As in this picture lol, sometimes when chasing the elusive hit song/beat, our creative output can get pounded over the head like an anvil. Creative block sucks! For me, wanting to create and feeling like I can’t create anything is the absolute WORST feeling there is! Seeing that this is something we all deal with, or something you may be dealing with right now, I want to share a few things I do when I get creative block.
TAKE A BREAK
One of the easiest solutions for me is to simply take a break. I’ll turn off my equipment, hop in the car, and go somewhere! Do something that isn’t related to music at all for at least an hour then come back to your project. If you’re a movie junkie like me lol, a great break strategy is watching a movie, or two, or three lol! Netflix and Hulu have been LIFESAVERS for my creativity! Often times, something I see in a movie will inspire an idea. So, stop what you’re doing and take a break!
CHANGE YOUR SCENERY
When you create in the same place over and over again, you will eventually get bored and it will become harder to be creative in that space. I know this from experience as there have been days where I’ve spent 17+ hours in the same room, in the same chair creating music! If your creative space has looked the same for a few months, take a few days out to change around your space! Re-paint the walls, re-position your gear, get new gear, add new furniture, change/enhance your space lighting (such as getting brighter or dimmer bulbs or new lamps), etc. There are many things that you can do to your writing room/production space to make it feel different creatively.
TRY A NEW SOUND
Sometimes you just need to abandon what you’re used to and try a new sound! Get totally outside of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to try something else. By doing this, I’ve actually broadened the variety of genres that I can authentically create music in! It’s a great training tool and can be tons of fun!
REMAKE OR REMIX EXISTING SONGS
A great creative calibration tool is to completely remake or remix existing songs! Production wise, this can be a great training tool as you are required to have a very detailed ear when trying to remake existing music. From an artist standpoint, remaking or remixing songs enhances the detail of your ear as well! This method is definitely fun and you may end up with something better than the original!
COLLAB
Collaborating with another artist or producer is very powerful! You tend to cancel out each others strengths and weaknesses and create awesome content. This also takes the full load of pressure off of you to come up with an entire song/beat all by yourself. Two heads are better than one! Collaborating also has a magical way of bringing sounds out of you that you never heard before. It’s amazing what happens when two people catch each others vibe and let the music do it’s thing naturally.
There are many other things that you can do to get through creative block but I pray these strategies are a great start to getting that anvil off of your head! Have fun creating! I believe in you! Be Blessed! -Tone Jonez