Set Artistic Goals for 2024 that Support Your Artist's Heart
Are you looking back at your art practice in 2023 and feeling regret? Determining that this year you’re going to make art a more consistent part of your life, or follow through on the goals you haven’t met?
I believe that if your goal setting looks like a to-do list of all the things you didn’t get done this year, you’re missing an important step that will help you celebrate the year you’ve come through and set goals for 2024 that you will actually have a chance of achieving; goals that will enrich your art practice because they support the artist you are meant to be.
I’m going to share my own guide for evaluating and celebrating the year that’s ending, and then use that as a template for setting goals for 2024. And none of these goals will require you to become a different person; these are goals that reflect who you are and the values you want your art to show.
Read through the guide and then print the worksheet so you can take your own time of reflecting, celebrating and setting intentions for 2024.
First, take an inventory:
Paintings created:
(you can choose to count every piece of paper if you have the energy, or you can be more informal, like me, and simply estimate how many paintings you finished that you’re reasonably satisfied with.)
Sketchbooks filled:
If you have a sketchbook habit, describe what that looked like here. Did you sketch on location? More often than previously? What did your sketchbook teach you this year? If you didn’t use your sketchbook, that’s okay. Write that down as well.
Did you show your work publicly?
Describe that here: List here any exhibition opportunities, or how often you show your work on social media, and where you post.
Workshops/Classes taken:
In person or online. Who did you learn from this year?
Art books read/purchased: I learn a lot by reading, so this is a long list for me!
My favourite artists this year to learn from were:
Who inspired you to paint by their own artistic example? Whose process fascinates you and inspires your own?
My favourite artists’ paintings this year were: What art made you want to paint?
New Supplies/Techniques added to the toolbox:
How did you expand your practice with new colours, tools or techniques? Did you try a different medium? How did you step out of your comfort zone?
How I would describe my area of focus this year:
Was this a skillset-improving year? Did you focus your growth on a subject, like portraits, or an object, like trees? Did you start more paintings than you finished? Did you see a theme in your art this year, or did you jump all over the place in your approach? Were you focused on mindset over technique?
I worked on improving my art by: What strategies did you choose to help you grow?
Keywords to describe my art this year:
Lively? Discouraged? Timid? Bold? Playful? Sporadic? List 5-10 keywords to describe your art, your art practice and your mindset over the past 12 months. If you use keywords that reflect negative traits, also be intentional about thinking about the strengths that those negative keywords imply (for example, an art practice you might describe as “sloppy” might also be “fresh,” “impulsive,” “free.”). Try to focus on establishing a majority of positive keywords.
One big win for me this year was:
This can be a successful painting, a mental breakthrough, an award or recognition, a single good day spent painting. What stands out?
A good thing I heard/felt/saw in my art this year was:
Did you get a great compliment? Did you see a glimmer of beauty that feels momentous or like a promise of good things to come?
Did you create a favourite or milestone piece of art this year? Describe it here:
Wrap up the Year:
Using the questions for thought above, take a minute and think about what it all brings together. I’ve noticed that when I do an inventory like this, the parts of the year I might not feel fantastic about can be recognized to be a part of a larger whole. If I’ve started many more paintings than I finished, for example, I can recognize that this can be viewed as a growth period for that stage of the painting process, and celebrate my growing strength in that area. My wrap up then might look something like this:
I celebrate my artistic journey over the past year with gratitude…
Complete the statement: for me, it might look something like this …for the many ideas that sparked new paintings. I explored beginnings and developed new ideas with curiosity and enthusiasm. While I did not complete many of those paintings, I celebrate my willingness to begin something new and step into that unknown and I honour the growth that those beginnings offered.
Setting intention for the year ahead:
print out the worksheet at the bottom of this post
What would I like to follow through on from the previous year?
Are there areas of growth that need to be carried forward?
Are there changes I would like to make to my creative practice?
How can I set measurable, achievable goals to see those changes take place?
What would I like to learn in the year ahead? New techniques, mediums, subjects for exploration?
Who would I like to learn from in the year ahead?
List keywords or themes that you would like to describe your work in the year ahead:
Would you like to enter any exhibitions this year? Describe any goals for promoting your art here:
I will make this year rich with creativity and learning by:
Setting achievable goals is a powerful part of creating an art practice that brings you joy in the process and isn’t dependent on winning awards or recognition, or even finishing a good painting. Describe here how you can be more intentional about making your painting time a fulfilling, heart-prioritizing experience. This statement should reflect the keywords and answers you’ve written above to summarize and establish a focus for the coming year.
When you look at your artistic practice as a place where you nurture your heart and create a space where you get to do whatever it takes to help you to find joy in the practice of making art, your year can look a lot like freedom.
DOWNLOAD THE 2024 INTENTIONS WORKSHEET HERE: DOWNLOAD
Create an art practice as unique as you are:
The Heart-Led Artist Pathway is a four-week course designed to help you support your individuality as an artist. Your best art will be created when you are free to express yourself in your art and in your way, using the skills you’re developing to support your voice and vision. If you’re making the transition toward becoming an independent, self-directed artist, but feel like you have no idea how to do that, this course offers a framework for you to design your own personal artistic practice and develop confidence and freedom to set your own goals and shape your art, your way. Find out more here: https://www.heartledartist.com
