Setting Systems Not Goals
Sharing and creating workable systems as a self-taught artist
Happy New Year!
How have you been? It’s been a while and I hope you had pockets of stillness amidst all the festivities to ground yourself for the new year. Here’s to a gentle start for the months to come.
This year I’ve decided to carry over the habit of setting systems instead of goals. Setting systems makes me focus more on building habits that contribute to my goals. Having a system to fall back into once things get a little messy with life makes it easier for me to get back on track.
“ You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
I’d love to focus on building habits from what is essential to me as an artist. With that I’m able to set intentions then turn them into systems. I used a notion template by Rowena Tsai to help me sort through everything.
As a small self-taught artist there’s so much I would love to do that I get overwhelmed when I even think about it. So, I sat myself down and thought about the things that are really important to me. I’m going to limit myself to three.
Set a workable schedule for my online art class
New Master’s Academy has really helped me with improving my technical skills and my growth as an artist. I follow their recommended syllabus but I’m adjusting it a little bit to fit my learning style.
Have a sketchbook habit
Every Wednesday I’m going to spend some time with my sketchbook, no pressure just doodle around and experiment. I’m doing this to balance out all the technical study art I’m doing during my classes. This would also be a great way to test out new techniques I’ve learned.
Build my email list
I’ve grown quite fond of making weekly newsletters, it’s a really good feeling to have a crowd who really takes time to get up to date with my art journey. Also this is the type of content I’ll be more than happy to make as an artist to be able to connect with my audience.
Since I’m still new to all these I’d love to hear what you’d love to see on my newsletters! You can leave a comment down below~
I’m super excited to this new year! I’m still trying to get myself back into the swing of things after a long holiday so I’ll slowly get back on track.
What about you? Do you have any systems you’d love to work on this year? If you’re curious about the whole goals vs systems idea, here’s a video that could help you with it! If you already have an idea on your systems maybe comment them down below, I’d love to hear from you!
Love Always,
Yumi