What Are My Big Art Goals This Year?
Artist Aspirations & Ambitions Revealed..
Hello Creative Souls,
Welcome to my first newsletter of 2025! Yes, I know, technically it’s still 2024 but only just. Gosh, well, where did that year go? First of all, I would like to thank you for being here and taking the time to click on my post. I love writing my monthly newsletters and I hope you love reading them, now I know this is dull, but can I ask you for one tiny favour? Please share this newsletter with someone else, someone who you think may like to subscribe. I would love to start the new year by gaining more readers here and more viewers over on my YouTube channel. Easy reading and easy viewing.. Right, now that I have gotten the self-promotion out of the way (why do we find that soooo hard?!), I will crack on with telling you what I have been pondering over the festive period.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
- Alfred Lord Tennyson
This year, I'm setting some artist goals and I'm challenging myself to share every step of the journey with you! In sharing my aspirations and future ambitions I hope I encourage you in some way also.
Setting clear goals for ourselves is so important as creatives and artists. It helps us stay focused, motivated, and gives us direction on what we want to achieve. It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind and just go through the motions, but having goals helps us stay intentional about our art and our careers.
When it comes to achieving our goals, many of us face similar challenges. One of the biggest obstacles is self-doubt. We question whether we're good enough, if our art is worthy, or if we're just deluding ourselves. It's a constant battle to overcome these negative thoughts and believe in ourselves. Another challenge is staying motivated. It's easy to start strong, but as time goes on, we can lose steam and momentum. We might get caught up in procrastination, or get distracted by other things that seem more important at the time or just experience burn out.
Additionally, external pressures can also hold us back from achieving our goals. We might feel pressure from social media, our peers, or even fellow artists to create a certain type of art or follow a specific path. It can be hard to stay true to ourselves and our vision when we're surrounded by so many opposing opinions, comparing ourselves to others or feeling the pressure to churn out what we think people want to read or view, rather than creating content that brings us joy, thanks to getting fixated on algorithms and statistics. And finally, there's the challenge of time management. As artists, we often wear many hats - we're not just creatives, but also entrepreneurs, marketers, and administrators, home-makers and carers. Finding the time and energy to focus on our art can be a struggle, so I decided to share my goals for 2025. These goals are not written in stone but more of a guide as to what direction I want my art to take and in some small way I hope by sharing my goals I will influence you to pursue your goals for 2025.
Schedule Time to Practice.
My specific goals for the year are to create more consistently. One strategy I'll be using to stay focused is to set aside dedicated time for my art each day. This might be as simple as 15 minutes of sketching, or a few hours of painting. Whatever it is, I'm committing to making time for it, no matter what. I will block out an Artist’s date at least one a week, where I will retreat to my studio and just focus on me and my art.
I'll also be tracking my progress, not just in terms of the art I create, but also in terms of the skills I'm building and the lessons I'm learning. By celebrating these small wins, I'll be able to stay motivated and encouraged, even when the going gets tough.
Have Fun!
I will continue to experiment with mixed media in my sketchbooks. I’ve been having great fun trying out new materials during 2024 and enjoy a sketchbook or two. Keeping a sketchbook has really helped me to enjoy creating art in a less pressured way. A place to try new things, whether it’s a new medium or technique and when I’m creating in my sketchbook I am free!
Painting with Acrylics.
I will continue to experiment with new mediums, I particularly want to learn to use acrylic paints, specifically on canvas. I have been watching other artists on YouTube and I may consider doing a local, in person workshop, where I can learn new skills.
A New Way of Creating Art.
I’m excited to try a new style, as mentioned in my November post about pursuing intuitive painting. This approach involves using various techniques and tools to create marks on the canvas. I recently received some new books about intuitive and sacred art, which I have listed below. The authors of these books are truly inspirational, and I'm fascinated by their freedom in the creative process. They use a range of everyday materials to create texture on the canvas, such as newspaper to allow prints to show through the paint, along with bubble wrap, stencils, twigs, and feathers. There are so many different techniques to explore, which really excites my creative side!
Get Loose - Don’t Take it so Seriously!
By exploring new mediums and embracing intuitive painting, I aim to loosen up and become more expressive in my artistic journey. I want to enjoy the creative process without worrying about the outcome or end result. Art can be messy and doesn’t need to be perfect. This is a hard concept for me, especially as I share my art and process online, I guess it’s about showing up, being consistent and inspiring others to just start, to just play, to just enjoy creating art without any judgement attached.
Build a Supportive Community:
I aim to strengthen my online presence through my YouTube channel and this Substack platform, focusing on my own journey without seeking external validation or comparing myself to other artists and their channels. Over the past two years, I have received many lovely comments and support from a growing community of like-minded individuals. Through my art channel and writing, I have connected with wonderful people who share my passion for art and creativity.
Practice Self Love..
I will be focusing more on self-care, health, and self-healing, prioritizing my own needs so that I can fully engage with my art and business. It's important to take time for yourself and take charge of your well-being. For me, spending time alone is essential. I find that walking, meditation, and Pilates help ground me, allowing me to push away external anxieties and reduce the noise from the outside world. This practice helps me go within and find inner peace and solace.
Go Outside!
Getting outside into nature is my number one inspiration for all of my artwork. Painting plein air was a first for me last year. It helped me to capture the beauty in my surroundings, to observe the environment, noticing even the smallest of details. Getting outside is crucial, not only for artistic inspiration but for my mental and physical well-being.
So, to recap, setting my artist goals is crucial for my growth and well-being. It helps me to stay focused, motivated, and intentional about my art. By acknowledging the challenges I face and implementing strategies to overcome them, I can achieve my goals and take my art to new heights. Most importantly, I have learned that ultimately I want and need to enjoy the process, to remember why I wanted to create art in the first place. It’s nice to share my art, it makes me so happy when I inspire others, but conclusively, it is for me, how it makes me feel when I am in my creative zone. I feel joy, happiness and gratitude, which in turn calms my mind and my nervous system.
“You’ll never get bored when you try something new. There’s really no limit to what you can do” - Dr Seuss
I want to hear from you - what are your big goals for the year? What strategies are you using to stay motivated and focused? Let me know in the comments below, and if you're looking for more inspiration and tips, be sure to check out my videos over on my YouTube channel.
So Dear Reader, as we wrap up this year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support and engagement with my content. Your feedback and enthusiasm have been invaluable, and I am excited to continue this journey with you in the coming year.
May the new year bring you joy, prosperity, and countless opportunities. I look forward to sharing more exciting content and updates with you in the year ahead.
Happy New Year! 🥂
Warm regards,
Clare xx 💜🙏🎨
Resources:
Brave Intuitive Painting Let Go. Be Bold. Unfold.: Techniques for Uncovering Your Own Unique Painting Style
Painting the Sacred Within: Art Techniques to Express Your Authentic Inner Voice Paperback by Faith Evans-Sills
Sacred Art: Create your own spiritual and mandala art with easy acrylic painting techniques Paperback by Kathleen Hoffmann
I like how you continue to persevere in something you love so much. It could be all too easy to get lost in the fake algorithms social media, especially You Tube. Hold true to the words you’ve captured in your newsletter to ensure you continue to find the joy and effect what’s in your control!
Happy New Year, Clare! Wonderful article! It's interesting what you said about being influenced by others as to what type of art you might feel pressured to make. Someone I know only wanted to use colored pencils, because she said you have more control over the medium than watercolor, which I was trying out. I'm continuing to try watercolor, since I think it's fun and beautiful.
I have way too many art goals for this year! I'd like to work with gouache, collage, ink pens, graphite pencil, and practice more watercolor. I'd like to try intuitive painting. I'll take a look at those books. Thank you for your inspiration, as always!