@capriciousvisage if there's multiple elements present there's a priority of what gets swirled, in order of Pyro > Hydro > Electro > Cryo (for most characters, lynette and anemo traveler prioritize cryo > pyro > hydro > electro)
what this means is, if you're not swirling anything, you're not close enough to your target. But if you're not swirling the right element, either with your E or with your burst, you need to change the order of skills you're using