As musicians, we are creative souls and our muses help create the music we love to share and express our passions. But like many artists, we often hit the wall creating the void of stagnation and frustration in pursuit of our creativity. How do we reinvigorate that creative drive and spontaneity? How do we reignite our muse to tap into the creative reservoir for the birth of new music that resonates deep within our bones and reaches our audience? Well, we’ll explore some strategies to help light that fuse.
To kick this off, let’s tap into some of those needed novel experiences. Routine can be a killer so exploring the new can be a catalyst to jump-start some atrophied creativity muscle. How about exploring new genres of music or perhaps plunging into some old pastime forms of music? The diversity of music is great territory, and worth exploring for fresh perspectives to stimulate creativity and new directions in music. Take in a concert or two, live performances can get inspiration up and running again.
How about breaking the comfort zone with a brief sabbatical? Take some time away from playing and performing. Give those motor skills a break, and while you’re at it stop listening to music. This will give your ears, and the internal music machine in your head, some rest time also. After some time has passed the act of playing music can feel refreshing and spurn some new creative ideas. It’s a bit extreme but consider it a fast way to purge your system from some habitually crusty old, funky, and stale repetitive habits.
Time alone in that ‘sacred space’ is most important when working creatively. Distractions and constant interruptions can destroy the process or even run your muse off into oblivion. If you can’t escape to the desert, then creating an environment more conducive to your creative flow is paramount and essential. Dedicate some space in your home or office that is solely for your creative musical pursuits. This area should be free from any distractions and set up with equipment, instruments, production tools, and other personalized clobber needed to motivate and stimulate your musings in music exploration and development. Remember this is for your mental and physical well-being to help you connect with your musical essence of being. So, the location is quite critical.
“After some time has passed the act of playing music can feel refreshing and spurn some new creative ideas.”
Collaboration is the ‘magic sauce’ and can be a powerful source of inspiration. It is also great for producing a profound experience to harness those untapped areas of the imagination, during the creative process. While collaborative projects are great for bringing many ideas to the table, it’s really the spontaneous jam sessions, that come about during the creative process, that develop some real fat gems.
Finding like-minded musicians or attending workshops, music communities, or other avenues for networking can open new doors for discovery and cross-pollination of ideas. Networking is cumbersome to most musicians who tend to be introverted but the effort pays off in so many ways in hindsight.
Solitude… is the crucial link to connecting with your inner inspiration and internal music. This is the muses’ playground. Taking the time and investing in oneself, away from worldly distractions, allows for deep introspection and creativity. A sense of purpose can be reinforced by meditating on various musical passages, journaling, or taking a stroll through nature like a moment on the beach or relaxing in a park, or a meadow. Clarity can be found in these moments away from the daily runs in life.
Aside from psychedelics, the willingness to experiment with abstract musical forms can be great at reinvigorating one’s muse. Exploring different techniques, tempos or instruments, and compositions with playfulness can help break up some creative blocks and open new avenues for inspiration. Spontaneity, with mistakes in musicianship, can often lead to breakthroughs and surprising results when exploring.
Discipline and freedom and the art of creating real music. There is a balance needed to that end with this suggested advice. All this energy must be channeled in a way that works for the musician in a meaningful way. As a musician, structuring a sound routine for reestablishing the muse for creative works also means incorporating regular practice and rehearsing, recording sessions along with regular and deliberate experimentation. All these steps are crucial to maintaining a creative flow in producing music.
Taking the transformative path to arouse one’s muse is a journey. These steps will hopefully help sustain a lifelong strategy for creating more music. With new experiences in collaboration, networking, and creating a space for inspiration, coupled with experimentation can help reignite a creative spirit. Also, balancing discipline with freedom. Keep an open mind and, over time, your muse will be happy and at your beckoning to create new music, helping you to keep your audience captivated with your artistry.
Image: MaurosArt
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