Do you know what you want? What you really, really want from your art career? Or are you just going through the motions of what I and others tell you you should be doing?

Vicki Wynberg, Grandpa's Love. Colored pencil, 12 x 15 inches. (c) The Artist http://www.hometownartgallery.com/art/wynbergggallery

Frankly, people who know exactly what they want amaze me. And I’m a little jealous of them. It’s not just a nebulous idea of success they’re reaching for, but a success they’ve defined clearly for themselves. In other words, they’ll know it when they’ve achieved it. It must be nice to wake up each day and see things so clearly. It’s easier to prioritize and plan when you have that kind of focus.

In most of my workshops, I start with a spiel on defining success, which boils down to this: Only you can define what success means to you. This is critical early in the day because then I spend five hours overwhelming them with ideas of things they could be doing to promote their art. They go home and, like you, get this newsletter on Monday morning, read my blog, and bone up on the latest ways to market their art from here, there, and everywhere. It’s enough to drive someone nuts! You could spend every waking hour reading and talking about what you should be doing and not implementing any of it. Because it’s so darned much to tackle.

But the person who knows what she wants doesn’t let too much information get in her way. The person who knows what she wants consumes what is in line with her vision. She doesn’t get bogged down in the stuff that is irrelevant to her or, worse, will take her off her path.

I encourage you to spend time on your career vision this week. Look for the answer to “What does success mean to you?” It won’t be an easy process. Recall those times you have felt successful in the past, but don’t dwell on them. You’ve moved beyond that and need a new vision filled with new challenges. Here are three steps to help.

1. Start by journaling or brainstorming with these words as prompts: money, fame, success, and recognition.
2. Do the same with these words: sales, exhibits, publicity, galleries, and museums.
3. Finally, take a look at the rest of your life. What, besides your art, are your values and priorities? Do you have a life vision? Is this compatible with your career vision or do you need to adjust?

And I’m going to add a fourth step, which is to talk about your vision with someone close to you. This comes after you’ve done the dirty work above because much of it would be uncomfortable sharing before you’re clear on a few things. Having a conversation about your vision with the right person (!) can help you clarify things even further. The right person will be objective, ask you questions, and lead you to consider different angles and solutions. The right person will help you find the path to fulfilling your vision.

Here’s another challenge. I challenge you to do this work with yourself first thing in the morning. Get up 30 minutes early if you need to. Grab a cup of tea and start thinking, journaling, and dreaming before you dare check email or let less critical tasks get in the way. This is your life we’re talking about! And I’m committing right now to joining you in the process each day this week. By the time you will have read this, I will have completed my first day.

I’ve left some additional resources on the Art Biz Blog.
http://www.artbizblog.com