Back in the Studio

I’m finally back in the studio after a very long hiatus. This is the longest I’ve gone without creating and posting to social media. It’s been a rough road the last few months.

Back in September I decided to stop creating art full-time. I was faced with financial pressure and burn out after two years. I’ve tried everything to fill the void when I stopped creating. I tried writing, woodworking, reading, fishing, archery, and countless other hobbies, but nothing fulfilled me. I daydreamed of creating again, but I couldn’t force myself.

Honestly I felt like a failure. Every time I’d enter the studio that’s all I could think about. Talk about stifling creativity. What’s even more maddening is I know where I went wrong. Unfortunately it was too late to fix it. Time and money had run out.

Today was the first day I actually felt like creating. Inspiration just hit me and I seized the moment. The moment turned into four hours. I had music playing and I was totally in the zone.

I prefer ink on paper, but I thought I’d try out some oil paints that I purchased over a year ago. I really enjoyed working with them. I’ve got an idea to create a series of small cubist oil paintings over the coming weeks.

This is the piece so far. I’m wanting to document my works in progress in this online journal. I’m thinking a red background to make it pop. I guess I’ll see tomorrow if I’m still leaning that way.