Goal-setting for Illustrators
There seems to be a trend recently of creative entrepreneurs talking about creating vision boards, dreaming big and manifesting / visualising your dreams. Despite being a very practical person, I felt compelled to try to embrace this grand, dreamy approach last year.
Newsflash - I did not achieve my big dream.
But I did achieve the smaller, realistic goals that I planned.
This is not to say that vision boards and having lofty dreams don’t work. However, it is easy to get so caught up in the romance of this, then get completely overwhelmed by how big and elusive these big dreams are, and ultimately do little or nothing to progress forward. Sound familiar?
Small, practical goals may not seem exciting/glamorous, but accomplishing these little milestones will boost your confidence to keep moving forward. Small achievements will build up over time and will lead you to long-term success.
If you frequently struggle to achieve your goals, try this simple 3-step approach to realistic goal-setting:
STEP 1: MAKE IT SPECIFIC
Break down your big goal into smaller goals/tasks that are very specific. For example, if your dream is to become a professional children’s book illustrator, one specific thing you need is to have a solid portfolio of work. You can break it down even further:
Create at least 10-12 pieces of illustration:
x number of pieces that showcase character design
x number of pieces that showcase environment design/world building
x number of pieces in colour and/or black & white
STEP 2: CREATE A PLAN
When you’ve determined these specific tasks you need to do:
List out all the steps that need to be taken to finish the task
Assign achievable deadlines
Schedule the tasks (with a start & finish date and defined time slots) into your calendar.
For example, if you have a full-time job and illustration is currently something you’re only able to pursue on the weekends, a realistic goal may be to complete 3 new pieces of portfolio pieces each month. This gives you a timeframe of 3-4 months to finish a 10-12 piece portfolio.
STEP 3: FOLLOW THROUGH & REVIEW
This is an important step - actually follow through with the plan you’ve set! At the end of each month, set aside 30-60 minutes to review your progress. Did you achieve all the milestones you set for the month?
Back to that portfolio example, if you find yourself able to create more than 3 new pieces a month, then go ahead and adjust the plan to increase the workload and shorten the timeframe to meet your goal. And celebrate hitting these milestones!
If you’re not able to complete them, don’t beat yourself up / give up. Setbacks happen - replan with more realistic timelines and keep going.
Make it a habit to follow the plan as much as possible, and set yourself up for success.
I hope these steps make goal-setting less scary and manageable for you. Even if you don’t hit all your goals, you are not a failure. Working towards your goals means you are progressing more than if you never had a goal and action plan in the first place.
Small progress is still progress.
Comment and share with me what illustration art/career goals you’re setting this year. I’m cheering you on!
