Art Goals for 2018

Winter Walk 10x6 1/2 pastel available $45.00

I've been thinking heavily lately about what my art goals for 2018 will be.  Without goals, I think, you are setting yourself up for a year without change - remaining stagnant and when the year passes you sit back and wonder where it went.  At least for me, I need to feel like I accomplished "something". Even if it's just a small "something".  So hear it goes...... my list of goals for 2018.

1.  Keep painting!  There are times an artist (and myself) feel their work just isn't getting noticed and that nobody really cares about it or what it is that your working on, but I will say all the kind comments and "likes" and hearing from various people throughout my day really keep me motivated. The simple act of painting daily not only makes you a better painter, but from what I hear gives others something to look forward to when they see what you created for that day.

2.  Join some pastel societies.  I have a couple of them on my list, and feel it will give me more opportunities to get my feet further in the "art world".  Some of the societies jury your work so you've got to be on your game and give them a reason to want you.  The 3 societies I've chosen to strive to get in to is the Pastel Society of America, the Maryland Pastel Society and MAPS - the Mid-Atlantic Pastel Society.  

3.  Number 3 won't take place until the spring, but I am going to strive to get out and do more plein air painting.  It's sometimes difficult to accomplish when you work a day time job, but I would like to enter some of the competitions.  They seem like a lot of fun, and give you a little more exposure.

4.  I want to learn oil painting.  Yes it's good to have a medium that you are known for working in, but it's better to push yourself to learn something new.  It will make you better all the way around in your art - I promise. So I'm planning on taking some classes coming up and watching a lot of You Tube videos on the ins and outs of oil painting.

5.  I want to add some additional painted products to my Etsy store.  Besides being into painting, I am a diehard crafter.  So I will be posting hand painted products other than paintings to hand on the wall soon.  I've been playing around with some ideas in my head - we'll just see how they pan out.

6.  Become a better blogger.  Sometimes, like right now for instance, I'm trying to write in the blog and post the most recent painting in the short amount of time I have in the morning before having to go to work.  So one of my goals for this year is to come up with a better schedule so I can really concentrate on what I'm posting and not just throwing down the first things that pop into my head. I want to have a plan.  

So this pretty much sums up my goals for this year.  Do you set goals for yourself each year?  If you do, I'd love to hear what they are.  You never know..... it may help someone else out there looking to set goals for themselves. 

The painting posted for today is another one of my yard.  I've decided to "stay in my own yard" so to speak for the entire month of January, and only paint scenes I see every day.