For any projects which I intend to pursue seriously, I start off with pen and paper, writing out my goals.
For example, I am taking my eighth or ninth photography course, and here are the goals which I just posted to my Flickr group:
Would love to hear other people’s goals for this course. I have about three, a mixture of practical and artistic.
1. Expand my flickr to +150 images, mostly black and white. That’s around 7 per week. Doable.
2. Generate visual content for my blog. I blog daily and blog posts always do better with images, so even my average, non-flickr photos can have some value.
3. Might dive into the concept of photographing local sculpture. I am taking a ‘Sculptures of Seattle” course later this spring, so this may give me a way to engage sculpture as an artist?
Nothing fancy here. The first two goals occur just by doing the weekly assignments. The third goal is probably the “stretch goal” since this will require some additional preparation and effort.
But all three goals have one thing they all have in common: They are all written.
And that’s what I am getting at. The act of writing out my goals—especially if paired with a consistent review process, something which I also have—is a very powerful tool for me. It’s an act which gives me a chance to reflect on the “why” of my project, rather than just the how, and one which also gives me a sense of direction.
Now, there is the potential for a written goal to become an end in itself, rather than a means to an end. I have to be wary, because the “end” I am intent on is not the achievement of the goal, it is the joy of the journey. But isn’t the tension between goals and intent, growth and stillness, thought and action, part of this joy?
Well, time to end this post before I become too “touchy-feely.” Feel free to take a look at my flickr account, or follow me on Twitter where I occasionally post one of my photos, such as the one above, called “Angular Roof Line”