Mid Year Review 2017

Jul 5, 2017 / Photography / goal setting

So how am I doing with my 2017 goals? As planned at the beginning of the year, I’m doing a mid-year review of my progress. It doesn’t look good to be honest, so you can stop reading here. For completeness, I’m writing a detailed account.

Finish A Million Suns

I’m still on track with goal 1, and I’m really proud of that. I’ve never really been good with goals, but this year I’ve tried to establish habits. One of them is establishing a studio habit. Every Saturday morning, after the gym, I put in an hour or two of studio time. That’s all I can do right now, and I’m happy with that. I need to finish A Million Suns project even though it’s not as perfect. I want to move on to other photo projects that are waiting in the wings. One thing at a time. I’m a sequential type of guy. I can’t do too many things at once. I scoff at multi-tasking. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Double Newsletter Subscribers

I haven’t been successful with increasing my subscribers. It’s been flat this year and has increased by only two or three subscribers and was reduced by a number of unsubscribes. It’s disheartening.

Just the other day, I was telling someone about how I’m so happy that I’ve published 23 articles for the first half of the year. That’s a big accomplishment for me. I was happy about it. But then she said, “but has it helped you sell any artwork?” It hadn’t. I haven’t sold any prints this year.

“So what’s the point of it? Why even blog?”

That hurt a lot.

She’s right you know. What is the point of all this anyway?

I was down for a couple of days after that thinking about it.

But then I thought, it does help. Maybe it’s all intangible. But it helps clarify what it is that I’m saying in my pictures. A lot of what I’m writing about relates in some way to my cyanotypes and my work.

So I’m glad I’m writing. I’m finding my voice.

I still don’t really know where I’m going, but I feel I need to do this. And it doesn’t take away from my studio time anyway. I’m writing and blogging on the morning train to work. I couldn’t be shooting anyway.

So I’m glad still writing.

If I thought that blogging would create an audience automatically, well it hasn’t worked out that way. For the next quarter, I will have to think of doing something else.

Exhibit in 3 Group Shows

I’m behind on this goal as well—just like I was last quarter. On my monthly accountability call with an artist colleague, I promised that I will attend an art opening this month in Baltimore as a way to scope out art events in Baltimore. I haven’t done that at all.

I’ve submitted to a number of competitions, but got rejected in all of them. I will need to submit to more competitions to make my goal of being in 3 group shows for the year.

Overall, I’m on track on my main goal and way behind on my two other goals. I need to do more in the next quarter.

How about you? How are you doing with your goals?