Here's my 0000000000.2 worth. Not sure if you subscribed to VL? Beth has some great videos. I can get you those recommendations but don't have it in front of me. Mainly the mental image for the right arm is to apply a "reaching motion" with the right arm when it goes toward the tip of the bow instead of a sideways motion. This is one of the most common beginner mistakes..No side to side motion or very little happens with the right upper arm. Loosening that shoulder is important. Basically just playing all of the things that are considered foundational.....yeah I know, this seems a cop out or a shallow answer, but it's really just learning and repeating the basic things properly over and over until they become a habit.

I am left handed so this is especially a difficulty for me with my right arm.

I had some other interests too and I know the feeling of having to let something "slide" in order to make something else work. I'm feeling sick tonight. Low level fever, so no practice for me. You have developed some nice chops on the guitar, That's the kind of drive and perseverance you are going to need for the violin. At some point we make a decision to let something go. In my case it was my recordings. I keep thinking I'll get back to it but after violin practice I'm usually shot. FWIW I don't especially see learning the violin as creative. It's more of a technical endeavor. A skill we learn to the point where we can apply creatvity to it......I keep asking when that will be? Probably not for some time yet for me. 

Can you just do maybe 20-30 minutes on those nights? Every day is really best. We can't always do that. We can make that a goal though...as I said tonight isn't good for me. I was beginning to think that maybe I would slide under the flu radar this year. I've been pushing all kinds of healthy compounds into my body......If anything it delayed it. That's all.

Good luck! I hope you find the time.

Sasha said
I just picked up the violin for the first time in almost 2 weeks (Yeah, bad me) but between work, being sick, and working on guitar, just was not enough time.   But, the cold seems to be going away finally, at least I hope so, and maybe work will slow down, just a little hopefully, so can get some violin time back in.

I don't feel like I lost too much, only a little on the latest couple of songs I was working on.   I did notice I was definitely hitting on the tips of my fingers a lot more, and it feels really different with the guitar callouses getting back up.

  

Glad you feel better and you had some time to practice. 

The thing I really dislike about missing practice is when I go to a lesson and don't feel I've made much if any progress. I just as well lay the money there and leave and would be none the worse for it. A parent funding their child is one thing, me funding myself and not performing up to snuff the following week is just wasteful. Having paid for the lessons is a motive for me to keep at it. If I don't show, teacher still gets paid. If I show and my playing is where it was the week before, it's on me.

Self training seems a little more lenient however one needs to be "after themselves" to get at it. I'm not sure i would fare much better if I didn't have that little weekly push. Two days might go by and I might then decide to pick it up....or not. It's REALLY easy to quit.