2 ways to get your inspiration going again
New ideas and inspiration, how to get them?
Sometimes I just have the need to create something, but the moment I actually sit down, nothing comes to me. I have a few techniques to get it going again, so I can still be creative and maybe these techniques work for you too.
Technique 1
The problem, for me, is often that I am stuck in a headspace with music that is known already to me. This means that when trying to find inspiration, there is nothing new. To me, inspiration and creating means making something new, and if it isn’t new, it doesn’t feel as fresh as I would like it to be. When looking for inspiration, it doesn’t work to get in your comfort zone in the same environment. So technique number 1 is:
Listen to new music, something you haven’t heard before, and walk for a while
Even when it is not music I particularly like, it helps me get out of the vibe I was in before, so I get a room for new material. Also, by walking, the headspace you are in changes. These two activities combined form one effective technique to find new inspiration. I could also translate this to other creative fields, like painting. Let’s say you want to paint, but do not know what: you take a walk and look at paintings you haven’t seen before.
Before you think: yeah, this is makes sense but I could have thought of that. I agree, but it works often and if it doesn’t, there is always technique two.
Technique 2
Another technique is actually doing something else completely. This works a bit differently from the first technique, because you have to dive deeper into yourself.
Do something else completely and ask yourself some questions
So, to stay with music and painting, let’s say I want to create a new song but I don’t know where to begin and technique one failed. In that case, I would do something else completely, like looking at paintings (either online or in a museum). When I find a painting I ask myself: why do I like this painting and how does it make me feel? What is the subject of the painting? Is it primarily a specific texture, or a character, a group of people, a landscape, etc.? I focus on that subject on what it means in what I feel when looking at the painting. When I have answered myself to some of these questions, I try to translate those answers and feelings into music. Is it a dark or light painting? Is the scene described quiet and serene, or does it depict a struggle of sorts? Then, I try to make something that makes me feel those emotions and experiences, too. An important thing is to start in your head with a melody or rhythm. This technique basically never fails to get inspiration, but if you do not start in your head, you can get too rational and technical. That is essentially the opposite of what you want to achieve, so be aware of that effect.
I hope one of these techniques works out well for you, and if you wonder why you should create in the first place, click on the link for “Why I create, and you should too” below.