art for self-improvement

Patience is not one of my strengths, which is why mixed media is good for me. The drying time necessary between layers forces me to practice patience. Of course, there's nothing that says I have to succumb without a bit of a fight -- like a fan rigged up to hasten the drying time. 

Today is my first time getting paint on my fingers for many months. Feels good! My thanks go out to my pal Sheila who had an old board game at her altered art supply sale yesterday, which looked like an excellent beginning background to me. It will be interesting to see how this piece evolves. Heck, it's always interesting -- they rarely end up how I envision them to begin with, IF I even have a beginning vision - ha! Sometimes, you just have to start somewhere. Hey, that makes me think of a quote... 

"I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew.

Writing a poem is discovering."  ~ Robert Frost 

If you create mixed media (or any other art/craft that can't be completed in one sitting), what do you do during the drying time? Do you have several pieces in various stages so you can move from one to another? Is that tough to shift gears? I'd like hearing from you. 

Believe, 

Di