New Year's Resolutions
Luckily for us, the business of art has been around since the dawn of written history, so over the many years, we’ve developed a few tricks that can often help us manage the arduous task of managing ourselves. These aren’t just tips for artists though! They can apply to any situation in which a person is responsible for achieving their own goals. That means that with a little dedication, they can make the challenge of committing to new year’s resolutions a little easier.
One of the most valuable tips I think an artist could offer, would be to break large goals into smaller ones. This reduces stress and makes large tasks far less daunting—thus helping us manage our time without losing motivation. When an artist is planning a big show, they’re usually up for a HUGE task. But planning an art show can be broken down into small steps, like making artwork, making an invitation and promoting the show, finding drinks and hors d’oeuvres to serve, setting up a space for the show. Even simply making a large collection of work can be an intimidating challenge that becomes more easily confronted if broken into small steps.
Similarly, many yearly goals can be broken into twelve monthly goals. And each of those can be split into weekly goals! It might seem a lot easier to lose five pounds each month than to simply say “I want to lose 60 pounds this year.”
Many artists suffer from losing motivation while working toward their goals, and obviously this is a huge risk when making a resolution for the new year too. One way that artists keep themselves inspired is to absorb artwork daily. They might follow their favorite artists on social media, subscribe to art magazines, or visit museums regularly. This keeps them inspired and thinking about artwork even when they aren’t producing themselves. Small daily reminders of one’s goal can be helpful in that way too. So, someone who wants to travel more in the new year might follow financing blogs that will give them tips for saving money, and travel blogs that to keep their eyes on the prize.
My personal favorite way to stay dedicated and committed to making artwork is to ask other artists to hold me accountable. Artists thrive by involving themselves in communities that correspond periodically and critique one another’s work, or discuss plans for future projects. Try discussing your resolutions with a small group of friends, maybe even deciding on a resolution that each member of the group would want to make. Then through out the year, you can check up with your friends and make sure everyone is staying encouraged, motivated, and on track.
Whatever your resolutions are this year, we’re wishing you all the luck in the world at Pinot’s Palette Bricktown. We hope that your new year is filled with love and peace and that any goals have for this new year aren’t far from reach!