Why Is Community So Important for Artists?Running an art business is difficult and can be overwhelming. It is especially easy to feel discouraged, lost, or frustrated when you feel like you are all on your own. When you have a good community you can seek out guidance and advice from successful artists who have navigated the same challenges. By building a network of peers, you can gain valuable insights into the many aspects of running a successful art business such as marketing, pricing, distribution, and more. Achieving your artistic goals can be so much easier with the right guidance from a community of experienced Artists. The artist community is a powerful force for creativity, collaboration, and inspiration. It is an invaluable resource for artists of all disciplines to come together and share their ideas, learn from each other, and find new ways to express themselves. An artist community provides a platform for artists to connect with one another, exchange knowledge and experiences, and build meaningful relationships. The value of this really can’t be overstated. Here are some of the benefits of having a good community for artists. Access to the Group’s KnowledgeThe artist community is a valuable source of knowledge and creativity. By providing access to the group’s knowledge, you can benefit from the members' collective wisdom, share ideas more easily, and sometimes even work on projects together. With access to a larger pool of resources, you may find that you are better equipped and connected in ways that help you expand your business further. By connecting with other artists, you can also gain a better understanding of your craft and hone your skills. This access to the group’s knowledge can help you to become more successful in your endeavors. Pro Artist Tip: There is a sweet spot between ego and lack of confidence. It’s important to have enough confidence that you know what advice/feedback/critique you should leave behind, while also not letting your ego get in the way so you miss advice that could help you grow. NetworkingNetworking is an essential skill for any artist. It allows you to build relationships with other artists and professionals in the industry, as well as to promote yourself and your work. With the right connections, you can gain access to resources, opportunities, collectors, and collaborations that can help you reach new heights in your career. Through networking events, workshops, and online conversations, these communities provide invaluable support for aspiring artists who are looking to make their mark in the industry. FriendshipFriendships are essential for artists, as they provide support and motivation to pursue their creative goals. Artist communities are great places to find like-minded individuals who share the same interests and passions. Within these communities, you can connect with each other and form meaningful friendships. Through these friendships, artists can learn from one another, collaborate on projects, and grow together. Strong friendships help keep you inspired and accountable. Ultimately, artist communities provide a platform for people with similar interests to come together and form these strong friendships. Support & encouragementBeing an artist is a challenging and unique career path. Often standards business resources and advice aren’t geared toward artists and frequently leave artists feeling like there is a piece missing. When you have a strong art community you are able to access support and encouragement that comes from a place of knowing. Advice you receive in artist's communities is advice that is geared directly towards or comes from artists. Further, when you are just “going it alone” it is easy to get discouraged or let your goals slide. Having a community of peers and mentors helps you to stay on track and get support from people you know. Suggested for you- The Complete Guide to Creating an Artist Newsletter InspirationInspiration is fickle and you can’t rely on it to be a professional artist. You have to do the work whether you “feel inspired” or not. The type of inspiration an art community provides is something different. This inspiration comes from seeing other artists on their journey and feeling inspired and encouraged to push out of your comfort zone or to keep going when you just don’t feel like it. Artist communities provide a platform where artists can come together and create something that is bigger than themselves- a place of belonging and support. Increases sales and productivitySales and productivity are two things that a lot of artists really struggle with. Many experienced artists in the community are happy to share their knowledge about how to improve sales and productivity which may help you sell your products or find better approaches to productivity. This advice from the members of the community can be invaluable. Pro Artist Tip: When seeking out an artist community look for a community that shares your values and is relevant to your genre. With a community relevant to your genre you are more likely to find resources and connections relevant to your work. Conclusion
Having a strong community is essential for you to achieve success as an artist. You need to be able to connect with other artists and share ideas, and resources, and support each other. A strong artist community can provide the support they need to stay motivated and continue creating art. It can also help you find opportunities to collaborate with other artists or showcase your work. Moreover, having a strong artist community can help you grow your audience and promote your work more effectively.
If you are interested in joining (in our opinion) one of the best artist communities you can join Cowgirl Artists of America for our special AOTC enrollment, Jan 18th-31st, 2023. Suggested for you- Top 7 Bookkeeping Tips and Tricks for Artists
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First of all, we want to wish you a Happy New Year 2023!
As an artist, have you thought about goal setting to improve your career? If you haven’t taken time to establish artistic goals you’ll want to read on. We will share some inspiring goal-setting strategies to help you grow your career or business. Maybe you have already worked on setting your Artistic Goals, but you struggle with actually achieving those goals. This article will have some tips for you too. When working on your goals it is important to have a lot of patience and passion, while staying motivated. Having goals with proper strategies, and a supportive community can make a big difference in your career. Why Is Goal Setting So Important For Artists?Goal setting provides you with a sense of purpose and direction in your work and therefore increases productivity. It also helps you to stay motivated and focused in your career. In order to set artistic goals, you should consider what you want to achieve in your career or business. You should also focus on what you want to produce as an artist, such as the number of paintings in a year, or any big projects. Setting and tracking goals can also help you identify weak or underperforming parts of your art business so you can make a plan to improve. Recommended for you- How To Be Productive When Working From Your Home Art Studio At CGA we always remind artists that running their business without a plan or goals is like setting out on a trip without a destination. You might accidentally get somewhere cool, but most likely you will end up somewhere terrible, or mediocre. What Good Goal Setting Looks Like “Smart?A goal like “completing a piece every week” or “selling 50 paintings this year.” may be achievable for some, but for others, this would be unrealistic. We all have different capacities and resources, and it is important to be aware of those. Most of the time people set goals but then fail to achieve their goals. One reason is that they haven’t set SMART goals. SMART goal setting is a popular technique for setting and achieving your goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These are the five important characteristics of good goal setting. Specific: Your goal needs to be specific. It should be clear what the goal is and what you want to accomplish. Measurable: Always remember to set measurable goals so that you know if you are achieving them. This can also include milestones for the goal. Attainable: You know your capacity, right? You know how many paintings you can create in a month. Based on your ability and resources, always set goals that are achievable for you otherwise, there is no point in setting them. (It is okay to push yourself, but just remember to be realistic.) Relevant: The goal needs to be relevant to your business direction, values, and interests. Time-bound: Goals need a time limit or they will never get done. Here’s an example of a SMART Goal: “I will maintain a business account for my artwork on Facebook and Instagram. I have to post at least 3 posts per week. I will start with one post per week and increase this by one post per week for the next 2 months.” Pro Artist Tip: Goals that are important, but reoccur (so it feels like there is no time limit) can be broken down into years or quarters. Recommended for you- How To Collect Reviews For Art Websites and Social Media? How Do They Help? How To Determine What Artistic Goals To Take On And What To Let Go Of?
Maybe you have a ton of goals that feel important to you, or you just don’t know where to start. The first step in deciding what goals to take on is to determine your priorities. To prioritize, you identify your goals and then rank them by importance. If you are struggling to narrow down your goals, you might find it helpful to create a list of all the things that you want to accomplish and then start ranking them by how important they are or which are the most timely.
The next step is to take a look at the list and identify which tasks are going to propel your business forward, in the direction you want it to go. If there are any tasks on your list that don't fit into your priorities, it's time to let go of those goals for now. Put an X next to them. There may be a lot of goals that are important to you, but you have to narrow them down to what you can actually accomplish. If you have a lot of important goals try separating them out into years, months, or quarters. Remember, you don’t have to accomplish everything at once. What is the next logical step? If you are a new artist, it may not be possible to start teaching workshops. However, this goal can be achieved in a few years. Set it aside for now and work on the next most logical goal, at this moment. Pro Artist Tip: If you are really struggling to let go of goals, have one page in google docs or a notebook where you idea dump all your goals. Often we are just afraid of forgetting something, but as we move forward we may realize some of the goals are not necessary and we can let them go. If they continually seem important then you can come back to them when the time is right. How To Track And Stay Organized With Your Artistic Goals?
Being an artist you may have the freedom to create art on your own time and handle your business as you like. But it is a business, and you need to keep track of your goals and stay organized with them if you want to make significant progress. Here are some tips that are helpful to keep track of and stay aligned with your goals!
“Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay.” — Simone de Beauvoir Conclusion and Wrap-UpAs an artist, you may face a lot of challenges in your field. But, you can overcome those challenges, identify problems, and set your SMART goals with the proper goal setting strategies we shared today. Good goal setting can help you see tremendous success in your career! Have you made any artistic goals list for this year? Drop the list in the comments below! I love to hear from you. |
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