Musicians out there - How do you overcome writer's block?

[jjer94]

Yo! I wrote a little article on this topic that you can check out here.

Writer's block is inherent to the creative process, but there are ways to work around it. Best of luck!

[seeking_brilliance]

@fopylo I have the perfect exercise for you! Follow the link in my sig to my creative arts club on Facebook. All paintings posted there are writing prompts for stories and music. Find a painting that inspires you, make a little tune for it, and you'll receive instant feedback and appreciation to fuel your next piece. Rinse and repeat until your creativity is sparked. 

For example :

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by seeking_brilliance

[ivankiss]

I don't have an advice atm.

Just wanted to tell you all how awesome you are 

[Rigel]

I used to put a timer like you said for my practice time when I was in college and I think it did help me to build a habit but the more I do it the more I realize that the goal:"I want to play 4hrs" is a lot less motivating than the goal:"I want to create something beautiful." <-- If you are dead set on that it won't matter if it takes 10years.

At the time I would struggle to do 4hrs but now I just follow my inspiration and a while later I realize:"Oh it's been 6hrs already how weird is that."

You gotta let yourself go. Don't expect anything from your music. Music is a deep deep DEEP field you need to be willing to suck a lot at first but if you LOVE the doing of it it's all that matters really.

Ask yourself: What excites me the most right know? and go explore that. 

Learn other people's music <-- this never fails to inspire me.

[Danioover9000]

@fopylo

On 6/1/2021 at 9:29 AM, fopylo said:

I've been taking a long break from the book Music Habits: The Mental Game Of Electronic Music Production (if anyone heard about it) and it's quite insightful.

One of the things he talks about is the fact that building the habit comes prior to building your skills, and that thinking that you need more "knowledge" and tutorials is just an illusion. Once you build the habit then everything becomes way easier and you actually do create music instead of just fantasizing.

So basically he gave an exercise (or advice) to open your DAW and create everyday for 15 minutes (though he said you can do even up to 30 minutes, but I'll stick with 15). He says that it can be very trashy, but as long as you create something , it's good.

So I've been doing this exercise in the past (not consistently, skipping some days), and let me tell you my experience and maybe you could help guide me.

So here are some struggles I faced with it:

• I felt pressure to create something and be creative. Even tough he said it can be trashy I still felt the anxiety to create something, bring an idea onto the table and make it sound good.
• I also felt sometimes pressured by the time. 15 minutes never gave me enough time to start and finish something. This made shorter beats that are mostly on loop with nothing special. I don't want to go also overtime because I don't want my brain to think that like 20 minutes is what I should be aiming for next time, putting more pressure.
• The biggest reason why I skipped days (imo) is because this process feels so dumb. I have this notion that I'm capable of reaching very high levels with my music if I really put my effort into it. And doing this exercise really makes me feel trash and hurt.
• Some of the instruments are just too heavy for my FL Studio to render, which is frustrating and very limiting.

About the last point, I'm really interested in creating orchestral music. I just think it's so damn beautiful. The problem is that my laptop can't fucking render the good quality violins while I'm creating. It is a real pain to play a few notes and then make a sample out of it because this is the only way to render it, and even then it's really a mess. I've been really inspired by the YouTuber Alex Moukala if anyone knows.

But back to the writer's block. I just don't really know what to think about in this process. What are some good mindsets and ideas I should take while doing those 15 minutes. I get also really frustrated when my song is just a loop, or the sounds are not as I had in my head.

I've decided that I want to get back into creating music. I wouldn't be surprised if it's somehow tied with my life purpose. All the time fucking delaying it with excuses that seem so valid, even such as "I'm taking a break to practice mindfulness and meditation so I can come back stronger" is a very genius get-away.

Anyways, I would appreciate guidance and advice from fellow musicians here who also went through such a period.

Thanks

   Leo had a video on dealing with writer's and creative blocks. For me, when I'm blocked, I bring to mind memories of what I like and recall them in detail, include layer by layer. I also allow myself to imagine other ways of creativity. Just this could get me out of block.

[fopylo]

I really really appreciate all those kind comments 
I'll say however that I've lost my drive to create music a few days after posting this thread. A few days ago I had a bit of motivation but had lot's of limiting believes and wrong mindsets and understandings which disable me from creating music. Now I got tired of it, dropped it aside and lost motivation. I don't feel frustrated, but just nothing (maybe a tiny bit frustrated). But I know what will happen - Like always it will come back to me. Music is very very powerful in the way I experience it. It will surely come to me in a new way not far from now, that it is a higher calling for me. And then all those unresolved deep issues will show up and prevent me from "getting on the grind" (or just simply building the habit)

@Rigel This is a very great ideal. Problem is that it doesn't work so well for me if I already have resistance towards it. Trying to start with baby steps, but baby steps are backfiring on themselves...Kinda funny not gonna lie

[Rigel]

@fopylo I can understand that.

Good luck you'll find a way somehow!

[fopylo]

@Rigel Just watched the video How To Stop Backsliding. Has amazing points and great theory. Gonna use some of the ideas. What I need is also clarity. I need to get clear on what is the most important thing I want to achieve

[Rigel]

10 hours ago, fopylo said:

@RigelWhat I need is also clarity. I need to get clear on what is the most important thing I want to achieve

This is key you are on your way already! 

[fopylo]

@Rigel Yeah, and to stop backsliding. I'm getting closer and closer to uncover the truth of this matter.

Posted a more updated version of my perspective on this matter. After I saw the video How To Stop Backsliding it changed my view on it and I see the structure differently. I just wrote about it here:

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by fopylo

[VioletFlame]

What tends to help me overcome writer's block is to never stop discovering new music because that way, you can stay inspired. Even listening to some of your favorite artists who've had the most influence on you, can really help you tap back into the flow of creativity.

Also, I find that sometimes, simply arriving and "showing up" to your instrument, or musical space, and just messing around with it can help to ignite that creative spark within you again.

Also just for a word of advice, I find that having patience and not forcing to write anything can truly break the spells of writer's block and can only feed and restore your creativity. Creativity is almost like an independent energy and it likes to come and go in order to breathe, and replenish itself, so to speak. I find that most of my experience writing songs feels like a manic burst or a sudden, spontaneous urge to produce, or release, what has been brewing up inside of me over time. But I also find that as soon as I stop fixating on the need to write music, is when the manic creativity re-emerges. 

I hope this helps! ❤️

[Human Mint]

15 minutes is way to little time. You'll always face many concrete obstacles managing a DAW or real instruments, and 15 minutes is what it takes you sometimes to resolve them

And save money for a proper computer. A proper workspace is importantíssimo!

Also, is difficult to stick with a habit if you don't find it fun in at least one way. One way to make sure that you are enjoying the process of creating music is to stick with the activity the amount of time that is necessary to start flowing without any kind of tensions. Is not gonna be possible every day, but make sure it does a couple times a week.

¿Do you have some kind of music proyect with other people? 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Human Mint

[Human Mint]

 

[peanutspathtotruth]

I'm not consistent at all, but music is also (atm) not a priority for me. But - whenever I feel stuck but really do want to make music, I just start sound design. I love designing sounds, exploring random FX chains, modulating the shit out of a synth and see what I can make out of that. It's almost completely intuitively experimenting without expectation. And once I have a few sounds going and already spent a while on this, the flow kicks in and I'm gone for hours  

Also, inspiration:

 

[Nahm]

The beauty of music is that there are not particles, writers, writing, nor claimers of. 

All evidence points to the no lose situation of waves...

Fuck you. 

[fopylo]

Hey I am actually surprised and glad that people are still interested in discussing here. I just want to update.

So I've been making threads lately talking about how I don't have much inspiration lately to create music, like I'm really not motivated and it doesn't feel bad or anything. I've really questioned why I lost motivation for quite some time and I have some answers that might be the case. So naturally, since I was procrastinating for a long time then obviously the will faded as well. However, I started lately to really get into playing the piano. I'm starting to like it again and perhaps I've just channeled my creative energy towards the piano. What could also be is that I might just be in a lazy phase in my life (although it is like that for quite a while so maybe this is not the answer).

With all that said I still feel something inside of me which isn't burning yet that is telling me that I still need to create music sometime soon, and I'll most likely want to create sometime in the future music again (using a DAW, maybe even playing an instrument on camera, or just like cool creative music projects). The fire isn't burning yet, but when it does, boy I have to penetrate through this resistance.

As of now I'm practicing the Do Nothing Meditation and not too much results for now but I feel like I'm able to let go and be myself with slightly less resistance, which means being free to do what I want without limiting beliefs to cloud my vision. My guessing is that this meditation technique will eventually help me get started with music. I'm also doing mindfulness meditation to add on top of that (which I feel I'm being more in touch with reality, almost merging, sorry off topic).

@VioletFlame Very interesting. I feel like I tried most of what you mentioned but in general it's always that fucking fear which makes those things painful to do.

@Human Mint I kinda get what you're saying. It seems that your perspective is more natural, and yeah this is kinda how I want to work in the long run. But in the short term I don't think it will work well, as the brain is still in homeostasis, and radically making such changes can overwhelm to the point of quitting (and in some cases taking long ass breaks). If one day I decided to work for a long time then my mind will try to match up to this long time the next day, otherwise it is a failure.

@Nahm How does that have to do with overcoming this block?

11 hours ago, Nahm said:

Fuck you.

Thanks..?

[Nahm]

1 hour ago, fopylo said:

How does that have to do with overcoming this block?

12 hours ago, Nahm said:

Inspect how you’re creating the block. There’s certainly no lack of creativity here. 

[fopylo]

@Nahm

Yeah, I've understood that creativity wasn't the problem, it just always gets suppressed because of the fear or whatever.

[Nahm]

@fopylo

Can you handle an enormous zen slap? Creativity that worthwhile?

[fopylo]

3 minutes ago, Nahm said:

Can you handle an enormous zen slap?

@Nahm
What do you mean?