Objectives for 2009

5" x 6" graphite sketch
Hubby watching the Rose Bowl

I really enjoy setting goals for the year. I am a dreamer at heart and the beginning of the year is a great time to dream about all I could accomplish in the next 365 days.

Since it is easy to get carried away, I normally start with a list of possible goals where I allow myself to brainstorm and think big. Later I come back and take a more realistic look at the list. This is the time I par it down to goals I think are achievable plus a few stretch goals. I don't want to start the year setting myself up to fail with unrealistic expectations. I do keep my copy of "possible goals" though which I can always pull from later in the year or use for next year.

This year I plan to really focus on building a body of work. This will include adding new work to a few series I already have started, as well as creating work for a new project I am really excited about. I don't have all the details figured out for this new project yet, but I can't wait to get going on it.

3.5" x 4" graphite sketch
Child #2 watching Rose Bowl

Another primary objective for 2009 is to put some serious effort toward a business and marketing plan. I don't feel capable of creating this plan on my own, so I asked my sister-in-law (who has some excellent marketing experience) for her help. Luckily she agreed!

Lastly, I want to keep up the theme of visibility and frequency that I started last year. With a minimal effort last year I managed to find 8 local opportunities for showing my work. I also worked on my web visibility. I want to keep the momentum going in both these areas in 2009, however, I'm not sure this will be possible. I have a lot of groundwork to lay for the new project which will be my focus for the first part of the year. But I will do my best to manage both.