GOALS FOR MAKING WORK
ALICE: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
CHESHIRE CAT: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
ALICE: “I don’t much care where.”
CHESHIRE CAT: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
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LEWIS CARROLL
You can be an artist in many ways—in your personal life and/or professional life. The depth and breadth to which you take this is your decision. The goals you set for yourself, whether consciously or haphazardly, determine the way you live your life. It’s important to be intentional about what those goals are, so your path leads you to the place you actually want to be.
One of the many interesting aspects of being an artist is how work entwines with everyday life. For better or worse, you can’t simply start being an artist when work begins, and then stop being one when work is over. You are an artist all the time. You have the freedom to create your life around the work you want to make, and vice versa.
Success has no universal standard. Spend some time thinking about your own personal aspirations to avoid spinning your wheels in a lot of directions that won’t satisfy your ambitions.