I almost entirely disagree with a recent blog post I read about not setting goals. Now I’m not trying to start an argument here, these are just my thoughts after reading her post.
I do agree you should make the jewelry or art you want to make. I never want to make the same things 100 times a day; then I’d be a machine. I might as well work a desk job and then come home and play at the bench.
I also want to say that New Years even goals almost never last and I don’t make promises to myself on New Years Eve.
The idea of not setting any goals sounds crazy to me. It makes me think of the first jewelry artist I ever met. Everyone in the rural area I lived in thought she was top notch wonderful but she was nuts. Her jewelry wasn’t original; she dressed like a hippy, and had no idea of studio safety. She walked barefoot in the studio, she showed someone how to use the drill press and left the chuck key in there (it almost nailed my sister in the head), I remember she did something crazy with the pickle pot. It just scared me silly, I said I don’t want to be an artist if this is what an artist is. If you have to act crazy, flaky, and full of yourself I don’t want to be an artist.
Luckily when I moved away to college I learned artists can be mature adults too.
I talk to many artists every day and try to give them advice. Not normally about their jewelry but how to run their business. Now if you are retired or independently wealthy you don’t have to sell your art so do what you want to do. But if you’re trying to run a business and you need to support yourself, you need goals. I had someone call the office once angry about our show, she had only tried it once, and she was just in general mad. I asked the woman if she advertised, well she shouldn’t have to, that’s what she said. (Let me make a point here you must advertise! It’s beyond important it is a necessary part of your business.) I then asked well do you have a business plan. And in the nastiest tone she said I’ve been doing this for 20 years I don’t need a business plan. This woman would not take advice from me, partly because I sound so young but she had no business plan. Then what are you aiming towards? How do you expect to achieve anything? You have no specific goals and you just expect things to come towards you. Goals and to do lists help you to prepare before a show or whatever you are getting ready for.
I had a friend who is a ‘painter’. But he works full time at Lowe’s and doesn’t normally paint much. I discussed selling his work in a gallery and he had no idea how much money galleries normally take for his work. I explained how selling at a gallery works and he was shocked. Apparently he doesn’t work toward his goal at all and just bitches about his life all the time expecting to be discovered. It’s a rare person that is discovered. It takes work to get yourself out there and known in the public.
Those of you that read my blog know I wrote specific goals below, I am willing for some of those to be flexible and change. There are things I want to do and achieve with my work and I am going to make what I want to make and find a way to sell it.
So many artists can’t sell their work, don’t understand why and get depressed. It takes a lot of effort. When I attended Towson University I had just graduated from Community College with a Business Degree. I and my other jewelry class mates were always at odds. They said they would only make things that made their spirits sing. And I said yeah well you’ll be eating a lot of ramen noodles. At the time I was all about manufacturing jewelry and selling it. That itself is a fine goal. But over time and after having seen so much art jewelry I have begun to find my voice in the materials and make pieces that are distinctively me. My perspective did change on what I wanted to create.
As a side note I majored in business in Community College to have a foundation in business before earning my Jewelry/Metalsmithing Degree at Towson. I know from seeing my father run his own business that it does take setting goals and planning. I did not and do not want to be a starving artist. I want to be an artist that makes great work and succeeds at selling it.
It amazed me how much my some of my classmates disregarded the business side of make jewelry. Then we had Production Jewelry class and all of a sudden it felt like they were starting to understand my point of view and agree with me. It was nice to not feel alone in my opinion. They started to see that you did need a plan if you wanted to sell your jewelry.
I basically mentor artists all day everyday and am happy to do it. I love helping others in achieving their goals and giving advice. It drives me crazy when people don’t even want to listen to what I have to say.
Some goals you set you will fail at. I apply to books all the time with my work and get rejected most of the time. That’s life but it only pushes me harder to apply to more books and create better work. Thinking that by not setting goals you are protecting yourself from failure is silly. As they say it takes a brave person to set a goal and fail than to never have tried in the first place.
You are welcome to disagree with me but if things don’t go well for you and you didn’t set any goals, don’t come complaining to me. Do you really want to be a starving artist? Don’t leave it to luck, pull out the pen and paper and write a business plan. Seek advice… There is always more to learn.
valerieaheck
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m Mr. wish-washy in-between. I understand both points of view, and I don’t really know which on to agree with. I read Kerin’s and go “yeah”, then I read yours and go “yeah”. I think maybe the one philosophy works for some people and the other works for some other people, depending on their personalities, the genre of art they produce, their lifestyle, their location, and just plain luck.
Thank you for your comment. You are right that everything is subjective and I have to keep that in mind when there is a difference of opinion. I’m glad that her blog inspired my blog. Keep up the good work!
Hello Valerie,
Interesting blog. I understand your frustrations, but I think you may be underestimating your effects on people whom you counsel. I have been teaching for 14 years, and I have noticed that when folks reactions to advice seems like they just don’t want to hear it, it is because they don’t. but, ultimately, I will bet you that most know that you are absolutely correct. However, they just don’t want to do it at first. Emotions have a powerful effect on folks, and for some to see what you are talking about they have to shake that initial feeling. But, all in all if someone is silly enough to not want to take the steps necessary to make a good go of it, then they deserve the effects.
In my day job I work as a director of an art academy at a high school, and I also set on several councils that work to improve arts education in our state. and, one of my pet peaves is that art teachers at the high school and college level do not want to include business skills in their curriculum. The working artists that I hang out with have found a good living in the arts. But, there are some that sabotage their own lives in self-destructive behaviors. The “why’s” are as vast as the cosmos, but this is their choice. The only non-successful artists are the ones that make that choice. :o)
I would also like to note that the artist that you linked to is correct as well. I don’t agree with her completely, but the topics are very subjective. The way we all perceive the world is different for each of us, and while no one is absolutely correct, neither are we wrong. We have to just realize that there are differences. :o) However, it has inspired a great blog from you, and that is good.
Keep on making, Valerie. I enjoyed your blog :o)