• Well, the new year is here and so many artists I admire (See Linda Blondheim and Karen Winters as examples.) have been posting the goals they set for themselves. They put it all out there so that everyone can see and so that they can check back at the end of the year to see if they met the goals. This is a sort of gutsy strategy because, after all -- one doesn't want to fail -- especially in front of others.
  
  Then there is the actual choosing of goals. Goals must be selected that allow you to stretch but that do not cause you to destroy yourself in the trying. They should be realistic and not pie in the sky.... (Like... "I want to make a living with my art THIS YEAR!") After all... I paint for enjoyment... don't want to make myself depressed so I CAN'T enjoy it. So... how to choose reasonable and challenging goals for ME....
  
  Here goes:
  
• Continue taking classes and workshops from artists I admire.
• Continue working to increase my ability to see and create accurate value patterns in my work.
• Learn to loosen up my brushwork without being messy AND to make the work tighter... (Is that possible?) Figure it out.
• Create more small format paintings.
• Paint en plein air AT LEAST once monthly.
• Continue developing the blogs.
• Send my work into TEN juried shows that are not local.
• Sketch and draw at least three times a week. (My previous post about the sketchbook project did NOT result in daily sketching.... :(.... too lofty.)
• Market the work that gets accepted into shows... especially those that are not local.
• Develop a body of work that is ready to be shown in a one person or small group show.
• Exhibit my work in one gallery or one person venue.
• Accept and complete at least one commission.
• Sell 50% more paintings than in 2008.

WHEW!! Those are pretty lofty goals for me. Wish me luck!!

And most important... Help me remember that although I want to continue to grow along this painting journey... It is the journey itself and the family I'm in that sustain me.

Have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!