When Studio Fridays artists return to the studio for their first session of the new year, they will start by spending some time reflecting on their achievements and frustrations from last year, then setting goals for the coming year. If you are planning to set some goals for next year yourself, here’s an overview of what I will be discussing with them.
1) Reflect on last year: Write down a list of your achievements and frustrations. Make time to celebrate!
Before setting new goals, I feel that it’s really important to reflect on the previous twelve months. We have usually achieved far more than our gut tells us we have and it’s important to acknowledge them. Since we spend so much of our time focused on completing tasks, it’s important to make a list of all our achievements, and to put aside some time to celebrate them! What did you achieve in your art practice last year? Make a list of everything, no matter how big or small, from exhibitions to sales, publicity to instagram followers.
It’s also a good idea to make a list of things we have found difficult or frustrating? We might be able to plan a different way of doing these things, learn the skills required, delegate them to others, or if they’re not important, cut them out all together.
Define your vision. Write down what you want from working as an artist and why?
Is it most important that you earn an income from your work? Are you looking to share your vision on a gallery wall? Connect with other artists? Make better work? Get selected for open calls? It’s important to keep an eye on the reasons that you work as an artist. It’s easy to get swept away, working towards other peoples idea of success rather then our own, especially if when we find ourselves scrolling through Instagram. What exactly is it that we want from our practice? What are the most important factors, what are less so, and what are we not interested in?
Write down your goals.
I personally find that, after being nicely distracted during the festive period, thoughts about what sort of things will make life feel good in the coming year automatically come to mind. Those things that need to be removed do too.
Make notes in response to each question below. Think hard and deeply. Once you have set your goals, revisit them each month to check in with them, and to see if you are on track. Depending on circumstances throughout the year, you may need to adjust your goals. You might get better ideas, opportunities you didn’t expect, or something that gets in the way. It’s fine to adjust them throughout the year. Don’t let them cause you stress. Allow yourself some flexibility, whilst always knowing that you are aiming for something you believe is achievable, and desirable, if you work hard, and have a little luck along the way.
- What will be your studio routine? What days and hours will you be physically be making art each week in 2026?
- What does a successful years worth of art output look like to you? What range of pieces do you expect to make? What concepts will you be immersing yourself in? What sizes will you be working at and what materials will you use?
- In addition to your studio work, what other daily, weekly or monthly creative activities will you be offering or taking part in over the next twelve months?
These activities might include life drawing, courses, galleries, blogging, experimentation time, networking, collaborations, charity work, peer groups, teaching, art holidays, demonstrations, reading, podcasts, documentaries, PVs and so on. - How are you planning to promote your work in 2026?
This might include connecting with galleries and publishers, social media, filming, making a podcast, using your website, increasing visibility on google, offer a demo or workshop, TV appearance, teaching, looking after collectors. - How are you planning to get your work seen in 2026?
This might be at galleries, open competitions, solo shows, cards, prints, social media, open studios, introducing your work to your neighbours, applying to a society. - What admin will you be focusing on in 2026.
These could be your list of past sales, storage, price list, mailing list, social media connections, website updates, personal statement and CV.
Good luck. I hope you have your best ever year working as an artist.
Paul Regan