Oh the dreaded "One minute you're on a writing frenzy and the next, you can't remember how you ever even wrote just one song" situation🙄. We've all been there. Hell, we'll be there again soon, probably. It comes and goes. Sometimes we know exactly why and other times we have no answer. Stress, life, confusion, parking tickets. These all have an effect in how we project our creativity. There's no right or wrong way to go about it. At times, I've even not cared to fix it for awhile. In fact, that's one of the ways I align myself with the gods of creation. I just forget it all temporarily and do other things. Which brings me to number 3!
3. Do other things(hobbies, etc): When I find that my music is starting to suck, I take a step back, put my guitar down, and do something else. I haven't figured out the science behind it yet, but after many years of doing this I've come to a rather odd conclusion. It seems to work because there's gotta be a second personality of myself subconsciously taking all the knowledge I've acquired up to that point and holding it for me until I grab my guitar lol. Seriously, it never fails. I leave for a couple of days in search of extracurricular activities. Come back to it, and magically there's a plethora of strange chords and lyrics that seem to appear in an instant. But, keep in mind that this shouldn't be a constant thing. Your chops and skills you've worked so hard on for years still need to be maintained. Your muscle memory does play a role in getting you back to where you were, but it'll only take you so far. Always be sure to keep your ears, eyes, and hand relationship up to date. This is purely coming from a technical point of view, of course. Which is a whole other monster that I'll share in future blogs.
2. Try a new genre of music to learn: Part of what has kept me so humble and happy about making music all these years is having an open mind to all forms of music. You don't have to listen to a particular genre of music all the time to say that you respect it. I’ve noticed time and time again, that it's common for musicians to think that getting better at something means playing the shit out of the same style song or piece of music. You don't have to use every form of music that you dive into when creating your own, but it does help tremendously to have pieces of those genres at your disposal at any given time. There's nothing wrong with throwing in a little jazz or electronic in your acoustic folk song. Stop thinking so much about whether others will approve. If you feel good when adding a little more salt or sugar to the recipe, then fucking do it. The respect comes from you sticking to your guns and doing what you want to do. and in turn, is conveyed through your music.
1. Remember why you love music in the first place: This is something that I'm guilty of forgetting to do. Sometimes, your instrument can cause you to feel a sense of redundancy. Especially when playing scales over and over.....and over. But, beyond that, there's always THE reason you wanted to get to the point you are currently at. I think back during the early days of finding music and what it did for me. being a teenager with no money, nothing to do, and confused about EVERYTHING. Working so hard to save and scrape what little money I could find to buy my first Bass Guitar and amp at the local pond shop. That thrill of nailing my first ever Bass line and playing it until everyone around me was sick of me lol. The first song I leaned. The first song I recorded with my band. The first show. The first Song I recorded myself at my house with my own equipment. My first EP I ever released. The first album. The first...well, you get it. Those tiny accomplishments that have accumulated to the musician I am now are what I think back on. And still, at 37 years old, the excitement I get thinking about my artistic future is something that I can't even put into words.
Music is such a complex, yet simple thing. To me, it's other worldly. the one thing in the universe that I can safely say I believe is actual magic. Hopefully, my advice can help someone with their musical and creative path. After all, what is music without connection. Thank you for taking the time to read. I'll see y'all soon!