Goals Revisited

Here it is the 10th of the month and I've managed to procrastinate ten days the accounting of my goals. Deep breath.... here goes-

Last month I set five goals for my art for the remainder of August, and three for September.

1. Give Blog workshop August 23rd. Continue exploring ways to present it online. (I'm making headway!)
2. Decide on one painting to do for portfolio to represent higher end of fee schedule. Begin that painting.
3. Look into opportunities for 2 competitions in the remaining part of this year.
4. Finish two current commissions.
5. Paint three small paintings each week and post on eBay or perhaps offer on blog and newsletter.

How I did:

1. The blog workshop went well. I did hit a wall trying to help an out-of-state artist participate, leaving us both frustrated. I was trying a method which would let people participate live...but from their homes. That method requires more experience with a computer than a novice would have. I don't want to spend my time being a computer techie, troubleshooting connections and the setting up of applications, so this turned out to not be a good avenue for me. IF I pursue this project, I'd need to set up an online class that folks can take at their leisure and would not require simultaneous participation with me personally. Whew. As much as I see a need for this, I'm not sure I want to spend the time developing it. This goal is tabled for now.
2. The commissioned portrait I'm painting now fits this description nicely and is begun. I've also discovered that a competition I very much want to enter- Salon International at the Greenhouse Gallery- is being judged by my first portrait painter idol- Daniel Greene. The deadline for the entry is early January. I have an idea for a painting and now need to find the model. Finishing that painting before the end of the year would add another painting to my portfolio that fits the bill in this category. I break out in sweats thinking about this one. Of course, that could be hot flashes.
3. I went overboard on this one. I have two paintings in the national show at Hill Country Arts Foundation, opening Sept 13, and have entered three paintings in the national show -San Antonio Visual Artists' first- here in San Antonio, opening on the 18th. Haven't heard about if any has been accepted yet, though. I also will enter paintings in Coppini Academy's members exhibition and in River Art Group's members show, both the first weekend of October. The big Kahuna, though, is Salon International, but that counts for next year.
4. Check. I finished both of those commissions. One gets mailed at the end of the month, one will go out the end of this week.
5. I'm red-faced about this one, and it's not due to hot flashes. The only small paintings I've done since setting that goal have been the ones I've done for the Sunday painting show on Ustream.tv. That's one a week, not three. And I've not put any of those on eBay and only one has a PayPal button on my blog. I may have to table this goal, too.... for now. Doing those paintings would help further my plans to free myself from needing a particular location to be successful as a painter, so it's worth revisiting soon.
   

September:

1. Revamp website.
2. Give Portrait workshop in Seguin, September 23-24.
3. Finish portfolio painting from August.

• Boy, does my website need revamping. Yikes! It's woefully out of date, both in style and in content. My sister Patty will be called upon to help with this. She keeps saying, "Decide what you want and design it, and I'll do it." Sure. So, Ok, it's time to decide and design.
• Registration for the two-day Portrait workshop in Seguin is full. I could maybe take two one-day registrations on the first day, because there are two artists taking just the second day.
• I'll have the portrait of the couple finished by the end of the month, I'm certain.

I'm not going to set October goals right now, other than to enter those two competitions at the beginning of the month and to start work on the painting for the Salon International. I'll see what else I might add to that list on the first of the month.

Ok, so that's where I am and where I'm heading right now. Wish me nimble fingers and a brave heart!