How To Set Creative Goals
All of December my mind danced with the different things I may want to set my focus on this year. One of the hardest things for me has always been to stay steadily focused on one thing and while it allows for many things to get done it does make it difficult to have consistent focused movement in areas that matter to me.
My art has been something I’ve wanted to do something with for the past two years. From trying to wake up early and get things done while a stay at home mom to now working a full time job and trying to juggle it all, I will admit that I haven’t found myself any closer to doing so. But in reflecting over the last year, I realized that I didn’t really ever establish a direction. Just thinking about wanting to make something “out of my art” isn’t enough to make that happen because that doesn’t really help me know what I even have to do to begin with.
I do love the conversation of goal setting and hearing what other ambitious people are setting their eyes on, but through any video I watched or conversation I had I realized that when I started to think about a goal or want for the new year a question would pop in mind.
What am I capable of?
I would hear about ways to set goals and a plan to set myself up for success and then at the end of it all, with a pencil in hand and a dream in my heart I would just hear a whisper from my heart saying, I just want to know what I’m capable of.
The question was so consistent with this that I felt like I had no choice but to lean into it. What does this mean? Is there a way to utilize this into the new year? Bingo, just like that my goals and desires started to align because I was stemming it all back to this question.
I’m sure this isn’t any special new idea, but I have never done this before and I found it very helpful. Now I know I will have to check back in quarterly or half way through the year to see if this way of pursing goals somehow stuck better than the others. But I will say there is some depth to this question for me. I do think… a lot. As we all do of course, yet I know that I am a person that would probably benefit from living a tad more outside of my mind than in it.
Why has this been so BENEFICIAL?
Going back to a question while I am thinking of something I may want to pursue has really helped keep in aligned with my values and with my dream of living a life through my art work. The question I have been using in particular has really helped me ensure that I am challenging myself, because naturally I want to divert my attention to many different things, and so it’s helping me keep a narrow look on the bigger picture.
In an odd way this question also ties back to a bigger fear I have in life. I’ve heard it a tactic before for people to ask themselves if they would be proud or happy with how they did something when they are on their death bed. I do think, while a little morbid, that really does put things into perspective. For some reason living a life where I never learned what I was capable of freaks me out.
It seems to be a wasted life or something. I am unsure why I grapple with that but that discussion is for another time.
I hope this journal entry sparked some interest for you, in your own life, in your own dreams and interests and offered a new way to approach reaching your goals. Of course I believe we have to set ourselves up for success, especially when we are stepping way out of our comfort zone. I also think if there is a little tool, like a question, that can help keep you aligned and on track, why not?
So, what’s your question going to be?
