4 Effective Ways to Get Out of a Creative Block

I am a writer. I am also a musician. For the past 5 months I’ve had no problem opening up a new file on my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and composing, mixing, and mastering music for hours, every single day. From Monday to Sunday. Nonstop. I love some tracks, find the rest okay, and others I simply discard, telling myself I’ll do better the next day.

It was all great, until this week.

I opened up my DAW again on Monday. Nothing.

I tried different instruments, effects, tempos, and scales.

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

The few sounds that I could manage to create were terrible. The same process repeated itself on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday… you get the idea. I felt like a professional athlete who had been injured and couldn’t move anymore; except I didn’t know where the injury was, or how I got it.

Nothing had happened during that week that was particularly traumatic or stressful (aside from living in the middle of a pandemic). Was I out of ideas? Was I done with music? Was I bored of my style? I had been making music every single day for the past 6 months. Every day. And suddenly, with no previous explanation or logic behind it, I could make nothing.

It was terrifying, since music has been a part of my life forever, and up until now, it had never failed me. I’ve had writer’s blocks before, and I’ve dealt with them as best as I could, but this felt different. So, what is it?

Sharing my experience on social media with fellow musicians, as well as talking to my family and friends, has provided me with several ideas on how to get my mojo back (and it is working!), so I thought I’d leave you with a few tips on how to overcome a creative adversity:

1. Take Breaks!

The most important step is to recognize that this is not the end, but a mere setback. There’s no point on trying to push yourself when you feel like you’re going nowhere. Think about it, athletes have to rest and recover for weeks or even months when they sustain an injury. Play videogames, watch a movie, do some exercise, or treat yourself to some ice cream. Your brain will thank you, and you might wake up fresh the next morning, ready to go back to it as if nothing had happened.

2. Learn Something New

A creative block might just be your brain trying to tell you not only to take a break, but also, that it’s time to explore new, unconquered territories. As artists, we are also constant students. Take a class on a new music genre, style of writing, lighting technique for photography or film… mix it up! Apply those techniques for the next project you work on.

3. Copy (or steal)

Remember that line, “a good artists borrows, a great artist steals”? And no, I’m not asking you to go to your local Costco and smuggle a giant box of Cheerios on your way out. But there is no danger in looking up your favorite artist, regardless of your area of expertise, and borrow their style for a little bit. If you are a musician, remix, sample or cover your favorite artists. If you are a writer, write in the voice of your favorite author, playwright, screenwriter, etc.

4. Revisit old works

In the midst of trying to create content for your followers and fans, and trying to simply be better than the yesterday, we might lose ourselves and forget how far we’ve come. So, take some time to retrace your steps. Listen to music you’ve made, re-read your first poem, appreciate the paintings all around your house. Or, if you’re feeling up to the challenge, re-open or bring back that project that you told yourself you would finish one day and work on it!

Creativity blocks can happen to all of us, and as terrifying as they may seem, remember that this is not the end, but a mere setback. Look at this list whenever you feel stuck, and don’t forget that the most important thing is to stop, take a breather, and then assess what your next step will be. Everything will be okay.