t
a
h
W
AN
ARTIST INC
GUIDEBOOK
s
k
r
o
W
Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished?
Yes. Work never begun. — CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
&Defining
Setting GoalsSUCCESS.
It’s
All About
WHY goals?
WHY do you have to
write this stuff down?
• Artists who have clearly defined goals are much What you believe and think may not be as clear as
more likely to succeed.
you imagine. Writing helps you figure out what ex• Deciding on the goal (where do you want to
actly it is you want. It also gives you a record that you
go?) determines everything else you do can refer back to and see where you succeeded and
(planning, budget, marketing, etc.) and helps what needs to be changed or tweaked.
everything fall into place.
Why do I NEED goal
setting exercises?
Goal setting is a process. It means asking yourself
the difficult but worthwhile questions. It’s about what
you value and what you desire. It’s also about figuring
out the small steps needed to get to the big dream.
There are no right or wrong answers because these
exercises are about your path to success, however you
define it.
It sounds hard. IS IT HARD?
Not as hard as building a successful career or business with no idea where you’re going. But yes,
understanding yourself and what you really want
is hard. So, it’s a good idea to talk to people as you
work through these exercises - people you trust and
respect (loved ones, friends, other artists). They can
often bring insight and clarity to the process.
A goal is just a dream with a deadline.
— NAPOLEON HILL
A man is a success
if he gets up in
the morning and
gets to bed at
night, and in
between he does
what he wants to.
— BOB DYLAN
What does success mean to you? You need a reasonably clear
picture what it looks like so you can figure out your goals.
Below are a few options and lots of space to fill in your own definitions.
AND you may want to use a pencil. Your ideas of success may change over time.
Earning a living from my art
Being famous
Enjoying what I do
Balancing my art with my other interests
Feeling good about my work
Living a long life
Raising a family
Assets/
Deficits
Before setting specific goals, spend some time
thinking about what work activities you are good at,
and where you could use improvement. Are you
good with numbers? Organizing? Public speaking?
Don’t spend time beating yourself up for the deficits
and don’t downplay your strengths. This is designed
to help you honestly think about what you’re really
good at and what areas of your art-business practice
you either need to improve or manage around.
Endure / Prefer
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night
and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle
which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
— E.E. CUMMINGS
WRITE THEM DOWN.
Now spend some time thinking about your past work
experiences and what types of tasks, situations,
schedules and people you PREFERRED and the ones
you simply ENDURED. What did you like? What did
you dislike?
E/P
E/P
E/P
E/P
E/P
E/P
Let us speak, though we show all our faults and weaknesses for it is a sign of strength to be weak, to know it, and out with it …
— HERMAN MELVILLE
E/P
Consider ANY work activities you have performed
in the past—making art, day jobs, volunteer work, or
hobbies.
WRITE THEM DOWN.
The
Obituary Exercise
When I die, if the word ‘THONG’ appears in the first or second
sentence of my obituary, I’ve screwed up.
— ALBERT BROOKS
It’s pretty simple. WRITE your own obituary. What
do you want people to remember about you? Do
you want to “leave behind five children and 20
grandchildren”? Do you want to have “influenced an
GOAL
entire generation”? Do you want to “leave behind a
fortune”? Don’t just think about your career – imagine
your WHOLE life.
In art and
dream may
you proceed
with abandon.
In life may
you proceed
with balance
and stealth.
— PATTI SMITH
• Decide on a goal. State it in MEASURABLE terms.
• Determine whether the goal is ACHIEVABLE.
You want a challenge, but don’t set yourself up to fail.
• Identify why this goal is WORTHWHILE. Does it relate to your
Success Inventory? Does it relate to your long-term goals?
• Anticipate and identify PROBLEMS you might run into AND
think about strategies for solving those problems.
• Devise SPECIFIC ACTION STEPS to achieve the goal.
Decide on at least 3 GOALS for each timeline: 1-year, 3-years, 5-years
and 10-years. As you are writing the goals, be sure the shorter-term goals
will help you get to the long-term ones.
You can do this in any order. (Some people start with the 10-year goals and work backwards.)
5
WRITE ALL OF THIS DOWN.
One-Year Goal # 1
One-Year Goal # 2
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
One-Year Goal # 3
Three-Year Goal # 1
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
Three-Year Goal # 2
Three-Year Goal # 3
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
Five-Year Goal # 1
Five-Year Goal # 2
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
15
Five-Year Goal # 3
Ten-Year Goal # 1
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
16
Ten-Year Goal # 2
17
Ten-Year Goal # 3
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
What is the goal?
Make it specific and
measurable.
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
How does this goal
relate to your longterm goals and ideas
of success?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
Make an action plan.
What specific steps
will you need to take?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
What are the
problems you will
face? And what are
your strategies for
solving them?
18
Marketing Tools
CHECKLIST
Artist statement
What marketing items does an artist need? Check off
the ones you have and circle the missing items you
consider the most important. Think about creating the
missing items as a part of your one-year goals.
Artist statement (1 paragraph version)
Biography
Database of your contacts
Biography (100 word version)
Press release boilerplate
Art Resume/CV
Press contact list
Art Resume/CV
(1 to 2 page grant application version)
Facebook page
Elevator speech
Linked-In profile
Head shot
Vimeo/YouTube channel
Image of you at work in your art
Networking plan
Good digital documentation of your art
(for performers this must include video)
Description(s) of your target market(s)
Work sample description list
Business cards
Website
(must have a personalized domain)
Twitter account
Postcards
Brochure
Electronic event ticketing system
What
doesn’t
work? Doing
nothing.
More information and resources at
artistinckc.com
AND follow
pushingtheflywheel.com
the official blog of Artist INC
Recent reviews/pull quote sheet
Blog
Project description (250 words)
E-mail address at your own domain
Cover letter boilerplate
E-mail marketing system
Letterhead
Newsletter
Personalized note cards
twitter.com/artistinckc
facebook.com/ArtistINC
NOTES
f
o
ip
h
rs
e
n
rt
a
p
ve
ti
ra
o
b
a
ll
co
a
C
Artist IN
s
rt
A
e
th
,
n
o
ti
a
d
n
u
Fo
t
e
e
tr
S
e
the Charlott
d
n
a
y,
it
C
s
sa
n
a
K
n
ta
li
o
p
o
tr
e
M
f
o
Council
C
IN
t
is
rt
A
r.
te
n
e
C
n
o
ti
va
o
n
In
the UMKC
es
n
li
p
ci
is
d
ll
a
f
o
ts
is
rt
a
y
it
C
s
sa
n
a
K
connects
s
ie
it
n
u
rt
o
p
p
o
d
n
a
s,
e
rc
u
so
re
,
to the tools
l
a
ri
u
e
n
re
p
e
tr
n
e
ir
e
th
p
lo
ve
e
d
to
ry
necessa
.
e
ic
ct
ra
p
c
ti
is
rt
a
ir
e
th
n
e
th
g
n
skills and stre
flywheel.com
artistinckc.com | pushingthe
ebook.com/ArtistINC
twitter.com/artistinckc | fac