Incubation Periods...

I have been enjoying NOT attending classes for the last few weeks and reading about both 2D and 3D animation techniques, learning new software for both and thinking about where I want to advance in my painting. And it occurred to me after remembering how wiped out I felt upon finishing a wildly popular male figure photography series I did 10 years ago and which I had worked on for over four years, that in some respects I am in a similar space. I know it is a different kind of regrouping/replenishing period as I am focusing on areas I want to improve in my work as well as my direction. It is indeed a much needed incubation period that I think all artists need in order to progress forward and invent new things. These periods are both beautiful and gut-wrenching at the same time, but like the pruning of a plant these incubation periods can yield wonderful and amazing growth in your art.