Art Journal Journey

Creating an Action Plan by @schulmanArt, Miriam Schulman

What my art journal looks like now...

My art journal is really starting to evolve.. Although I still use it to make pretty to-do lists ( it is also my Planner Pad, after all) I also have been using it to dig a little deeper. Instead of waiting until the end of the year to reflect, I am choosing to reflect at the end of every month. This month I created an action plan that I want to refer to during the year. I purposely left to places unfilled so I may come up with additional actions during the year I want to take. An action plan is much different than a resolutions plan. A resolution make look like" I resolve to lose 5 pounds" whereas an action plain looks like "count calories" This is a concrete action that I can start and restart whenever I want.

Did I tell y'all that one of the first things I did this year was dump my monthly weight watcher's plan? Yep! I save $15 every month not paying weight watchers for the complicated etools I wasn't using. Instead, I invested the money into some great online art and business classes that I AM using. That doesn't mean I am letting my self go... I did get a free app that my friend told me about called fitness pal that helps me track calories. Exercise has never been a problem for me as I like to get out and go take a group exercise class a few times a week; however, as my family ages, I find that I spend less and less time on my feet. I am in my car, that is for sure, but I no longer have to walk my kids into their schools and places. So although I exercise, I find that I am sitting way too much during the day. Therefore, I decided I needed to make sure I got 20 minutes of outdoor time everyday. This has been easy during all the snowstorms as I just grab a shovel and dig in the snow for 20 minutes until my son gets embarrassed and comes outside to finish the job.

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Other actions I want to keep taking are making plans with friends. Being a work from home-studio artist means I work in solitude during the day and can get isolated. So I want to make sure I continue to make plans to have lunch with friends. This gets me out of the house and social....also gives me a reason to change out of my exercise close and fix my hair.

I also have other work goals I am trying hard to keep in front of me. Sometimes, they slip away... not because I don't want them...but I get scared. I really want to submit my portfolio to publishers and also get some licensing contracts. However, I know that with acceptance comes rejection. So I am trying to keep the actions, the baby steps I need to succeed in front of me.

What about you? How do you stay focused on your goals?