Goal Setting for the New Semester

Hey Stranger!

This summer it was difficult to pace myself with working two jobs (three if I’m counting my commissions) and balancing studio time. I only worked on 3 paintings over the summer. Which is an acceptable pace for me but I’d like to work on being more efficient.

I did one bad hand sketch, one color study, and one commission. However, it is not lost to me that I was also at the same time woodworking every day and assisting making large pieces for another artist who has taught me SO much. The commission I worked on from June and through July and then I left for Italy with no painting stuff with me, so my break from painting ensued in Italy. Despite how inconsistent studio time was, I made as much time as I could. I am proud that I finished a commission contract and took the time to begin writing contracts. This is a part of my practice that I had not done before and I feel much better proceeding with any future commissions using contracts because it helps me set and make deadlines accordingly and figure out what kind of boundaries I want my business to have. I will get to continue this study in a class this semester: business practices for artists.

Each semester, I feel more and more at ease with the way I have set up my studio practice because I keep improving it with small habits. Even me starting this blog has helped. This blog I re-read and I look for what I consistently yap about. It’s like a digital journal, and it was recommended to do by an art professor who uses his blog to teach. Which I think is so cool!

All that said, I want to use this first morning of a new semester to write down some goals:

1) Read every week

2) begin preliminary exploration with soft pastel drawing

3) go large for thesis, minimum 48x62”, troubleshoot the complex process of stretching large canvas (so different from smaller!)

4) be supportive of the new first year grads and make new friends.

5) ask for criticism

6) continue exploring metalworking

7) what woodworking skills from my last job can I bring into my thesis? consider making my work 3D.

8) read thesis manual regularly, write regularly, even if it is not on this blog.

9) be open to new things

10) prioritize my wellness. Summer I felt my healthiest physically, and grad school definitely is a test of cortisol, eating out, and not sleeping enough.

11) begin looking for and applying to teaching jobs. Do not only limit myself to New York, stay open.

12) apply to shows more regularly

13) write my CV and rewrite my statement (one of my forever ongoing projects)

I think that covers all my bases.

Till next time, Stranger!