It is the beginning of a new year, and it is time to review last year’s numbers to see how well you did with your art goals.
Or maybe you are just starting a business, and you would like to set new goals.
Just like any other large or small business, artists need to set goals and review the outcome of the goals they set.
Your art goals will help to guide your art business in the direction you envision and help you answer the question of “are my marketing plans working?”
Some artists think of artist goals as a creative roadmap.
If you own an art business, you will need to expand the scope of your goals to incorporate your business objectives.
By the end of this post, you will know…
- Analyzing last years art goals
- How to write new objectives
- How to write action steps
- Accomplish your art goals by following through
How did you do on your art goals last year?
Did you reach your yearly goals?
Did you stick to your goals?
Do you feel that you could have done better?
It is a new year, and no matter if you did reach your goals or if you fell flat, now is the time to set new goals for the upcoming year.
In this post, I am going to share with you a simple formula I use for my art goals that have been showing positive results year after year.
Are you ready to make more money this year?
Last Years Art Goals
Before I sit down and write new goals I review the previous year’s results.
Look at everything that happened over the past 12 months and ask yourself:
- Did you write achievable goals?
- Did you stick to your goals?
- Did the strategies you implement help you to achieve your goals?
- Did you adjust any strategies over the year if they were not showing you the results you were hoping for?
- Did you waste time on strategies that did not help you with your goals like social media marketing, video marketing, etc.?
- What could you have done better?
- What strategies worked so you can use them for this year’s goals?
Once you have a clear picture of how well your art business did the previous year you and can start writing new goals and action steps for the upcoming year.
New Art Objectives
Now that you know exactly how your art business performed last year, it is time to create new objectives for the upcoming year.
Succesful art goals start with having a clear vision of what you would like to achieve.
It is imposable to create a strategic plan to accomplish something if you do not know what you are trying to achieve.
Kimanzi Constable explains why most people fail with their goals in a post he wrote for Entrepreneur.
- It’s easier to dream than to sacrifice
- We listen to self-limiting beliefs.
- The fear of failure and public reaction
- No research and no plan.
- Forgetting why you started your business.
To read more, visit 5 Reasons Why You’re Not Accomplishing Your Business Goals.
Number five on Kimanzi’s list is exactly what I am talking about.
You need to have a clear vision of your objectives at all times.
You can not work for something if you don’t know what you are working for.
What would you like this year?
- Do you want to sell more original artwork?
- Would you like to sell more limited edition prints?
- Would you like to increase your prices?
- Would you like to teach art classes?
- How much income do you want your art business to generate for the year?
The next step is to write down your art goals after you have decided what you want.
Keep your art goals somewhere you can see them every day.
Viewing your objectives on a daily basis will prevent you from derailing from your goals.
Action Plan Steps
The next step is to write action steps that compliment your goals.
For example, if you want to sell 4 paintings a month, you will have to set time aside to paint 4 new paintings every month and decide how you are going to market your new artwork.
You will be setting your self up to fail if your goal is to sell 4 paintings a month but you only have time to create 2 new paintings per month.
Leslie Truex shares some valuable tips on how to write an action plan for home businesses:
- Make Sure Your Goals Are S.M.A.R.T.
- Work Backwards To Set Milestones
- Determine What Needs To Happen To Reach Your Goals
- Decide What Actions Are Required To Reach Your Goals
- Put Your Actions Into A Schedule
- Follow Through
You can read more by visiting How To Create An Action Plan To Achieve Your Home Business Goals.
Writing S.M.A.R.T Goals is one of the best guides for writing achievable goals and I highly recommend taking advantage of this guide.
- Specific – well-defined and clear
- Measurable – include measurable indicators to track progress
- Attainable – realistic and achievable within the resources, time, money, experience, etc. you have
- Relevant – align with your other goals
- Timely – has a finishing date
After you have your goals documented you will want to write out achievable action steps.
I like to look at the whole picture and break it down into quarters.
For example, let’s say that I would like to generate 200,000 dollars this year from art sales.
I take that number and divide it by 4.
200,000 divided by 4 = 50,000.
Now I can start to wite action steps that will help me to generate 50,000 dollars in 4 months.
After the 4 months, I can review the outcome of my efforts and see if I have to make any adjustments for the next 4 months.
When you are writing your action steps, make sure that they are relevant to your main goals.
Prioritize your to-do list with the most important strategies.
Only put your efforts into something that will produce positive results.
The easiest way for you to follow through with your action steps is to create a schedule for when you need to get specific tasks done.
I created a goal planner that keeps everything organized so you can keep track of everything you are working on and you can identify what is and what isn’t working for you.
What is in the goal planner bundle:
- Goal Planner – 1 pg
- Monthly Goal Planner – 1 pg
- Project Planner – 1 pg
- Weekly Goals Planner 1 – pg
- Weekly Overview 1 – pg
- Daily to-do Planner M – T 1 – pg
- Daily to-do Planner W – T 1 – pg
- Daily to-do Planner T – F 1 pg
- How to Print Your Planner – 1 pg
You can print out as many copies as you need.
Follow Through With Your Art Goals
The last step is to follow through.
It is one thing to take 15 minutes to write down your goals and action steps and it is another thing to put in the work.
A successful art business starts with a vision and ends with hard work.
Every day should start with your goals and end by recapping what you did to reach your goals.
Popular Art Marketing And Sales Tutorials
Below are some of the most famous art marketing courses that will grow your online art business:
Most Popular – How to Make a Living Selling What You Make by Megan Auman
Most Popular – Build a Successful Creative Blog by April Bowles-Olin
How to Build a Business While Learning Your Craft by Megan Auman
Pinterest Marketing for Makers & Designers by Megan Auman
Did you enjoy this article? Don’t forget to sign up for my free weekly newsletter.
You can also join me on:
Learn how to start, grow, and monetize your online art business.
Art Business eBooks
Art Business Workbooks
Art Business Planners
