It's as good a time as any for this
#1
This year I'm going to plan for victory.

I've spent far too long to get where I'm at. I'm 28, with an below-average draughtsmanship. I'm not terrible, but I'm certainly not where I'd like to be to get the jobs. The past, its regrets and victories, its feel-good-man's and its im-a-loser times are behind me. They were necessary to get me where I'm standing right now: right in front of the games of Crimson Daggers. Now, thanks for the ride, but I'm planning to go beyond!

I'm going to create a possible yet highly ambitious goal this year. And I'm going public, dears. Let it be said and set here to posterity that I will fulfil my dreams through hard work.

(By the way, I'll be using the SMART system :Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time based) for goal setting. More info here: http://www.quirkology.com/UK/Experiment_...tion.shtml)

My goal is: GET A JOB I REALLY ENJOY (aka: related to illustration, preferably to do with fantasy, science fiction, comics, books or film)

For that, I need to meet 3 sub-goals.
  • Improve my skills
  • Get a better portfolio
  • Get known around
Every week I'll strive to get something done in all three sub-goals. Sunday will be my review day. I'll make a post summarizing what when well, what needs working, and plans for next week.

Here's a rundown of each sub-goal.

Improve my skills
I need to practice more. I need to draw for others in case I get a small job or commission, but also for myself. I need to increase the number of hours I dedicate to my passion. I won't set a "complete x y and z" each day/week, because I know all too well that this only will lead to feeling worse when I can't meet the quota for any x reason, even if reasonable. Instead, I'll go for more general mini-goals.

- Every week, I should have drawn for myself (enjoyment), for improvement (studies) and for others (competitions, jobs, commissions).

- General schedule (need to be flexible here, since I work part-time, with varying times):
Morning: Wake up, Draw till lunch.
Afternoon: Relax a bit, then go to work or class (or draw if not)
Evening: Relax (if deadline, work till late)
Night: Get your 7 hours of sleep. Keeps creativity in check.

I'm doubtful of adding "do x hours of drawing-related stuff" every day, since I don't want to kick myself in the balls when I absolutely cannot reach the "magic number". For now, I'll leave it out.

Portfolio
I need to improve my portfolio, and adjust it so it attracts the type of work I want.

- Keep a constant eye for old stuff that doesn't represent me anymore.

- Create and manage categories so possible clients find quickly what they want.

- Scour the internet for good portfolio tips. www.theartorder.com had some good pointers lately.

Get known around
I need to surround myself with like-minded people. I love my friends and family, and won't ever fail them, but I need contacts within the business I want to jump in. If I get a buddy or two in the process, even better!

- Create and maintain a portfolio in Crimson Daggers and ImagineFX forums. Conceptart.org seems to have problems as of late. Team Awesome in facebook is very nice, but excruciating to navigate. Deviantart is a bit too socialnetworky for me.

- Enrol in drawing partnerships or "online classes" through livestream. I've been following sickbrush's from time to time and it's simply golden knowledge.

- Comment, participate in conversations and share. Be thankful and respect your elders.

That's it for now. I guess I'll be updating later on, as I refine the goals and stuff.

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