A goal without a plan is just a wish.
—Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Every new year brings a fresh feeling of renewal that often leads to the forging of resolutions. We hope you're as bright-eyed and eager to make 2013 your best year yet - but this time we want you to mean it.
Wouldn't it be nice to look back on the year the Mayans didn't anticipate and revel in a wave of satisfaction because you self-released your debut album, launched your own graphic design business or landed your photography in a magazine?
Here are some ideas to help you up the ante and achieve those creative goals!
1. Make your goal attainable
No one goes from their couch to a marathon without suffering unpleasant side effects to their health. There's nothing wrong with baby steps - let's say you just started playing an instrument. There's no need to push yourself to be on the radio this time next year.
Instead, make a goal to build a decent following on a Youtube channel or write a song you'd be proud to play for your closest friends. Then, next year you can go for the LP release and gig posters.
2. Indulge in a daydream
Close your eyes and envision yourself achieving your goal in December. You'll have twice the amount to celebrate during the holidays, and more to show for your efforts this year than most people you know!
3. Carve out time for your art
The good news is that calendars are generously marked down in January. Buy a calendar with room to write and pencil in time that you will dedicate solely to your work - FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. Yes, it may be a big commitment, and yes, there will be wiggle room should Jay-Z and Beyonce invite you to their weeklong yacht party, but try not to stray unless you really need to. If you do have to stand yourself up, make sure you log double the the following week.
4. Buy yourself something pretty
The rule is that this must be something that will help you with your goal - new tools, a subscription to a magazine that pertains to your trade or even an inspirational poster are all safe bets.
5. Study someone you admire
Love her or hate her, a quote by Lana Del Rey that I find inspiring goes like this: "Find someone who has a life that you want and figure out how they got it. Read books, pick your role models wisely, find out what they did and do it."
Do this with a few famous artists and you'll see that there's no one formula to success - but there will be many things that your idols have in common. Make an effort to pick up their best traits and always keep this in mind when the going is slow.
6. Designate a boot camp month
Every year writers gear up for NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month. It's in this 30-day period that they set out to tackle a 50,000 word quote. The writing doesn't have to rival Hemingway or even come close - what matters is that it gets done. And I'm willing to guess this makes December the unofficial National Novel Editing Month.
Since June is the halfway point, make it your NaNoWriMo. Let it be the month that you hustle.
If you've been slacking on your goals, it'll get you caught up to speed. If you're on track, it'll put you ahead of the curve so you can lounge by the pool in the month of July. And since I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you love what you do because that's what being an artist boils down to, it may even be fun.
7. Check in with yourself
Some of the best advice I found on how to adopt a positive mindset is to write down three good things that happen each day for a year. I'm going to put a twist on this and suggest that once a week you write down something you did to get closer to your goal.
If you didn't work on your goal that week, did something you did to further your artistic career whether or not it relates to your goal. And if you have nothing to report, try to have a double report the next week.
