Finding Inspiration
I’ve hit many a dry spell when it comes to being inspired. Song ideas fall flat, sketches remain sketches, and life takes on a dull tone like that one working fish in Spongebob (the “You coming to bed honey? “ “Yes dear.” fish—you know the one?).
For artists, these creative blocks are normal; however, with the pervasiveness of social media, one can’t help but think huh, everyone else just keeps producing content and doing cool things…how?
First off, stop that. I have to tell you and myself that because comparison is the thief of joy, and it’s a trap that I fall for all the time. Easier said than done, for sure, but at least once you become conscious of this fact, then you’re able to take steps towards avoiding unhealthy thoughts.
In my short life, one of the best ways that I’ve found inspiration is by exposing myself to different mediums. I used to be so pigeonholed in the thought of “I’m a musician, and that’s it” that I would limit my creative outlets and the kind of content I would consume.
But there is only so much ukulele music out there, folks.
Once I understood that I wasn’t just creative in one aspect, but that there were other artistic ventures I enjoyed and took part in, I then realized that these things could all feed into each other. Yes, some musicians find inspiration in other musicians, genres, and songs, which is wonderful, but what about those who can learn and get inspired through different forms of media? Think of all the songs inspired by movies, artworks inspired by songs, photos that have inspired stories, etc.
Knowing this, I go out to the open mic night at the coffee shop downtown.
I go to art museums.
I watch short animations on YouTube.
I borrow books from my local library on different topics that interest me.
I go out and experience new places that I’ve only ever heard about or revisit old ones.
I have dozens of voice memos, notes, journals, and photos of things that I want to remember and may use later.
I seek. I absorb. I remain insatiable. I take the pieces of things I experience and piece them together in a collage of something new.
In short, the best way I fight creative blocks is to keep a constant stream of content. A body at rest remains at rest, so be sure to consistently exercise your creativity. It can’t just be output; being creative is just like breathing, where you must take inspiration in and allow your ideas to flow out.
