brooklynsfate

I’ve had a bit of a creative block recently. This is nothing new and could be called a part of my “Creative process”. I’m a musician, inspiration comes and goes. The well runs dry. So, I’ll write 3-5 songs in about a month or two; then I will go two to three months not writing a single thing. Which is fine for the most part, I guess. But there’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to write and not being able to find the words. I believe that’s a part of why I felt so compelled to start blogging. I need to write, to say something, but nothing is coming out in a poetic song-y kind of way. Next -of course- is the spiral where I question if I was ever any good and if I’ll be able to write anything good ever again. When this happens I’ll play one of my older songs that I know is good. It usually helps the spiral stop. But now I’m trying to figure out how to get the words back. What do I want to say? What do I need to say?

I heard free writing in the morning-or any time of day, really- can be helpful for decluttering the mind. This works super well when you have a lot on your mind. At the very least it helps you breathe a little deeper, in my experience. Honestly though, I don’t have much going on up there in recent days. I do consider myself lucky in that regard. I am a chronic over thinker, so to have an empty mind is bliss. I’m having realisations right now as I write this. I’ve emptied my mind of clutter, and now I need to start filling it with things that inspire me. I have tried to force inspiration on myself before and it simply does not work. BUT what I need to do is observe. The people in my life, the world around me and beneath my feet. I need to read more, listen more. Live more, feel more. I need to start refilling my “creativity cup”. Arm myself with things I can draw inspiration from.

Side note: have you heard of the “fill your cup” metaphor? Basically it’s saying that you can’t pour from an empty cup. If you don’t take care of yourself mentally, emotionally or physically, you will run dry. Empty cup. Therefore, you won’t have the capacity to help the people around you. You won’t have it in you to handle work or manage everything this life asks of you. To make sure your cup is full you have to eat, sleep, exercise, let other people help you when you need it and do things that make you happy. Etcetera.

I’m going to do a little experiment with myself. I am going to find one thing everyday that makes me feel something. I will then write about it in as much detail as I possibly can. I’m hoping a few things come from this. One, it should force me to slow down and live in the moment (that’s hard for me); Two, it will hopefully force me to set the scene using descriptive words I wouldn’t usually use; and three, hopefully I will be able to pull all these little moments from my life that mean something to me and mold them into one cohesive piece. I’m talking small things, examples being: a good coffee, the sunlight hitting the window a certain way or filtering through tree leaves, a strangers action or smile that leaves a lasting impact, or spending time with a friend.

Hopefully all that gets things moving again. For those of you also trying to work out those creative muscles and work around those road blocks, good luck!!