! Neither of us wants that excitement to fade in the least. Being realistic about how you get to your goal will keep this excitement sparkly bright and in full focus.

A great tip is to set a pace you can maintain- one that challenges you to grow but doesn’t override your current skill set or hyper schedules your days. In other words, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Know what is comfortable to start at- then work up from there as you proceed.

Give yourself a gracious timeline to work in. Be realistic about how long something should take to achieve. While on your journey you will gain experience and get better at knowing your personal pace.

Allowing for the ebb and flow that comes with every project will help to prevent unnecessary stress and overwhelm. This almost always leads to paralysis and not following through. If set-backs or overwhelm begin to happen, be gentle with yourself and learn from them. Did you plan too much too quickly? Did you have unforeseen things pop up? Did you have the tools needed? Don’t let setbacks cloud the vision of your goal or lessen your perceived self-worth. Instead, think of them as a bump in the road and an obstacle you learned from and overcame.

Put it in writing

A great tool that helps bring your goal into focus and make it tangible is to put it on paper. Get it into the world now by writing it down. Actually, you can write, draw, list, collage, spreadsheet or anything else. Just make it real and not just an idea.

A favorite method of mine (given my SLIGHT, cough, addiction to pretty office supplies) is the Sticky Note exercise. Write out your goal and then the key steps needed to achieve it- each item on it’s own post-it note. Stick these up (on a wall, door, blank canvas…) all in a row. Under each key step add a post-it note for each task needed to achieve the step. I love to step back and see my goal all outlined on the wall. It’s a huge confidence builder and motivator to have the strategy mapped out.

The next step is to move these tasks to your calendar. This helps turn the steps into actions. Remember to be gracious with yourself and how you plan out your timeline. I like to do this in google and set weekly reminders to keep track of my progress and deadlines.

If you would like to make a digital version of this exercise, I suggest Trello. It’s a fun, free and paperless way to list out all your tasks. It also has many features that allow you to add digital content and calendar scheduling to the Trello board. Learn more here.

You might also want to make a vision board to see the goal in a more tangible way. This is a great activity and inspiration piece. I love them! But don’t forego the post-it exercise as it is vital for your goal strategy and timeline building.

Small Goals

Small goals that add up to big things can keep you on the right path and your energy level high. They are a way to bite off manageable chunks and have solid confirmations that you are gaining on your goal. Pepper your journey with small goals that mark significant milestones along the way. Break up a large or multi-step task into smaller ones and track your progress. Did you complete one of your Post-it tasks? That’s a great milestone and a reason to celebrate and share your success. Go you! The big daunting goal can feel achievable with these pint sized wins. They build confidence and keep you excited about your growth.

Commitment

While you may have a big goal that will take a few years to achieve (split into several smaller bite-sized goals!), I recommend not committing your time or actions to more than 3 to 5 smaller goals at any given time. Committing to more than this can be hectic and spread your attention too thin. The idea is to enjoy the journey and not get burnt out.

Be accountable to someone or something to keep your momentum going. If others are invested in your progress, even just to cheer you on, it brings an added sense of accountability. What can you do to create accountability?

What accountability support do you have?

Friends and family- personal and on social media
mentors and /or instructors
fellow artists
fellow entrepreneurs

What projects can you participate in with built-in accountability?

Courses, lectures, workshops
Grant funded projects
Fellowship or residency programs
A large commission that promotes your growth

What marketing are you committing to? Be accountable to your network!

# of Instagram posts a week?
# of newsletter style emails a month? Or a quarter?
# of networking opportunities you can commit to a month?
A key conference in your niche

Stay Motivated- Reward yourself

For many, having a goal is a motivation in itself. The competitive spirit can propel many to stay the course. But, since we are human, we can find ourselves in a kind of funk where the goal seems murky and extra far away. When this happens an extra boost is needed to refocus the vision and remind us of how awesome your goal truly is. I’ve already mentioned a few in this post- making a vision board, writing goals down, networking with others that support your goals.

When these days happen (and they will...) put the vision board or the Post-its in a prime viewing place. Talk or message with individuals that are supportive. Also, make a point to celebrate the small goals. Good options can be a celebratory post on social media- maybe while eating a fun cupcake, a fancy coffee or cocktail, buy yourself a new...brush, glaze...something rewarding. Maybe a new music or book download. I like to plan a special walk with my golden retriever, Harper.

Here are a few other ways to stay motivated:

Gain inspiration from your art. What has been successful? What did you absolutely love creating and why? Feel gratitude for your talents and the ability to build a business around it.
Feed off of the inspiration your art gives others. What are the fans of your art saying about you and your work? Remember the successful awards, commissions or exhibits that you have gained along the way.
Be inspired by other artists you admire. Check out what other artists are doing with their art and their business practice. Go to a museum, music event or show - even if it’s virtual. (YouTube is great for studio tours)
If your routine is feeling a bit boring, shake it up so your tasks don't seem monotonous. Put a new spin on things by changing up the way a task is done or when you do it. Troubleshoot what your process is and how it can evolve. Sometimes, it can just be a new way of thinking about it.

Be aware of how long you allow yourself to drift. Taking time to re-center can be healthy and recharge your focus but have a date to re engage. Stay accountable by marking your calendar with your next steps or tasks and stick to it. The main idea is to get past complacency and renew your motivation to achieve that awesome goal.

Final Thoughts

Having a dream is wonderful, but turning it into a goal you can clearly envision and navigate towards will make it real. I hope this post provides you with a sense of confidence and motivation to tackle your art career goals. Adopting these tips will help you focus your time and energy, leading to a happier and more productive life, exactly what you, your art and business deserve.

Hello! I’m Cynthia Hill— an Art business consultant, administrator, instructor and curator. I love to travel and grow things— like artists or green things! My husband and I are empty nesters except for our cuddly golden retriever, Harper.

I love to help artists make the most of their art business or community based art project. Together, we create new strategies that feel natural, achievable and motivating. Strategies that lead to confidence, solid business practices, and successful projects—with happy patrons. Don’t just go through the motions of being an artist— you, your art and potential are better than that!

Download this FREE guide to bring clarity to your art career, so moving forward you Act with Intent —without creating stress and overwhelm.