Annual Goal Setting for Creatives

Whether you create to make a living or as a hobby, setting goals for a new year can help you thrive! Here's what goal-setting looks like for me as a self-published author, poet, artist, and blogger. Hopefully, this will help and encourage you to set your own goals as a creative for every new year.

Hello there!

THE FIRST STEP

Before I can start setting goals for a new year, I need to review my goals for the finishing year and try to work out what worked, what didn't, and why. I covered this in a previous blog, 'A Creative's Yearly Recap (Indie Author: 2025)', so if you haven't read that yet, then I suggest you do a clicky and have a quick read of that before you continue.

Ready? Okay, let's do this!

Overarching Goals for 2026

These are the overarching goals I have for next year:

1. Growth - Increasing numbers of followers, subscribers, readers etc.

2. Creativity - Consistent creative output: Books, illustrations, poems, cards, art etc.

3. Connection - Honest and loving interactions with people

4. Income - Not spend more than I make

All the goals I set for myself will hopefully be ways to make progress towards these four things: growth, creativity, connection, and income. They all cross over in one way or another e.g., I connect with people through my creativity and Facebook posts, which will hopefully grow my number of followers. Income could also fall under 'growth,' but I'm giving it its own focus in 2026 and aim to end the year having actually made some money (for once lol).

Goal: Make art

Now, let's make these goals more specific and measurable:

Goals for 2026

1. Grow Facebook followers to 250 (from 184)

2. Share 5 Facebook posts every week (that's 260 posts in a year)

3. Grow Newsletter Subscribers to 650 (from 413)

4. Participate in 4 free book promos

5. Write 4 new blog posts every month (48 for the year)

6. Grow Website Visitors to 1000 per month (from 225 currently)

7. Write 24 new poems (that's 2 per month)

8. Create 20 cards (to try to sell at markets)

9. Write and release 2 new books

10. Send a minimum of 12 newsletters for the year (1 a month)

11. Draw 12 new comics for monthly newsletters

12. Contribute poems and comics to all 4 issues of Bannockburn News

13. Make 50 promotional bookmarks with QR codes and website details

14. Participate in Clunes Booktown Festival

15. Do 2 additional market stalls

16. Find a new book stockist to sell paperbacks

17. Complete Golden Pens book illustration project

18. Create 2 pieces of canvas art

19. Reach 100 Instagram followers

20. 2000 Book Funnel downloads

21. Write 12 book reviews of Christian books for my church (one each month)

22. Enter 2 poetry or art competitions

23. Participate in local Golden Spaces art exhibition

24. Local flyer drop

25. Promo material at library (flyer or bookmarks)

26. Start compiling a poetry book

27. Use ARC readers for new releases

28. Follow launch schedule

29. Write 1666 words per day

30. Try having a book launch party or event

31. Create 2 new website freebies

32. Get Other Than Mother in my local library

33. Create a piece of bookish merch

34. Update website with new comics and poems

35. Try writing microfiction

36. Pitch contributions to 2 media publications

37. Obtain 20 new Amazon or Goodreads reviews

38. Write and release an event novella

39. Run competition

40. Sell my books, merch and art on my website

41. Create a goodie bundle eg. box for mums (or get my book in one)

42. Try podcast or YouTube

43. Write a blog about being a Christian who writes and reads secular books

44. Create a LinkedIn

45. Try short-form videos on Social Media

46. Create book quotes and excerpts promo posts

47. Develop book quizzes/book club question guides

48. Spotlight readers (stories and art - once per month)

49. Donate a percentage of book proceeds

50. Develop a professional media kit

51. Create an author tagline

52. Add blog subscribe button

53. Write, illustrate, and release a picture book

54. Make an income

I better get to work!

Okay, so there you have it!

I will add to this list as time goes on and ensure that I regularly revisit and review it.

I have deliberately not set myself an income goal or book sales goals. In the past, I have found that setting these sorts of goals does not help me reach them and puts pressure on me in an unhelpful way. Instead, aiming to achieve the list of 54 goals that I have listed above will hopefully result in book sales and income, and I can set my focus on things that I can do myself.

I cannot change how my work is received and what people do with it. I cannot make people like my work. And, I cannot make people buy my work.

Are you ready to set your own goals? Write them all down; big or small, whether it takes 2 minutes or 20 years to achieve, it doesn't matter, get it down on paper. Make it real.

TIP: Set BIG goals!

As I wrote in my blog, There's Still Time! Reviewing my Goals (for 2025):

"not getting everything done is perfectly normal. You don't need to cross off all of your goals every year... Actually, I would say to anyone who crosses off all their goals every year, then you're simply not setting big enough goals!!"

Check out that blog post when it's time to review your own goals.

Do you have questions for me? Would you like to set a goal or challenge for 2026? Let me know in the comments!

Much love,

Marley