You’ve just wrapped up a big project and you’re super proud of it. You feel like you’re on the top of the world and that nothing can stop you creatively. Until… you hop on a co-write and all of a sudden the raging river of creativity within you dries to a trickle and you have no idea what to do... Sound familiar?
Hell yeah… we’ve all gone through this
Creative blocks are a healthy part of the life cycle of expending creative energy. Your creative self needs a period of rest to rebuild up your energy to produce new and unique content. But... sometimes this cycle gets stuck and you lose yourself in a creative rut. How do you dislodge yourself from this?
Think about it this way - creativity is something that usually stems from some sort of spark. In order for that spark to catch fire, certain conditions need to be met. Your creativity is basically an emotional houseplant. If you don’t water it, it’ll die. If you water it too much, it’ll also die.
It sounds counterintuitive, but boredom actually kills your creativity. Your brain doesn’t have enough stimulation for it to provide an optimal environment for creativity. Similarly, stress kills your creativity by taking up so much brain space that you can’t think or have any space to create. My biggest suggestion is to get into some sort of daily habit or routine that isn’t related to your creativity, but takes up some of your time and energy, essentially burning away stress or boredom. This allows your brain to have some space where it doesn’t have to focus on the need to be creative and opens up opportunities for creative sparks to thrive.
What does this practically look like?
It can be as simple as going to a different grocery store, or taking a different route to get to work. It can be as complex as picking up a new sport, changing up your workout routine, or learning historical European martial arts. Either way, find something new to incorporate into your daily life that simply takes up some space in your brain.
Once you get that spark, keep it alive by adding some variation to your creative routine. One of the reasons we burn out is because we naturally love routine and tend to do the same things over and over and over (and over) again until we grow tired of them. Like listening to a song that’s an absolute banger until we start to hate its guts (Old Town Road, anyone?).
I highly suggest listening to some new genres of music that are different from your usual, maybe a little weird, maybe a little confusing. If you want any suggestions, let me know! I’d love to recommend some. You can also try writing your songs with a different process, starting on a different instrument, bringing in a co- writer/topliner, trying a completely different technique, etc. Variety is the key to maintaining a thriving creative fire and not burning out.
To summarize, add routine to your life to keep the sparks for creativity flying, and cultivate those sparks by feeding them with variety. Or… buy a houseplant and spend all your energy worrying about if you’re not watering it enough, or if you’re overwatering it.
As usual, feel free to reach out with any questions or if you need any ideas!
