There are times in an artist’s life where one has to stop running headlong into the next project, and stop and look around to get one’s bearings. I seem to be at one of those spots in the wilderness right now. I know where I’m going, but there are some boulders to climb or go around, and choices to be made as to which path will get me where I’m going. There are also hiking companions who wish me to take a nice side trail with them, maybe stop and look at a nice view…

Before I get hopelessly caught up in this metaphor, I’d better explain. Besides being a visual artist, I’m also a musician. I’ve been concentrating on my comics and illustration work, and going to school for the comics, for the last two years, and letting the music simmer on the back burner as much as possible. However, I am in two bands, and for one of them, The RabbleBerries, the time has come to record our second album. I promised that when I got done with school I’d be available to do this.

Sometime, way back in my childhood, I declared to my mother that I was bored, and she found me Something To Do. The result is that I have endeavoured ever since to always have something to do of my own choosing. Sometimes I have Too Much To Do, and I reached the metaphorical point described above when the band started into intensive rehearsing in preparation for recording. I realized that in order to keep my sanity, I would have to step back from drawing for a little bit.

This is not an artist block: I’m getting lots of great ideas for comics about this process, but no time to draw them (don’t worry, I’m writing them down)! I’m just going to go wander down that nice side trail with my musical friends for a bit, and return to the main path after we’ve seen the view.

So, with my drawing time very limited for the next month, I may be posting some older work until this project is done, just to keep the art path from getting overgrown. For now, I’m going to link you to an album I just put up on my Facebook Artist Page, which has the photos from the launch exhibit of my first comic, just a bit over a year ago. I ran across it on my personal page, buried in an upload album, and it made me consider what a lot of travelling, both metaphorical and in reality, I’ve done since then. There was a lot of bushwhacking at first, but the road kept calling, and getting clearer and firmer as I’ve gone along. But I do hope it never becomes the fast lane; I’m enjoying this scenic byway I seem to have found.