Fast Art For Lack Of Time

Doodling is all I've been able to do right now. No layers, no fuss, no reflection--just instant doodles. I'm in the business of fast art these days when I barely even have the time to read a book. The Spring Open Studios is near and my portfolio is looking a little thin. Dust is starting to collect in my studio where I have not gone to visit in a while. Mostly, this has to do with the fact that I've set up a nice little craft area in my own home, with a draft table and a setup with all my india inks. Since I haven't been working on my larger canvas pieces (which is an extremely messy process) I haven't had the need to venture into my studio, which is a few blocks from my place. But I do miss the nurturing solitude only an artist studio can provide. I miss the dirty, stained wooden floor; the stench of turpentine; the dried up bits of acrylic solidifying on my work table; the bits of scrap paper piling up in the corner waiting to be transformed into something greater (they never do). There was a momentum I picked up last September, which I have not been able to sustain over the last few months, as my other commitments started to weigh down on me.

There's been so much juggling around that I haven't been able to get comfortable with one idea and to soak it up completely. I labor under a fickle sense of aesthetic because time is of the essence and can't be wasted, so I dabble quickly with one thing before switching to the next thing. This is not an ideal modus operandi. Fickle will get me into a pickle (I had to do a rhyme--it was just too easy). So, what am I saying really?

I think what I'm saying is that I lack a coherent vision right now--or that I have too many competing ones. Both have their own challenges. I'm somewhere in the middle, right between the two. It's so frustrating to know that I can't work as intensely as I want to on some of these new directions I'm taking--and its because I'm spreading myself too thin. The classic dilemma from straddling those two worlds. I fear I'm not getting anywhere.