Hello Artist,

We're nearing the end of the year, so I think this is a great time to talk about goals.

Specifically, art goals.

Everyone has their own version and their own dream of where they want to be artistically.

And I want to help you get there.

So, when you're thinking and setting goals, there are a few things you want to look out for.

I know it's easy to get carried away and start thinking about EVERYTHING that you want to accomplish in the future.

Things like:

and so on.

These are way too many goals to have at once.

Instead, focus on just one of those and go through it, from the beginning to the end.

This will make it far less overwhelming.

(By the way, the examples I listed are also VERY big. But I'll talk about that and how to break those down into easier chunks very soon)

It's easy to say "I'm going to learn how to draw alien characters!".

But it doesn't mean anything if you don't do something about it.

By writing it down, you make it come a little more to life

It will also keep you accountable.

Like your past "you" was believing in yourself, and that you are going to achieve your goal!

This is a VERY important part of setting goals.

You need the small wins to keep going.

So instead of saying "I want to learn how to draw characters" for example, try narrowing it down.

How To Draw Characters » How To Draw The Human Body » The Head » Eyes

So in this case you can just start with this tiny goal instead.

"I want to learn how to draw the eyes!"

And then you just go and learn as much as you can about it.

Drawing more feminine eyes, different types of eyes (angular, round, etc), different ways (styles) to draw eyes, etc.

And just master that!

This will make you feel much more accomplished, and you'll have actually mastered something.

Then you just move on to your next tiny goal. Don't stop.

There is a lot to talk about planning your art goals successfully, but I'll cover the basics here.

Schedule a time AND place. "I will draw once per week" is NOT good enough. "I will draw faces from reference every day in my iPad for 30 mins from 10pm to 10:30pm" is much better. This will keep you accountable. Set up an alarm if it helps.
Have everything ready to go. Even if you have everything scheduled and you're at the right time and place, if the environment isn't ready for you, that's going to be a struggle. For example, your iPad should be fully charged before so that you can get right to work. Or your pencils should be sharpened. These little things can get annoying and make it harder to achieve your goal if you don't set them right.
Keep a journal or calendar. Having a journal where you write down your thoughts consistently will help you a lot. Especially if you log your progress towards your goal. It will also keep you accountable. Another option is using a calendar and placing a big red X on the day you did what you planned to do. This gives you a really nice sense of accomplishment and progress.

I could talk about this for the longest time, but this message is already VERY long!

So if you have enjoyed it and felt it was helpful, do let me know.

And as always, keep on drawing!

- Patricia

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