Stalemate

I'm not sure what it is but I'm feeling burned out. It's not like I've been making so much art I'm exhausted...I think it's more stress that is affecting my desire to create.

I really need to work on a dummy book and perhaps two more illustrations to add to my portfolio in order to feel really confident about my review in a few weeks, but I can't seem to make myself.

Instead, I'm daydreaming about personal art projects and all of the experiments I want to try. Meanwhile the voice in my head is saying, "You don't have time for this!" So I do nothing. I don't work on the art I need to be working on, I don't work on the art I want to be working on.

This is a tiny clip of a painting I made for my best friend's birthday. It has a little of the experimental techniques I'm referring to.

I'm at a point where I'm thinking, "You've done enough...why not leave it? This portfolio review doesn't have to be perfect...take from it what you can!" I rationalize that I'm not trying to pitch a story to an editor, so why make a dummy? Without the dummy, there's plenty of time to play! Argh!

Update: crisis averted. I took a deep breath and made a step-by-step plan on how to accomplish my goal. My left brain is feeling so relieved, and my right brain can't wait to get to work!