By Alicia Ross
Happy New Year everyone! As we enter 2021 I want to invite you to focus less on making resolutions and more on setting goals for yourself. This simple re-phrasement can help you look at things in a positive way that supports your personal growth. Setting artistic goals puts you on a clear path, keeps you moving forward, and allows you to feel that sweet success when you make an incredible achievement. So how do you set good goals for yourself?
First, we have short-term goals. These are things that you want to accomplish in a short amount of time in the near future. Maybe your goal is to gain more core strength for example. Set that goal, then make a list of actions you’re going to take in order to achieve it. For this goal that could mean creating a schedule of when you’re going to work your core muscles, or it could be a list of specific exercises you’re going to do to gain strength. One of my personal short-term goals this year is to develop my own technique class. I plan to make a lot of different material, exercises, and phrases that I can then hone in on to build a sequential yet creative technique class. Short-term goals are important to keep us moving forward and constantly improving, evolving, and, most importantly, always creating.
Then we have long-term goals. This is where you get to dream big! Long-term goals are things that may take much longer to achieve and may not come to fruition until further in the future. Maybe it’s getting your dream job, or moving to your favorite big city, or performing in another country. Whatever your long-term goal is, it can be achieved. However, you still need a plan in order to get there. Just like with short-term goals I always suggest making a list of actions or sub-goals that will help you climb your way to the top. Big dreams often seem too big, but if you take it step by step and trust the process you will get there! One of my long-term goals is to become a professor of dance at a university. My short-term goal of developing a technique class is one of my actions to get me there, along with performing and choreographing, teaching, and applying for graduate school. One day I will become a professor, so I’m listing out the ways in which I plan to get there over time. Setting long-term goals is exciting and I encourage you to dream big with them!
We all know 2020 was not the greatest year, so let’s make 2021 a better year by setting personal, artistic goals that keep us creating. Be kind and graceful to yourself in making those goals though, and remember we are still in a global pandemic. However, setting goals may be helpful for you to see yourself and your work in a positive light this year. I wish you all the best and I can’t wait to see the amazing things we can accomplish!
