20 Useful Artistic Goals Examples for Creatives for 2023
Share this
Introduction
Now that we’re at the end of 2022, we creatives need to set our artistic goals for the new year. This list of artistic goals examples can help you set your own specific goals based on your biggest challenges and personal career goals.
It’s especially important for anyone who strives to be a successful artist in a creative field to set artistic goals and the next steps for achieving them. One goal setting strategy is the SMART system.
You may be familiar with the SMART way to set goals. The acronym SMART stands for
S – specific
M – measurable
A – achievable
R – realistic
T – time-bound
I find using this smart goal system for achieving my own goals is more useful than just having a vague idea about new year’s resolutions, such as working out more, eating better, or getting more writing clients.
The best way to achieve our creative and artistic goals is to make them measurable goals with an action plan for achieving them.
That’s a great way to set ourselves up for creative and business success in the new year.
Artistic Goals Examples
Although the goals here are more general than the specific goals you probably have, they’re good examples of realistic goals you can apply to your own work for the entire year. The strategic plan you devise for achieving the goals of your artistic journey is up to you.
Professional
- Set up or update your online portfolio or reel of your creative works.
Whether we’re actors, artists, or writers, our work must be accessible and current. If you haven’t updated your portfolio lately, make that one of your business goals this year and update it on a regular basis with each new piece of work you produce.
You should also claim and manage your IMDb page if you haven’t already, which you can do HERE.
2. Attend at least one monthly industry networking event.
I can barely keep track of all the industry networking events going on these days, and making an effort to attend one on a monthly basis can help you achieve your long-term goals. Networking with your peers offers a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people. The important thing is to have as wide a network of contacts as possible as you move your career forward.
3. Get your paperwork organized, especially if you’re planning to join an industry union.
If one of your short-term goals is to join an industry union, it’s a good idea to set a date to have your paperwork ready to submit. Setting a deadline is the time-bound part of the smart goals mentioned above.
Being a member of an industry union can open new employment opportunities, but it does take some effort to gather everything you need to apply. Initiation fees will only rise in the future, so the sooner you submit your application and paperwork, the better.
4. Make better use of your social media accounts.
Some people only post endlessly about themselves and their work on social media, but never contribute to online groups or comment on others’ successes. This isn’t making the best use of social media to help advance your career.
Devise a social media strategy that can help your specific long term goals. Otherwise social media can be a time waster that does nothing for your professional or personal goals.
5. Get an agent.
This doesn’t apply to every working artist, but professional actors with bigger goals need an agent to represent them. Pick agents to target, have an audition scene prepared, and check agents’ websites to see what their criteria are for accepting new clients.
If you have a reel, make sure it contains your most recent work.
Having an agent can take your career to the next level, as you’ll be able to go on auditions you wouldn’t be selected for without an agent.
6. Improve your technical skills.
In our industry, we can never stop learning new skills. No matter how experienced you are in your field, there are always new things to learn.
I’ve spent a lot of time taking classes and workshops over the years, and I’ve found it’s a good way to learn a new technique or hear new ideas worth learning more about.
There are plenty of opportunities to learn from the best people in the industry, both online and in-person, and workshops are often free to union members or members of professional trade organizations.
7. Join an accountability group.
If you’re having trouble staying on track with your ambitious goals, it’s a great idea to join an accountability group. I joined one for my writing and it helped me stay on track with my weekly writing and marketing goals.
The key is to find people with similar goals who also want and need accountability.
Find accountability partners in the groups you belong to online. When you find or create the right group, you’ll find your productivity increases considerably and you’re checking off more things on your list of goals.
8. Join an online forum for people with the same creative goals.
Online forms are a great way to get support, hear about work, and learn new things. I belong to a writers forum and it’s a great place to get help and support when I need it from other writers.
I’ve referred jobs to others in the forum and they’ve done the same.
Remember, others in your field are your allies, not your enemies, and you can benefit tremendously from each other. I have, and I encourage other creatives to consider joining an online forum for artists with similar goals.
9. Improve your self-taping.
This one is for actors. Self-taping is here to stay, and anyone who wants an acting career needs to spend enough time to get good at it.
Self-taping is more time-consuming than going out on an audition, but you’re taking yourself out of the running for work if a casting director can’t submit you for a job because your self-tape is so bad.
If your self-taping needs work, it’s a good goal to spend a little time improving it.
10. Manage time more effectively.
This one is always on my list, as time is the one thing we can never get more of once it’s gone. There are plenty of apps and programs for time management, but ultimately it’s up to us to make the most productive use of our time so our artistic goals don’t get pushed aside in our busy lives.
Creative time is valuable, and we need to ensure we carve out enough time each day for our creative pursuits.
Whether you use a scheduling program or an app, managing time more effectively is a worthy goal for every creative person.
Financial
11. Establish a predictable income stream.
If you’re struggling financially, make this the year that you get a regular revenue stream. You don’t have to starve to have an artistic career. The most successful people often have multiple income streams, which relieves financial pressure during the down times.
12. Improve your money management.
As freelancers, it’s essential that we stick to a budget so we’re not broke during the down times. Establish a budget and commit to saving at least 10% of your income. The start of the new year is an ideal time to begin.
If you need help, consult a financial pro to get you started on the right path.
Community
13. Become more active in your local film community.
I found it personally and professionally rewarding to be active in my local film community. I’ve served on numerous committees through my union and a professional trade organization, and it builds a sense of shared purpose and community in what can often be a challenging business.
Your visibility increases when you’re actively participating, and that leads to more opportunities for you.
14. Consider being or getting a mentor.
Mentoring may not be for everyone, but I’ve had a mentor and been a mentor and both were rewarding personally and professionally.
If you’re just starting your career, having a mentor can help keep you focused on the right things and point you toward future success.
If you’ve already achieved success in your career, being a mentor can put your skills to use guiding the next generation forward.
Personal
15. Establish a healthy eating plan.
There’s no one size fits all healthy eating plan, but most of us can improve how and what we eat. Anyone who works on set knows how difficult healthy eating can be on a set with irregular meal times and plenty of junk food snacks.
Establishing healthy eating goals that work for us will keep our energy levels high and our minds sharp during our long workdays.
16. Improve sleep hygiene.
Our sleep cycles are often disrupted by the long workdays and irregular hours common in our industry. When we do finally get to bed, we need the best sleep possible.
The blue light of electronic devices has been shown to decrease the quality of our sleep when we use them right before bed, so banning them from the bedroom is a good goal for better sleep.
17. Establish a realistic workout schedule.
Yes, working out more is always on everyone’s list of new years goals, but that’s not the same as having a realistic workout schedule that we can stick to. Working out weekly with a personal trainer or attending a regular yoga or pilates class can help you stick to your fitness goals.
Getting a workout buddy can help you achieve your fitness goals and can make workouts more fun.
18. Meditate daily.
Meditation has enormous benefits, especially in our stressful industry. Meditation relaxes your mind and can increase your focus and creativity. I often have flashes of inspiration during meditation and am much calmer and more focused afterwards.
Establishing a daily meditation practice is a worthwhile goal for every creative.
19. Volunteer.
Giving back and being part of something bigger than ourselves gives us a sense of purpose and has been shown to have health benefits.
There are plenty of organizations in your community that can use your unique talents and skills.
20. Try something new.
Trying new things stimulates and inspires us. It can also open our minds and help our creative flow. If there’s something you’ve always wanted to try, make this the year you do it.
We creatives have to be open to everything.
Conclusion
As creatives, we need to set achievable goals for our professional and personal lives to keep ourselves organized and advance our careers.
Applying the SMART goal setting method to some of the artistic goals examples here will ensure 2023 is your best year ever.
Here’s to a year of good health, success, and prosperity.