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September Goals: What is Goal Management?
This article will talk about Goal Management and my September Goals for Digital Art and my Art Business.
August Goals Review
For August, I made sure to set goals not tasks. I set goals with a purpose. Using the S.M.A.R.T. Goals Method, I made Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-Bound goals to bring me one step closer to being a successful digital artist. It was a success! Last month, my goals were focused on a project. I wanted to create my first product to sell online. I made a coloring book, which is harder than it looks.
I failed at Goal Management. I created a very straightforward and ambitious goal. However, I failed to establish a plan to achieve it.
Related Post: How to Create S.M.A.R.T. Goals
What is Goal Management?
Goal management is more than just setting a target; it’s a structured approach to achieving what you set out to do. As a digital artist, managing your goals effectively means breaking down your larger artistic dreams into actionable steps. Think of it like plotting waypoints on a map—you know where you want to go, but having those specific markers helps you navigate the journey with clarity and purpose.
This is what I failed to do with my August Goal. I knew what I wanted to accomplish but I had no idea how that would happen. I needed an action plan.
Why Goal Management is Important for Digital Artists
Digital art is a vast and ever-evolving field that offers limitless possibilities. Without proper goal management, it’s easy to feel lost or overwhelmed by the sheer volume of techniques, tools, and styles to learn. By setting specific monthly goals, you ensure consistent progress, stay motivated, and cultivate a sense of accomplishment. It’s like planting seeds in a garden; nurturing them with intention allows them to grow into something beautiful.
Related Posts: Learn Different Digital Art Styles
I had a lot of decisions to make and needed to learn a lot of techniques. Every time I came across a problem creating my coloring book, I had to stop for a while and learn something new. This made the process longer than needed. If I had an action plan or road map, then I would have made easy progress.
Achieve your September goals using goal management
Set Clear Goals for Your Art Journey
Start by identifying what you want to achieve this month. Use the SMART Goals Method to create specific goals for your digital art. For example, instead of vaguely stating, “I want to improve my digital painting,” try, “I will complete three digital landscape paintings by the end of the month.”
Establishing Daily and Weekly Tasks
Break down your monthly goals into manageable tasks that you can accomplish daily or weekly. If your goal is to complete three digital landscape paintings, your daily tasks could involve sketching initial concepts, selecting a color palette, or watching a tutorial on landscape techniques. These smaller tasks become the building blocks of your larger goal, making it feel more approachable and less daunting.
Reflecting and Adjusting for Improvement
At the end of each month, review what you’ve accomplished. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and where you might need to adjust. Maybe you found that painting landscapes took more time than you anticipated and you need to adjust your time management. Use these insights to fine-tune your goals for the next month. Remember, goal management is a fluid process—be open to change.
Themes for September Goals
The themes for my Monthly Goals are like a Math class in school. When I am in that class, everything is focused on Math. My theme is the Topic I want to talk about all month long.
Digital Art Theme: hand lettering
Hand Lettering is the Art of Writing. The pretty calligraphy and fancy fonts that you see on greeting cards is hand lettering. I want to try creating art with words.
art business: niches & customers
I have made the product that I want to sell. Now I need to find the customer to buy it. A common marketing and sales technique is to target a specific group or customer to which to sell the product. I want to learn about this to sell my coloring book.
My September Goals
digital art journey
I will take a Skillshare Class on Intro to Digital Hand Lettering in Procreate. Using this class, I will learn the basic skills for Hand Lettering. I will practice these skills consistently in my Study Vlogs on YouTube. To Mark my progress I will create 2 digital art pieces combining Hand Lettering with other art forms I have learned recently.
online art business
I will define a niche and ideal customer to sell my coloring book. Designing for a niche is very popular in the Print on Demand space. I will watch YouTube Tutorials from Print on Demand channels to learn about niches and niching down. To complete this goal, I will create a Customer Avatar of the type of person I want to buy my coloring books.
another step forward with my September goals
Now that I have a product to sell, it is time I learn how to sell it. My September goals are focused on that. Learning hand lettering will increase my skill set for future art projects that I can sell. I can also use those skills to create unique marketing materials for my business.
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress”
Barack Obama
