5 STEPS TO HITTING YOUR GOALS

Lee White

@NessIllustration Love that idea! I'll add it to the notes at the bottom.

@Whitney-Simms glad ya liked it! Good luck with your goals!

Coley

last year, out of the blue, my 12 year old started making his own hot chocolate (and most of the time his own lunches) and bringing it to the ski club on weekends. When the school year was over, I looked through his school work and saw that when he wrote out his resolutions, one of them was to save money by always bringing hot chocolate and not spending money on hot chocolate! Then he thought about the lunches too. So, we adults could take a cue from the 12 year old lol and start with small achievable goals just like you said in the video! (I'm a proud mama ha ha so I had to say that!!!!).
I am turning 50 later in March, so I decided that instead of "getting in the best shape of my life - (which would be pretty cool but it would probably deflate me as I used to be super fit doing triathlons etc and I don't have that much time anymore) that I was going to work at getting FIFTY strength workouts in before the big birthday.This allows for a fair number of off days too. I walk, hike, ski and/or run every day but I am not reliable on the weights. So I have a loose plan to accomplish so many per week, have fallen slightly behind but that's life, hoping to catch up as there are plenty of rest days built in there anyhow. I may catch up but even if I get 70% done I am well ahead of where I typically have been in the past with strength training! Also am doing it right in my living room cuts travel time and gym costs.
I get lots of ideas on goals for art but mostly I am aiming for the 5 hours per day - trying the 50 minutes at a time thing and it is helping. So I am trying that as a process goal as well
thanks for the video!

deborah Haagenson

Great goal setting steps and presentation Lee! I plan to implement steps 2 and 4 right away. This last year was the first year that I set realistic art goals for myself. What I found difficult and important was not taking on personal projects that would take me away from my working toward those goals. At this point (now that I've set a pattern) I might have to be a little easier on my self though (Step 4) and allow myself a little bit of time for other things. Maybe I'll start rewarding myself (step 5) with time to do some other fun things.

xin li

@NessIllustration You are always very wise. Your point reminded me a Japanese term I learn at some point - "ikigai", roughly translated as “the reason you get out of bed every morning”

deborah Haagenson

@deborah-Haagenson @NessIllustration you had a great idea for your step 0. These reasons or my primary purpose would be what I would want to be sure to stay focused on and not take time away from. When unmotivated as you said, maybe there's something else you want to do that day that still contributes to this. It would give you some flexibility, which is what I do. I think this is where what I said in my first post would fit.

demotlj

I think all of Lee's points are really good ones and as I watched, I realized that this is the method I use (unknowingly) to keep myself exercising and practicing music every day. For me, the focus on process goals and allowing for Easy/med/intense efforts have been especially important.

I've had a lot of difficulty, however, applying this to art and would love other's thoughts on this. When I'm exercising, for example, I can keep repeating routines every day or when I'm practicing music, I can choose three pieces that I'll practice every day and for both exercise and music, focusing on those process goals (30 minutes a day of some level of effort) will eventually produce an outcome goal: by repeating the routine I'll get healthier, and by practicing every day, I'll get so that I can play at least the musical pieces I've been working on well even if it takes a long time. In other words, part of the reason that focusing on process rather than outcomes is good is because the process of repeating routines will lead eventually lead to the desired outcome but keeps your head in the present.

My problem with art, however, has been that I can't figure out routines or a focus on process that leads anywhere as concrete given the limited time in my day that I have to do art. In other words, I could say, "I need to improve my painting skills so I'm going to use my art time to do watercolor swatches every day," but at the end of a month, I don't have a painting -- I have a bunch of paint swatches. I know that will help me improve my painting but it's still not very satisfying because I haven't created anything. When I only have at the most an hour a day to work on art, it's hard to spend my time practicing painting swatches or drawing 100 hands instead of creating.

Do you have "routines" that you use to focus on skill development in your art that also lead to a satisfying need to create, especially given limited time to do art? As I said, I really agree with @Lee-White and have found his system really successful for other aspects of my life but am finding art to be a different kind of beast and could use some help figuring out how to focus on skill development and process while still satisfying my need to create something more than paint swatches

MissMushy

Thanks Lee. Another super helpful video. My goal this year is to move forward on applying what I have learned so far to earn a little extra $ and work on my mental health ( my anxiety has increased over past few years to point where I barely leave the house)

I have a history of making bold plans then not fully being able to achieve them. Then I’ll beat myself up for all my past failures rather than just putting it behind me and starting over afresh, and round and round I go into the downward spiral.

I was that kid who got 90% in tests but when I got home my parents would say ‘umm where’s the other 10%?’,. It has driven me forward in some ways but I have never learned how to celebrate any success without immediately thinking I should have done better. I like your levels idea - going to try that and see if it helps.

Lee White

@demotlj That's a great question and I can sympathize with your problem. I'm actually talking about that on the podcast we are recording today.

I do have a few routines that I use for art goals. The biggest one that relates to your problem is I alternate technical goals with more satisfying image creation. You know the saying "necessity is the mother of invention", well that really holds true with making a full illustration. Maybe I don't know how to paint a night scene, but if I NEED to paint a night scene, I'll just dive in and try some stuff out. That is where a massive amount of learning takes place.

I have a real problem with the idea of only studying technique. It's boring and not very satisfying. So when I'm studying technique, I try to do exercises that relate to the next image I'm trying to make.

I will add that sometimes you need to take your medicine and do an exercise that is isolated. Like color swatches. But that's a one time thing, just do it and move on. But don't forget to plan the fun painting stuff the same way you plan some technique holes you need to fill. : )

Hope that helps some.

deborah Haagenson

@demotlj One thing I've been doing is creating 3 x 3 drawings. I do this to improve my drawing skills. I find a reference and then just focus on a small segment to draw. I started this to help me with folds in fabric. Now I use it for parts of trees or animals. It is so relaxing and fun! Because the size is small and not a complete picture, I find there to be less pressure.

demotlj

@Lee-White Alternating routines with image creation is a good idea and I especially like your idea of focusing on skills needed for a particular image. That would mean that the "routine practices" for that week would have practical application for my creative effort of that week. As I think about that, I think what I also need to do is lower my expectations for the final picture and instead of evaluating how I did overall, I need to concentrate on an aspect of it -- for example, "This week I'm going to do a painting in which I just focus on getting the color harmony right and not worry about composition," and for that week I could alternate picture development with routines involving color swatches.

Just thinking out loud Thanks for the insight.

demotlj

@deborah-Haagenson It's funny you said that because one thing I was thinking after I posted is, "Maybe I need to cut my watercolor paper into smaller pieces so I'm not always trying to paint 8x10 paintings." I think small studies are a great idea.

NessIllustration

@deborah-Haagenson Exactly! You and I are of the same mind If there's a day we really can't bring ourselves to draw, maybe we can do research into our dream field? Maybe we can watch a SVS class, or a Youtube video teaching something us need to learn? Look at other people's portfolios to get ideas of how other have built theirs? Research website platforms where we might want to build our own portfolio site, like Wordpress or Wix? All these things would still bring us closer to our goal, so as long as we're clear on what that goal is we can make strides even when motivation as left us.

The trap I used to fall in is to think that when motivation left me, it was because it wasn't meant to be. That if I didn't love this enough to be motivated every day, it wasn't for me. I would give up and start chasing a new shiny thing, but in time motivation for that would leave me too. That is totally wrong and in time, I came to realize that. There came a moment when I thought "I am absolutely NOT motivated to work on my art degree at ALL, I would rather do anything else right now... But I still can't bring myself to give it up". I pushed through, forced myself, and in time motivation came back. I realized motivation comes and goes, and just because it's gone it doesn't mean something isn't worth doing or that I don't love it anymore. Motivation is like adrenaline, I don't think our bodies can sustain this state all the time. It has to ebb and flow. When it comes it's wonderful and helps get so much done, helps carry us over bug hurdles. But when it's gone we must still continue forward - more slowly, but still forward little by little.

deborah Haagenson

@demotlj Oh good! I really hope that helps and you enjoy it!

deborah Haagenson

@NessIllustration That's just what I do! It does help carry me through and at the same time keep me on track.

xin li

@demotlj I know how you feel. I guess it depends on your goal (both short term and long term). I want to get better at drawing/painting traditionally. This year I started to carry a small sketchbook with a pencil, I draw kids characters. Sometimes it is copying another artist, and sometimes I try to do them from imagination. I do them very small (draw 3-4 little characters in one A5 sheet, so it does not take long to draw one. I try to do them during my breaks, or before sleep. These drawings stay only in my sketchbook, so I do not feel pressured to make them good. The point is to draw as often as I can on paper. I might pick some kids drawing and use them later in an illustration.

Sometimes things came across each other in a weird way though. A couple of years ago, I wanted to learn how to use gouache. So I painted a pattern a day using gouache (a5 size) for 30 days. I did not know what to do with them after they are done - they are very different from what I drew normally. So I just let them sit on the shelf. Later my toddler daughter discovered them, and she loved them and played with them as toys for quite a few months before she got bored with them. Then I was doing a book. I wanted adding some patterns to the clothes of a few characters. I remembered these patterns I painted, so I scanned them in, and used them. So you never know what your color swatches will end up :-).

Hi!
Thanks, Lee, for your informative videos. They are so helpful! One of my goals is to do some book covers for my portfolio. I really wanted to watch your book cover class @Lee-White but it's not on the site anymore. When will it be up again?

Adolfito Martinez

@Lee-White it is going ok , I have been trying to keep it as relaxed as possible to not make it a burden and I added the loose 1 kg a week. So hope it is not a lot.

Cheers

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demotlj

Just updating my own question in this thread.

I kept thinking about @Lee-White analogy of exercise goals because I'm actually good at exercising every day so I tried modifying what works there and applying it to my art. It seems to be paying off, so here is what I did:

Every Monday (my day off), I plan out some simple, medium, and complex projects based on mental energy required. These include from easy to hard -- value scales/swatches, simple sketches to ink and/or paint, master copies (which are actually in the medium category because I'm not having to create the illustration), and composing/designing a full illustration.
[And this turned out to be crucial] -- Once I've picked those projects, I do the prep work on Monday. I trace the sketches and/or stretch watercolor paper etc. so that when I sit down at my art desk, I have three or four projects ready to go that I can choose from. Before, I'd be all geared up to spend a lot of time painting and then would have to wait while I stretched the paper or something and I'd lose my momentum, or I'd have only one project I was working on but was too tired to tackle it that day so I wouldn't do anything.
After Monday, the only requirement I make of myself for the rest of the week is that I sit at my art desk 1/2 hour a day. [Thirty minutes may seem like too little but I'm an amateur and I work full time so I wanted to make a goal that was one I can always meet.] I can choose whichever project I have the energy for, and I can work longer than 1/2 hour (and usually do) but if I'm tired or busy, I still have to fit in 1/2 hour a day doing something. Because I have already picked the projects, though, I am never faced with sitting at the desk when I tired, trying to come up with something to do which takes the stress away.

This is all probably obvious to most people but I thought I'd share it anyway. Thanks, @Lee-White for sparking my thinking because I think I'm using my time a lot better.

deborah Haagenson

@demotlj Another reason it helps me to prep ahead if time, is because it makes me much more motivated to start. I really look forward to that time when I do this. I am never motivated to exercise. I can't even begin to understand how anyone is, so that won't work for me. What I do is handle it like I was at work - Stay organized, plan ahead, and start each day with a clean work area. I even have folders for my personal projects, ideas etc. One day if I get clients I think this structure will help.