Reading CPF’s recent thread I’ve been thinking again about Creative Block… that dull dumb space where you have no new ideas and wondering how you ‘snap’ (??) out of it. While I know all the theories, it still grabs me with monotonous regularity and then often something just jabs through the fog and wakes my creativity up again.
So I have no magic answer… I know that listening to other people’s music often can kickstart my creative motor but in that deadspace it’s really hard to chase those sounds. It can be as simple as a random song on the radio that shifts my thinking, an unexpected soundcloud treasure, but music is the best magic wakeup for me.
we all have different issues. AFAIK I have never had anything resembling a creative block. The problem with me is more of the discipline and organization to actually finish stuff etc
I have dozens upon dozens of interesting guitar/drum jams on my HD that I have totally forgotten about. I make them on some work night and forget them. I run across them occasionally and some are really good and all are solid. So coming up with ideas has never ever been a problem for me. (I think partially because of a lonnnngggggg slow development)
Im the classic “starts many, finishes few” person. That being said, I think Leonardo DaVinci only finished maybe 10-20% of his stuff?
one thing that has kept me from having blocks is to continue learning. Its infinite.
A couple things that have helped me in the past is to step away from playing music for a couple days to a couple weeks and doing some non-music related stuff. When I step back in, I find that I’ve actually improved a bit more AND I feel more creative.
My other block-buster has been from being more active around here. There’s an accountability that I feel, even though it’s self-induced. It DOES help though!
I’ve been in this mode for several months now, having had a number of distractions that consumed much time and attention. I’m going to get a good ten days off during the upcoming holiday break, and I’m hoping to finally get some time to catch up in the studio… been way too long since I did anything!
Have you heard of a book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron? I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it here before… anyway, it’s pretty much about unblocking one’s inner artist.
I have not finished the book yet, because I got a new job and it threw off everything else I was working on at the time. Then we got a puppy and it multiplied that stress, lol. (Still want to get back to it though, once I feel comfortable in my new routine.) But I’ve read about half of it, and more importantly worked through the exercises. She has 2 main ones that she suggests you continue after reading the book. One is the daily Morning Pages and the other is the weekly Artist Date. The whole thing was really a refreshing and unblocking journey for me. Maybe you’d enjoy it. It seems more geared towards people who are totally out of touch with their artistic side, but I still found it highly relevent.
I hear you friend. I guess my biggest hang up are the lyrics. What the heck should i sing about now? It has all been done right?? My deal is that I want to feel that I did everything in the song. I want my guitars, vox, etc. Then there is the mixing. You can learn much this forum, but when I hear what others can do (including you), one knows you are way down on the totem pole. If you create just for the pure fun of it without expectations, there is no internal stress. If it just so happens that the moo moo song is well received, then woopie to you.
I would rather a creative block that an intestinal block
+1 I have. Got it probably over 10 years ago and read through it many times. There is also an Artist’s Way workbook that is a companion to it.
It did get me into journal writing, though I find it hard to do her recommendation of 3 handwritten (longhand) pages each morning. I hate doing longhand, I print. And the stream of consciousness thing is challenging … particularly writing while ‘streaming’ for me. I have tried to do an audio journal instead and that seemed to help somewhat. Especially for someone musically and vocal oriented, having sound seems to be helpful. Julia is a writer, and addresses writers mainly, though the method can be helpful to any artist and art form.
The Artist Date is a good one too, set aside a 2 hour (minimum) block of time - once a week - to “fill the well” as she calls it. You don’t have to create if you’re not inspired, and that’s not even the point, it’s to “fill the well” of creativity by feeding your artist in any way that is fun and inspiring. If you look at it as a work assignment it may not be helpful, unless your creativity is bursting to come out already. I did find that one quite helpful to keep myself engaged.
And I’m glad you brought it up! Being blocked is something I have struggled with, even after diving into the book and exercises. It can help anyone looking to move forward. I’m sure it can help me right now so I’m going to get it out and revisit.
The book might be, but I’m not aware of it in digital, though I haven’t looked. She has a website that you might find helpful, and a video course there based on the book. It looks like the video course is $149 but also has lifetime access. A link to her blog is there too. Enough good info to give you a sense of what it is all about.
Have you tried bringing your creativity through the backdoor instead of the front door? When I can’t do anything creative, I find something technical to study. I explore, or to attempt to master. Then its like “wait! I can use this here, here, and here! …ok…lets try it!”
…then its back into creative mode.
So I’m using the pursuit of technical knowledge to SPRINGBOARD creativity, instead of using technical knowledge to EXPRESS creativity.
…here’s an example: I’m bored. I want to see if I can achieve a perfectly in-phase over-the-hammer mic blend on the piano. And I want to experiment with the Pultec curves everyone raves about. I move the mics into place. I dial in the EQ. I put on the headphones. Then damn!! This piano sounds awesome!! So you can’t help yourself from sitting there and playing it!
Inspiration? I just achieved a brand new sound on an instrument!
@Cristina Hi Cristina, Yeah thanks, I’ve enjoyed her book several times now, in fact it’s a bit scary to realise how long I’ve had it. Some great ideas in there for sure. Must dust it off again, I had a second one of hers but that wasn’t nearly as good.
@feaker Hi Paul,
yeah I think that is what I mostly do, just fling ideas around… but it’s when the ideas stop coming that I get glum… it’s like a boring dull place with no sparkles and I LIKE sparkles But it seems an inevitable part of the creative dance. Light and shadow, high and low…
And the 'without expectation bit… they have a way of creeping back in very sneakily… haha…
@Stan_Halen
Yeah I enjoyed Julia’s creative programme but it does seem quite dated to me now. ‘Vein of Gold’ is the other book of hers that I bought but I never really got into that the same.
Some cool tools though for sure.
@Jonathan
Hi Jonathan, yeah, I hear you on this… am just starting to love aspects of that technical creative process but… when I am in block mode, there is no way I can experiment with stuff, my brain is in shut-down mode, inert and passive. In the past I have watched technical videos but to be honest, there is ‘no-one home’ and I have such a wonderfully skilled “what’s-the-point” voice… that shuts everything down.
Some great ideas here though guys…
Don’t get me wrong… I’m not wallowing in despair… just puzzling over the annoyance of the creative cycle that plagues me…
That’s another way of finding creative inspiration. By picking up a different instrument or playing your guitar upside down. Playing left-handed, if you’re right-handed…It might be awkward but it’s a CHANGE. I’ve written a few songs on guitar when I was missing some strings. “Change” is a catalyst to creativity. Any new experience opens us up to creativity. Sameness, staleness, inactivity, and immobility will create stagnation.
I believe that all humans are creative all the time. Every time we have a thought (which is always). We are constantly creating and recreating our inner and outer world. Your belief that you’re in a creative slump is merely a creation…, because you’re so creative, you’ve convinced yourself that you’re experiencing writer’s block…, and you believe it.
The best way to break out of what you believe to be a “creative block” is to challenge it by writing ANYTHING…,.or something. Just do it, without expectations or judgments. Don’t try to create something great. In fact, write something that sucks. Even if you believe your creation is valueless, go ahead and create it anyway. The mere action of creating (even if your creation isn’t at all unique) will create a catalyst for your creativity and you’ll find yourself being excited and open to new possibilities.
Sometimes the creation of worthless junk can propel you to new highs. Once in awhile you have to dig through the dirt to get to the gold.
I got this book from my mother back in 1993. I did the Morning Pages for a few weeks (I still have all those pages of endless ramblings today). For me, doing those exercises was a chore and it felt stifling. I don’t think I got any benefit from doing it. BUT, I was doing, not for creativity but for mental/ emotional therapy. It may just be that, that kind of exercise doesn’t jibe well with my mindset, or that I didn’t continue it long enough to fully realize the value in it. I think I only did it for slightly less than 3 weeks.
I think it’s the opposite for me. I can, and do, spend lots of time anytime learning and researching new information and technical methods. It’s like breathing in and out … it just happens. While it stimulates the creative juices mentally, it doesn’t translate into action for me (emotionally?).
Now that part can help, though more like this I think:
Exactly! That’s what I found helpful about Julia Cameron’s Artist Date’s. By “filling the well” it facilitates change from the stuck and stale.
“isn’t it ironic” as Alanis Morissette sang. The power of belief. I had never thought of it this way, but I think you’re really onto something. I certainly become convinced of the writer’s block because I believe it (is a thing). Heck, Julia Cameron’s book may have even enabled that belief.
I do think that’s true, and it has been my rationale to “get moving” at times, but even that is challenging. The Inner Critic can be very strong. It doesn’t like to invest in action that has no (immediate) purpose and no obvious payoff. But one thing does lead to another, so from an ‘irrational’ perspective I think it can work quite well.
Actually, I was impressed with something I read in an interview with Don Was a few months ago. He was describing working with artists, in the producer role, and how you have to pursue whatever comes up even if it seems stupid. And how that can lead to other stupid things and even down seemingly bizarre rabbit holes … but after 27 attempts - BINGO! Hit song or awesome riff payoff. He said it’s all worth it, and you have to do it. The question is, can I find my way to believing THAT.
I found a pile of those ramblings the other day … URK!!!
Perhaps I’m confusing Creative Block with simply getting depressed…
hmmm,
not going to bother giving that too much oxygen…
Sometimes I have so many ideas I almost burst with them and other times I have none at all…
c’est la bloody vie…?
Those are great points. Per another thread from a month or so ago, artists and musicians seem more prone to depression and/or anxiety and even PTSD from traumatic events. It may be that we confuse the two: the creative block, and the down-and-out don’t-give-a-shit-about-anything attitude. You might think pain and suffering would help with creative inspiration (i.e. the Blues), but I’d guess it’s the coming out of that and the glimmer of light (recovery) at the end of the tunnel where that inspiration happens.
I do believe that journaling is immensely helpful for emotional recovery, so I’m intrigued where the line of demarcation is between creative and angst. My impression of Julia’s exhortation to journaling is that a depressed creative is a blocked creative, and by opening up the inner dialog … the process of healing can begin. Which opens the door to hope and inspiration, which leads back to creative experimentation, which leads to … [fill in your blank]
