Category Archives: Goals

Dogs, Drawing, Goals, New Year's resolution

How about that New Year’s Resolution?

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Well, I am having a good month. As I mentioned in my last post, some of my work was accepted in a show in MN. Earlier this week I entered some more drawings in a local juried show and one was accepted. So I actually have work in two shows that are opening this weekend, and this is the first time I have ever been able to say THAT.

“Outcry” 2014

Lest you think I am resting on my laurels, however, I did take the time to assess my progress on my 2014 goal of 750 hours. As the end of the first quarter, March 31 is a benchmark date for many businesses and so it seems like a good time to revisit those New Year’s Resolutions. I had a somewhat  rocky start to the year and as of mid-February I was definitely behind schedule. However, I put in extra time to make up for that, and have gotten myself caught up again.

So as of  March 31, 2014 (thirteen weeks into the new year), my progress stands as follows:
Studio time-     133 hours, which is three hours over the goal of 10 hours a week.
Marketing etc-   64 hours, or one hour short of the goal of 5 hours a week.

I’ve also added a new category of “supporting tasks,” for things like framing, purchasing art supplies, and research, which don’t really count as hands-on time in either category. I have racked up an additional 36 hours there, for a grand total of 233 hours in 2014.
Again, I know this kind of time keeping seems obsessive, but it works! It’s a lot like writing down all of your calories(don’t get me started) so you have a true picture of what’s going on-no room for excuses. And, for the moment at least, it seems to be paying off.

Drawing, Goals, New Year's resolution

Goals for 2014

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Happy New Year Everyone,

It is the beginning of the first full “back to work” week of the year. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been thinking about my studio goal for 2014. Although I am a little nervous about it, I have decided to commit to a total of 750 hours: 500 in the studio and 250 managing marketing and the business side of things. This equals an average of about 15 hours a week-I hope I do it!
I spent the first few days after New Year’s taking stock of 2013 and outlining some preliminary goals for this year. It’s pretty interesting to write out a list of your accomplishments over the year; I recommend you try it.
For me, dedicating 500 hours to art meant that I accomplished the following in 2013:

  • Three large scale (5-6 foot) drawings
  • Six 22×30″ drawings
  • One 30×40 mixed media painting
  • A small edition of lithographs based on an older drawing

My favorite drawing from 2013:
"Picked Clean, " Laura Sussman-Randall
“Picked Clean,” 2013. (48×60)

I also:

  • Submitted work to six shows (Accepted in two)
  • Finally had good photos taken of my work
  • Resurrected my website, which had been down for TWO years
  • Wrote a grant request to the Arts & Science Council of Mecklenburg County and was selected for funding-more on that later.
  • Gave a talk with my mother to a group of art history students at Queens University
  • And of course, started this blog

It’s difficult for me to trumpet my own accomplishments like that (an issue I will have to get past if I’m going to market my work seriously), but the important point is that I’m sure I would not have gotten this much done if I hadn’t held myself to this 500 hour goal.
I would have liked to have produced a few more completed pieces this year, so that will be a goal for 2014. On the other hand, some of the marketing tasks, like getting portfolio shots and fixing my website, were long overdue and I am glad they are done.

As for 2014, I have some good preliminary plans and am looking forward to seeing how many goals 750 hours will allow me to accomplish.

Goals, New Year's resolution

9 Hours to go…

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With three days left in 2013, I have two goals:  to finish up the last 9 hours to make a total of  500, and to set my goal for 2014. Although it may seem risky to raise my goal when I am making this one just under the wire, there is an extenuating circumstance. I made a major adjustment to my schedule mid-year by opting out of a very time consuming volunteer position.
Thanks to my trusty-and obsessive-record-keeping, I can see that I completed only 152 hours by June 30, or an average of about 6 hours a week. The remaining 348 hours were completed in the second half of the year, after I cleared my schedule. At a rate of approximately 13.5 hours a week, I should be able to complete approximately 700 hours in 2014. I will think about it for a few days and post my goal by New Year’s.

Had enough math yet? Go get in the studio.

Goals, New Year's resolution

500 Hours in the Studio

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So, at the beginning of this year (2013) I made a New Year’s Resolution to spend 500 hours in the studio. Actually, the original idea was 10 hours a week; but give or take a little for holidays, busy work weeks, and unexpected events, 500 hours seemed like a good round number. They say it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at any given pursuit. I wish I had a record of the hours between graduation from art school and this year, but I don’t … oh well.

So, here it is, December 17 December 20, and I am staring down the barrel with just 13 hours to go. I’ll make it, despite the variables introduced by real life; family, house, work (the income producing kind), and the impending holidays. But let me say this- if I hadn’t set the goal in the first place, there is NO WAY I would be forcing myself at this time of year to finish one last drawing, work on my Facebook artist page or start this new blog. As a matter of fact, I am quite certain I wouldn’t have spent the 487 hours that I have racked up to date.

I used an app to track my studio time, and faithfully marked each week’s total on my calendar. Many weeks were less than 10 hours (like no hours), but some were more, particularly if I had a deadline to meet. This year I decided to include marketing work such as researching shows and setting up my website in the total. Next year I am thinking of setting a separate marketing goal and requiring the 500 hours to be hands-on studio time.

Yes, I may be abnormally data-driven for an artist, but by setting this goal and breaking it into small bites, I set up a system of accountability for myself that is measurable and adaptable. And I got a lot done.

It is my intention to use this blog to document the day to day experience of building a career as an artist. I plan to include progress pics of my work, my experiences with the materials I use, things that inspire me, and successes and failures along the way (hopefully more of the former).

I hope it will be of interest to my fellow artists, art lovers, students, and curious bystanders. I welcome your comments-What are you working on? How do you motivate yourself to get your work done?
 

For a little more about what I do, check out my website.

Oh, and by the way, writing this post just brought my total up to 487 ½ hours