Reflect reflect reflect!
In the last blog I talked about making goals. The goals will not be very helpful if you do not reflect on what was accomplished and what was not. Each week I reflect on what I wanted to get completed and what I was able to complete. This allows for adjusting on the new week’s goals. It also allows me to see whether my monthly and yearly goals will be reached if I continue using the weekly goals I am using. I am always keeping the end goal in sight. If I don’t, they may be forgotten.
You may be thinking that all this goal making and reflecting is taking away from your actual work time but staying aware of what you are accomplishing is part of getting that work completed.
My weekly goal in the past bog is as follows.
Example of weekly goal: in order to complete one portrait I need to work 10 hours.
I tend to have my week run Sunday to Saturday. Come Sunday Morning I reflect on what my goal was, Ten hours of work, and whether I got those 10 hours completed. My studio is at my home. I do not leave and go somewhere to work which means I have to be aware of when I work. Sometimes I will draw while watching TV in the evening. Other times I will work for a few hours first thing in the morning. When working I always right down what time I spent and what I spent that time on. Time spent working on art that is gallery ready is different then say, writing on this blog. Both activities are important to my end goals for the year, but they belong in different categories.
I usually spend 20 minutes a week on reflecting on past weeks work and goals for the following weeks work. In the big picture, that is not much time to spend.
The takeaway from this entry is, make sure you reflect. The more you do it the easier and more efficient it will be.
Becky Lee Artist Teacher 