I think the targets should be the same as last year, but this time I should stick to them.
Daily
Draw more. Even if it’s just a silly little doodle, or a sketch on a scrap of receipt paper at work. Pick up a pencil, pen or stylus at least once a day and imagine something new or recreate what I can see in front of me.
Monthly
Create a high quality piece of artwork, be it fan-art, inspired by a book or videogame, or a work of my own imagination. By “high quality” I mean something that would look appropriately detailed on a 30cm by 30cm canvas. Bigger by all means. Whatever happens, happens.
In six months time, I would have liked to have sold a piece of my art for real money. I said last year that it was more about pride, but who am I kidding, it is about the money. Enough of it, and I can escape retail.
A Year
Have some of my art published in ImagineFX. Letters page, Sketchbook, FXposé, Fresh Paint, DeviantWatch, win a forum Image of the Month competition… Lots of ways to get in there. Lots of ways to get my stuff out there.
Longer term
As I mentioned somewhere else during this heady session of taking stock of 2013 and preparing for 2014, the long term goal is to not have my future pinned on retail. I want to pencil comics, ink comics, colour comics. I want to go to fan conventions. Collaborate with a writer and do a web-comic? Have 100,000 followers on DeviantArt? 1,000,000 hits on eyess.net? Just put out killer fan-art? Publish kids books with gorgeous double-page spreads that will capture their imaginations? I want it all.
I think, overall, I just have to make more of an effort. This doesn’t just go for these targets, but all of them. Since stopping smoking I have just kind of bobbed along, happy and safe and oblivious in my comfort zone. Punch out of that zone, start fucking shit up again.
Please note, none of the websites mentioned in this post are still active.
