Resurfacing after a drought.
Well, it's been a long time.
What began as a small break in November 2021 (after Inktober) turned into an art drought about four months long, through Christmas and into this year. Unanticipated, and completely unwanted -- but, there it was. A whole lot of insecurities and old, unhelpful thought patterns reared their heads again. Add to the mix various IRL transitions and changes that were unrelated to art, but still influenced my life and state of mind.
So there I was, staring at an artist's block, unable to draw let alone sit down at the drawing table. And feeling a lot of angst about "did I make a mistake to take a break from art?", "why is it so hard to pick it up again?" and "is this block going to last for years, just like the last time?"
But a change came in mid-March. I'm not sure what unblocked me; I'm sure there were many contributing factors. One factor might've been making peace with not making art for now, and just enjoying that as a break. Another might've been calling this phase as what it is: a pause (albeit longer than expected), not a permanent end.
Whatever it was, I gradually returned first to drawing something, and then drawing regularly, and by the end of March, I was completely in the groove of making art again. It really felt like a drought breaking: the old habits and joys, the rush and the high of drawing something, anything, and the anticipation of "I want to do this again tomorrow!" -- all these came flooding back in.
I'm back now. And it feels good to be here again.
Currently, I'm resuming my usual drawing schedule and posting on social media again. I'm not sure what shape the Art Dispatch will look like this year: it might not be weekly anymore, but I hope to update regularly. We'll see!
I'll leave with you the first two drawings I made on the way to breaking the drought. Familiar faces, and easy to draw -- of course it'll be my OCs, Vega and Zhael.
Thanks for reading the Art Dispatch, and for hanging in here through that long hiatus.