The third rule is to "Dream big but think small"
This Is a rule I am still learning to this day, even after applying it to my book The Hoverboard Girls
I think one of the biggest pitfalls of a lot of indie artists these days is that they are great artists, but they have no goals (specifically SMART Goals). Many artists these days draw throw away pieces of (honesty and often great and enjoyable) art, and then disappear from the public eye altogether.
I think the reason being is that most of these artists don't really have a goal or a purpose for their artistic journey. Some think of it just as a hobby, while others try desperately to make it into a long term career without any particular reasons why.
Never be that kind of artist.
Artists, like everyone, should set SMART Goals for themselves. What are SMART Goals? SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.
Here is how you set them...
Specific: Have a specific story you want to tell and focus on it. I recommend just doing one major project at a time instead of trying to multitask on several; especially if you are going the independent route.
Measurable: Your project should probably have a page count (or sometimes, in the case of animation, a time limit); specifically one in the double digits maximum (or under an hour if doing animations). Never go into a story expecting it to never end, even if you want to make Sequels eventually . It also helps to break down your projects into smaller parts at a time (e.g. I break down my book projects by any given image, usually 1 to 2 pages each)
Achievable: make sure your artistic goals are realistic for you as of right now, not ten or five or even one year from now. Never stop improving or learning for later, but also don't jump into something you know that you will be in over your head on.
Relevant: As I mentioned in the last article, it's best to find a niche and stick with it. Don't start out doing cutesy art and then try to delve into a grimdark project on the side. Also, when doing your project, focus on creating elements that work with the story, not clash with it.
Timely: Set artistic goals that you can finish within a year tops. Better yet, Set artistic goals that you can measure by months or weeks and not by years. And while devoting yourself to a set-in-stone deadline may not be the most effective thing, you should still give yourself a time limit on finishing a project.
Lastly, by the same token, don't be so modest about being an artist. It doesn't matter if you are full-time or part-time or even on the side, it doesn't even matter if you have a book published or your art in a gallery, you are still an artist. Don't pretend that you are just doing it for a hobby and that it doesn't matter. Likewise, never believe that you need to do this full time to be successful. What will come will come in time. In the meantime, just draw and know you are doing something you love.
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