It's been one of those days where the hand and the brain aren't having coffee together....Lines would suddenly go off on an excursion of their own, forms were just enough outside proportion as to be silly, not surreal, and then there was that whole thing were it was damn cold and windy.
Not the most inspirational of creative days.
However.
When it's not working on the page, something else is on your mind, distracting focus and pulling the ultimate control out of your hand and sending it drifting off into the stratosphere....or Quebec...just for somewhere different.
It's not unusual to strike this when you live and breathe art every day. Whether it's because I'm feeling stale, or just the opposite, too many ideas fighting for realization, it's when I have to sit back for a second and pay attention to what I'm really thinking about. Because obviously, at that moment, it's not art.
When this happens, I normally stop, put the book aside, and sip on my coffee, watching the world go by for a little while. (and usually someone stops and says "Why aren't you drawing?" ) Kicking back and letting go of the attempt often allows whatever is distracting me to come to the surface, so that I can focus on it, deal with it, and then get back to work.
So, you may ask, what was distracting me? I had a song stuck in my head, that had absolutely nothing to do with what I was working on. It was the emotional equivalent of dining in a five star restaurant while wearing scuba gear. Whatever you do, don't think mm bop.....hehe.....