How Curiosity Can Lead to Your Art Goals for the New Year
The start of a new year is exciting for all of us, but I know that artists in particular often take this opportunity to take stock of their art practices and set goals for the new year. I hope that as you do this you’re making SMART goals that have a specified goal and a timeframe for achieving it. Once you have that laid out, you can create lists of subtasks for each goal and start getting them onto your calendar!
As you brainstorm your goals for 2023, I encourage you to tap into your curiosity. Here are a few ways you can let curiosity lead the way:
What Skills are You Curious About?
We artists are never done learning—I think that’s one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist. Sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and make a list of all the skills you are curious about. These can be art skills such as color mixing, drawing, collage… the list could go on and on. You may also discover that you’re curious about art-adjacent skills such as framing, creating an artist website, learning to write your artist statement, applying to exhibitions, photographing your artwork, and getting press for your art.
I tend to get very excited about a lot of potential new skills, so if you’re like me in this way I have another piece of advice for you: pare down this list! It’s just not likely that you can pursue every single one of these new skills in the upcoming year. Can you pick four and assign one to each quarter of the year? That seems like an achievable schedule to me.
What Techniques or Subject Matter are You Curious About?
Perhaps you’ve learned a technique but have never taken the time to take a deep dive into it. And yet the only way to truly get to know a technique is to experiment with it and play. Let’s say you’re primarily an acrylic painter but you own watercolors and you’ve learned a bit about it. Perhaps you could create a 30-day challenge in the upcoming year where you’ll pull out your watercolors and experiment with them daily. This is a concrete goal that will allow you to really get to know this art material and decide if you want to go even further into it.
Trying a subject matter that is new to us can be exciting. What subject matter have you been curious about? It could be a broad subject such as landscapes or animals, but I encourage you to narrow your focus a bit. For example, you could begin with landscapes based on a park that you frequent or a trip you recently took. If you want to explore animals as subject matter, pick your favorite animal and focus solely on them for a month.
You may also find yourself curious about subject matter as you encounter it in the media. For example, you may watch a historical drama on TV and find yourself entranced by the 18th-century women’s clothing. Or perhaps you love watching the Great British Baking Show and you dream of beautiful confections. This can lead to meaningful and exciting art projects because they are based in your passions and curiosity!
What Learning Opportunities are You Curious About?
Lastly, consider what learning opportunities you are curious about. This is closely tied to your skill goals, but it deserves its own mention. For example, maybe you’ve always been curious about what it’s like to take an overseas art retreat. This might be the year that you research one and book it! Speaking of learning opportunities, I have some exciting programs in the works for 2023, including small group mentoring, online painting encounters and courses, and informative guides. Join my email list to stay informed!
I wish you a productive, inspiring, and delightful new year! I can’t wait to see where your curiosity takes you!
Caryl