Overcoming Writer’s Block as a Musician
Writer’s block is an artist’s worst enemy. It’s bound to happen to all creatives at some point. There’s no single cure for that general feeling of being stuck in a rut. Of course everyone has a different approach in how they respond to it. However, I wanted to put together a list of things that have helped me when I’m uninspired.
Watch a movie – There have been countless times when I’ve been inspired to create music by art in an entirely different medium. Throw on an uplifting or feel-good movie to help put you in the right mood.
Spend the time promoting – Occasionally, the only cure for writer’s block is to focus your mind on something entirely different. While you’re going through this period, make yourself useful and spend some time marketing and promoting your work. Just because you aren’t creating music at the moment doesn’t mean you need to put a pause on your music career.
Lay down and rest – You may find that sometimes, ideas for lyrics or melodies will come to you while you’re taking a break from your work and giving yourself a minute to rest.
Experiment – Are you used to crafting a song a specific way? Completely change your approach and step out of your comfort zone. Try a new instrument, play around with a different chord progression or a fresh arrangement.
Revisit an old project – If you have an older project that you started but never bothered to finish, revisit it. If enough time has passed, usually you’ll be able to spark some creativity.
Change the key – Changing the key of your song can open up a whole new set of ideas. Some people believe that different keys have different emotional characteristics. By altering the key, your song may sound fresher to you or appeal to you in ways you hadn’t expected.
Power through! – Last but not least, often I find the best approach to writer’s block is to simply buckle down and write regardless of your mood. It doesn’t matter if you hate it or if you feel the quality isn’t up to par. The point is you are flexing your creative muscles and getting the juices flowing.
Feel free to add any ideas you think we’ve missed in the comments below.
