Creating Your Artist Intentions and Goals for 2018

Last week I posted about completing 2017 and I posed several series of questions that you could ask yourself in order to reflect on the year to have the year complete for you. Completing a year is an important step to do before creating your new year – the reflection process is so valuable to help you see what didn’t go the way you wanted it to, learn the lessons there were to learn and, even more importantly, to allow yourself to celebrate your victories!

(NOTE: If you missed that post and want to utilize it to reflect on and complete 2017 then you can find it HERE )

Now it is time to begin creating 2018! With the reflection work of 2017 behind us we can begin FRESH and with a brand new space to create in! But what and how do you want to create? We have all experienced the “making resolutions” process that usually falls apart somewhere in February after the initial enthusiasm wears off.  I am not a big fan of resolutions.

What I love to do and find really powerful instead is to set intentions and goals for the year. Intentions are the context that the goals sit inside of – they are the inspiration. Goals have real measurable results that will allow you to measure them and keep forwarding the actions until they are accomplished. I will explain in more detail later about goals vs. intentions, but for now the question is: Where do we start?

It is back to asking questions! I love asking questions … I find questions are a great way to jog up our brains and then allow us to dig deeper inside to find out what is really important for us. Sooooooooooooooo, I have put together a series of questions that you can ask yourself to begin the process of creating your new goals for 2018.

Here we go …

1. What’s the one thing I could do this year to increase my own enjoyment of Art?
2. What’s the single most important thing I could do to improve the quality of my life this year?
3. Which disciplines or practices do I most want to make progress with this year, and how will I do that?
4. What is the single biggest time-waster in my life, and what will I do about it that in 2018?
5. What one thing, that I can plan to do this year, will matter most to me at the end of 2018? In 10 years? At the end of my life?
6. What is the most important decision I need to make this year?
7. What area of my life most needs simplifying, and what’s one way I could simplify in that area?
8. What other artists would I like to work with this year?
9. How do I want to expand the marketing of my Art this year?
10. What is my most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step I can take toward achieving it?
11. What’s the single most important thing I could do to improve the quality of my Art this year?
12. If the people in my life, that know me the best, gave me one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will I do about it in 2018?
13. What is the one new skill I most want to learn in 2018?
14. What is one old skill that I most want to improve in 2018?
15. What changes do I want to make to my studio or work space in 2018?
16. Do I want to increase the production of my Art this year?
17. In what area of my life do I most need change, and what will I do about it this year?
18. What activity brought me my greatest success last year that would I like to repeat or continue to do in 2018?
19. What one behavior, that if I did it consistently, would make the biggest difference in my life, Art and/or business this coming year?
20. What will I do that is new or different in the coming year to achieve the results I want?
21. Of the things that I wanted to accomplish last year and didn’t, which ones do I choose to keep on my list for the coming year?
22. When do I most feel that my life is the most meaningful and fulfilled?
23. What would bring me more deep joy than anything else in the world?
24. What project or goal, that if I don’t accomplish it, will leave me the most regretful at the end of 2018?
25. How much time do I want to create for my Art this year and how will I do that?
26. If I knew I couldn’t fail, what would I take on in 2018?
27. What activity or endeavor gives me the strongest feeling of self-respect?
28. What support do I want to give to other Artists this year?
29. What kind of person do I want to be by the end of 2018? By the end of 2021?
30. What is one old pattern/habit I want to let go of in 2018?
31. What is one new pattern/habit that I want to create in 2018?
32. What is one incomplete thing I want to complete in 2018?
33. What can I do to nurture my creativity this year?
34. What is one step I can commit to that will bring me closer to my Inner Source?
35. If I could change only one thing about myself in 2018, what would it be?
36. What new styles or genres of Art would I like to experience this year?
37. Do I want my Art to make money or more money this year? How much?
38. Where do I want my Art to be seen in 2018?
39. What do I need help from others with this year? Who do I need to help me?
40. What do I want to have more organization with in 2018?

These questions should get you thinking and ready to create for 2018. Allow yourself to take some quiet time to work on them. You may find that once you answer them then it is good to let them sit for a little while and then come back to them – often new things will bubble up if we let go of forcing or thinking so hard about them.

After you have done the questioning work that allows you to really examine what you want in 2018, I suggest you set for yourself 3 intentions for the year before you set your goals. What is the difference between a Goal and an Intention? Is it just semantics ….no … there really is a difference and they both are important!

An intention is internal and it is the big picture. It is the heartfelt reason why you do something. Intentions are based on your passion, values, or purpose. Intentions are in the present moment. They do not come from the reasonable, analytical brain based you but from the REAL internal Source-Full you. Intention is the WHY that shines a guiding light on what you do. Intentions are lived each day, independent of reaching the goal or destination.

Goals are external and define a series of steps and measurements used to move toward your intentions. Goals are based on analyzing, reasoning and planning and contain the elements of objectives, milestones and actions. Goals are focused on the future. Goals are like a destination or specific achievement. They are either met or unmet. Goals are the How, When, and Where.

How do these two fit together? Well first you set your intentions then you set the goals. Setting an intention without having goals is like visioning something but never taking any actions towards it. Setting goals without an intention can leave you feeling very empty or dis-empowered and not moving forward when it gets challenging because you will end up following along a plan without having any real connection to you have the plan in the first place.

Once you have created your 3 intentions now it is time to create your goals and plans, inside of those intentions. Those goals will be the plan for how you will fulfill on your intentions for your Life, your Art, your Art Business, etc. in 2017. My suggestion for setting goals is that you allow yourself to set long term goals, short-term goals, inspiring milestones and actions to take along the way.

I can write entire blog posts on each one of these concepts but allow yourself to simply swing out and try it all on in your own way – as an artist it is so important that creating your New Year is your own unique expression. If you get stuck then feel free to contact me and ask me questions … it will be my pleasure to answer you.

Remember this is all a creation!  You are a master at Creating and YOU are creating YOUR 2018! ENJOY the process!!!!

AND from me to you … I wish you an Amazing and Heart-felt beginning to your New Year!  I am grateful to each of you for being a creator in the world and I send you bright beautiful light to shine on YOU throughout 2018!