Creative Tips - Timing is Everything

Ok, so I've been on a bit of a creative hiatus for the past 6 months... and a musical hiatus for much the past year. I just haven't had it in me with everything else that's been going on and changing in my life. But I can feel all that creativity returning to me, and it feels good. I've missed it. But I think that all creative minds have their droughts: times when, no matter how hard you  try or even want to try, you just can't bring yourself to come up with new material for whatever medium you're trying to express yourself through. It's rough, but I've come to find that sometimes it takes just a small reminder of those goals that you set for yourself to get you back on track and get your mind racing with new ideas.

For me, it took a few things. Last weekend, I was watching several of my Incubus concert footage DVDs. As I listened to my favorite band play through all of my favorite songs at these awesome venues in front of all their adoring fans, I kind of realized how far behind I was getting on the goals I set for myself a couple of years ago. The members of Incubus were all in their early-to-mid 20s when they had produced a multi-platinum selling album in Make Yourself. Here I am at 20 years old and I've barely even recorded enough material or worked with the software and equipment that I've stockpiled to come up with one solid EP. It was a huge reality check, and one that I'm thankful for, because it flicked a switch in my mind that turned on both some creative and determined thoughts.

The other thing that's really been inspiring me is a business novel, oddly enough. It's required reading for one of the business classes that I'm taking, and it's one of the best books I've read so far in college. It's called The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement. It made me realize how much I've lost focus on all the goals that I set, and helped me regain that focus. Without goals, we become really mindless, uninspired machines set in routines that lead us in a circular path to nowhere.

I've broken off of that path, and already I have several things that I'm working on. First, I'm working on getting my home recording studio set up completely at my new abode. I hope to have that finished by the end of August. All it will take is setting up the software on my new desktop and learning the basics of some new recording software that I recently purchased (Acoustica Mixcraft and Beatcraft). After that, I want to have 5 solid, professional sounding songs written and recorded by the end of the year. I'll probably spend much of this semester writing as much as possible and then select my 5 best to record during winter break (I already have 2 songs in the works just within this first week, so I'm feeling pretty good about that). More long-term goals are an EP release in the spring-summer of 2013 and maybe by the end of 2013 I'll have had enough time to complete a book that I've been working on... that last one might be a stretch and a bit of a teaser, but hey, it could happen!

But to get back on the topic of timing being everything, the main advice I have to people in one of those creative "funks" is to think about your goals that you've set for yourself and maybe lost focus on, and if you get any kind of even slight inspiration from that, push yourself just a little and act on that feeling. It could open up some very wide doors to dream realization and happiness.

Creative Tips - Where to Find Inspiration

Inspiration can be one of the easiest things to come across and also one of the most difficult. To me, it seems more like a matter of timing than anything else: I've kinda gotta be in a creative mood before anything really strikes me as inspiration. Despite all this, I've found a few ways to foster creativity that just might help a few people out there.

1. Listen to music.
Ok, so this kinda seems like an obvious choice, but it's still worth mentioning because it's the most effective thing for me. If you're looking for inspiration for your own music, play along with some of your favorite songs or try to imitate a technique that you hear and like in a song. Ripping off a riff that you really like isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as you make it your own in some way.

As for all you painters, sketchers, and writers out there, think about what a song makes you feel or envision and try to replicate that in your chosen medium.

Remember: Music exists to inspire. Don't ever look past this resource when looking for a spark.

2, Check out some artwork.
Go to a local museum and get inspired by the works there, or maybe even just search for some random art online. Good painters and the like always provoke thought with their work, in my opinion.

Again, Art exists to inspire.

This was my first painting. I sometimes look back at old material to see what I can draw from it for new ideas.

3. Read poetry.
Just search for some poetry online until you find a poet you can relate to and actually understand. If you want to immerse yourself even further in this idea, listen to some recordings of poets reading their poems, or maybe even attend a live poetry reading at a local college. They're usually free and open to the public, so why not give it a shot?

I could keep adding notes like this, but I think you get the point. =)

4. Work with friends.
Working with friends on creative projects has its ups and downs, but for the most part, they're ups. Generally speaking, more people equals more conflicting ideas and perspectives. This tends to be a good thing, as it is a real eye opener and could really help kick-start more of your own creative ideas.

Jamming around a campfire during the summer is really fun, I must say.

5. Go sightseeing.
Even if you're just in your hometown, chances are there is at least one place nearby that tourists visit that you haven't. Take a little time to go check it out, learn about its history, or just appreciate its architecture. Don't take any sights or sounds for granted; take note of all the little details and focus on something that interests you. You'll be glad you did at the end of the day.


Hopefully at least one of these tips helps you in some way. Even if you're not looking for a creative spark, try out some of these ideas to broaden your palette and your grasp of your local culture. There's much more to the world around us than what we encounter on a daily basis. Sometimes you need to let your adventurous side indulge itself, and you just might learn something in the process.