Every artist I mentor must define a SMARTER goal that they really want to reach within six months.

This vital life skill helps artists sell their art and it helps them define and reach other important goals, for the rest of their life.

We are all told that it’s so very important to set goals.

But what we are not told is how to define goals in a way that exponentially increases the odds of reaching them.

So what happens? We often set poorly defined goals.

And we don’t reach these poorly defined goals because they are, poorly defined. So, we just stop setting goals.

It’s too bad. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Mastering SMARTER goals is, mastering the eighth realm of MAKING Art Making MONEY, an 8-part, sequential, and iterative methodology. 

This is a proven process that helps artists build their artistic enterprises. 

Again, the two vital ingredients to reaching your goals as an artist.

1. Define a SMARTER goal.
2. Remain committed to that goal.

SMARTER stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Result
• Time Bound
• Evaluate
• Revise, if necessary

So here’s an example of a SMARTER goal.

“Will I sell $100,000 or more of my art by the end 2014?”

• Is it specific? Yes. $100K of art
• Is it measurable? Yes. $100K of art is sold by the end of 2014 or it is not.
• Is it attainable? Here’s where it gets tricky. This SMARTER goal is attainable if you can take action on it today.
• Is there a result? Yes. $100K or more.
• Is it time bound? Check. Art sold by the end of 2014.

Why is the SMARTER goal stated in the form of a question? So you can answer it, honestly.

Just stating your SMARTER goal in the form of an affirmation does not work nearly as well. 

Affirming your goal is not enough. You must take honest and focused action.

It might feel nice and optimistic to affirm your goal but it doesn’t engage your entire brain.

A goal stated in the form of a question ignites the hard-wiring of your subconscious to search for the answer even when your conscious mind isn’t thinking of it.

In other words, solutions and answers tend to pop into your head.

 “Well I have a lot of goals!” Yes, you do. And you can have everything that you truly want, but not all at once.

What is your SMARTER goal? Leave it in the comments box below.

Writing your SMARTER down is the first step that will transform your desired goal into reality.

Life is short. So don’t wait for what you really want. Get it now!