Probably the majority of you all listening this right now would classify yourselves as creatives of one sort of another. And if that’s the case and you self-identify that way like I do, you’ve probably been fed a similar popular wisdom throughout your lives — creatives (photographers/artists/writers/you name it) produce their best work when they are free, unencumbered and left to their own devices, following their creative spirit… while businesspeople/entrepreneurs and the like need structure and analytical thinking to thrive. Well, quite frankly...we’ve all been fed the same lie. It’s time to get SMART and set some goals.
Hey everyone and welcome to the Photo Forward podcast, where we dive in deep each week on the art of visual storytelling, exploring the stories behind some of the greatest photographers in the world. From creative inspiration, to finding balance as a creative professional, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, videographer, or multimedia creator – I’m your host, Ben Brewer.
When you hear “goal-setting” or “tracking your performance”, you probably want to lace up your shoes and run, having flashbacks to meaningless professional development classes or filling out TPS reports at a past nightmare job… But stay with me here.
I want to pull back the curtain on a concept from the realm of project management and personal development that I all but guarantee will help focus the planning, creation, and exposition of your creative work–whether it’s for your overall growth as a creator or on a specific photo or video project. They’re called SMART goals. And no, it has nothing to do with the intelligence of your ideas or their execution.
An acronym coined back in the early 80’s by management consultant George T. Doran, the letters of SMART goals correspond to: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and (probably the biggest crutch to executing creative work) Time-Bound.
The best creative work needs to keep this shit in mind from beginning to end. Obviously things might change throughout the course of creation, but it’s important to not let inattention waste quality creativity. Let’s break down what each of those mean. Say I’m pitching a photography project to an editor. I better damn well exactly know the Who, What, When, Where, and Why (that priority matters, read some of Simon Sinek’s work for some perfect examples of the importance of “Starting with Why”. Is it a solo project or will it require a crew to fulfill your creative vision? What is it? When are you going to start it (but seriously, WHAT DAY)? Where are your shoot locations / Where are you going to edit and post-produce the work? And last but clearly not least, WHY should this work exist? In other words, be Specific.
Now, if you’re working on a piece of long-term project, it can be super, super easy to fall into the, well, HUMAN, trap of not spacing one’s content creation out appropriately or arguably worse yet, not keeping track of how a project is progressing. I can actually hear my inner monologue working on the script for this episode going: “I wrote SOME of it tonight. I got SOME of my ideas down. That’s a successful day of writing, right?” Think about the last creative project you worked on that DIDN’T pan out as well as you’d hoped. Did you keep track of how MUCH you were producing along the way? Did you write X words, take X photos, sketch X drawings this month like you said you would? Now obviously, things happen. Life has a funny habit of getting in the way of finishing projects. But knowing how MUCH you should produce does wonders for keeping a Specific project on track — The goal has to be Measurable.
Now, we’ve nailed down what the first part of SMART goals stands for. But take a good hard look in the mirror for this next one. Do you have the skills to reach your goals or deliver on your creative projects? What good is a Specific and Measurable goal, say creating photography work on a compelling subject three times a week...that you want to see published this year in National Geographic... if you’ve only been a working photographer for a few months? All the busting ass in the world can’t make up for the fact that skill and mastery take time. Making world-class work in your first months as a photographer simply isn’t an ATTAINABLE goal. Your goals, projects and personal development as a creative need to INSPIRE you to action, not demotivate you to getting stuck in the status quo.
So, for the penultimate letter in SMART goals, we’re looking at essentially the meta-goal of your creative project – RELEVANT – does it make SENSE for you to be working now on THIS. You may be able to create a beautifully cinematic demo reel of your travel videography, but if your bread and butter (economically speaking) as a creator is your portraiture or corporate work, it MIGHT not make sense for you to commit time and energy into editing that reel. There are an infinite number of endeavors we CAN spend our time on, so we as creators need to be highly mindful on the RELEVANCE of the work we’re producing. As an aside, I struggle with this constantly as a freelance photojournalist; Even spending time on this podcast seems at times like it isn’t my “ONE BIG THING” that I need to be spending time on, but I know that the long-tail outcomes of producing and interviewing brilliant creative minds justifies the time it takes — i.e. Creating a visual storytelling podcast is RELEVANT to my goals to thrive as a freelance creator because it’s a learning opportunity and a means to reach a wider audience with my work.
And last, you guessed it, Time-Bound. Now, practically all of us can think back to an experience in high school or college where you were given a big essay or project due in a few weeks. And probably some of you were what we call “forward-thinking” or “organized” and got ahead on the project and whittled away at milestones or drafts along the way, making the last few days before the due date simple. Or were you were more like myself and maybe...neglected...to work on projects as much as you ought to and left the bulk of the project for those last few days before it was due? Well, I’ve got good news for you. Regardless of which group you might fall into, what’s important here is that sneaky little due date. That’s really the most basic example of a Time-Bound goal. So on your creative projects, whether it’s a daily goal, weekly or monthly one, or even a big audacious five-year one, keeping the project bound by time makes sure it gets done.
The real beauty of SMART goals isn’t just by following one or another, it’s how they mesh together. The art comes together when you combine Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. SMART goals get projects started, they keep content on track, and they get you results on your creative work. So, now time to get working and get SMART.
What part of SMART goals do you guys struggle with the most? I’d love to hear more by connecting on Facebook or Instagram @BBrewerPhoto or email podcast@photoforward.media.
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This has been another episode of Photo Forward, produced and edited by me, your host Ben Brewer. Music featured in this episode was licensed through the AMAZING music site – Artlist.io. All the original, royalty-free music you could ever want to use in your creative projects for a super reasonable price. For an extra two months FREE, check it out and follow the link www.artlist.io/Ben-8800
And, as always, keep seeing, keep shooting, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. See you all next week.
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Courtney Perry is a photojournalist based in Minneapolis, MN. Formerly a staff photographer at the Dallas Morning News, she now freelances for various local and national clients while based in the Twin Cities. Her home is filled with a spouse, his children, their dogs, and much love.
On today’s episode, Courtney and I explore how to enjoy photography without basing your happiness on your work, how she’s been able to build a stable and healthy client-base as a freelancer, and why having a “dark night of the soul” moment in your creative career can be a game-changing event to sharpen your focus as a photographer or multimedia creator. Without any further ado, today’s beautiful and timely interview with photojournalist Courtney Perry.