Friday, March 19, 2010

Five for Friday: 10 Tips to Avoid a Creative Block

Nice list of ideas.

Years ago, we used to live in Pittsburgh, where I was writing a bit of music before moving to Boston to go to Berklee. I used to go jogging whenever I was feeling stuck or couldn't figure out where I wanted to take a particular piece.

The problem was, I lived in an apartment building with a very nice foyer and elevators that played classical music around the clock. After jogging a couple of miles, I'd work through what I wanted to do in my head – the perfect chord or melody – but then I'd have to get home to write it down or record it.

This meant running a gauntlet of Mozart and Beethoven, desperately trying not to lose the nifty little solution I had in my head in a wave of Ravel. I must have looked like an idiot, eyes closed, frantically humming to myself in the elevator.

In Boston, we lived in a horrible apartment for several years, and while once or twice the gauntlet involved more traditional mugging, at least it was easier to keep a tune in my head.

Do you ever get creatively stuck? How do you break out of it?

10 Tips to Avoid a Creative Block | Inspired Magazine

3 comments:

  1. so I guess you were trying to keep your thoughts from becoming "un-Raveled"? hahaahah

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  2. Ha! Indeed, before I could get Bach to my writing!

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  3. when i get stuck, i do one of 2 things:
    1. surround myself with people more creative than me, and tap into their energy.
    2. do something completely different, and look for new perspectives and inspiration.

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