324. How to get out of a creative rut (as a D.I.Y. Rock Star)
Loosely accompanies Gab & Jam,
324. How to get out of a creative rut (as a D.I.Y. Rock Star)
(video: https://bit.ly/324outofrutvid and podcast: https://bit.ly/324outofrutpodcast )
Even create folks run out of energy and ideas to continue creating. Here’s what to do when you’re trying to climb out of a creative rut.
Check out the episode for the full discussion.
We’ve talked about this a few times before—HERE and HERE, but what do you do when even as much as you want to create, the ideas aren’t coming or aren’t fresh enough for you to be excited about or you can’t seem to find the energy to get started? Our guest, Zandalee Indigo, shares her go-to ways to pull herself out of a creative slump.
Here are our top 4 methods for getting out of a creative rut: ⭐️
1. 1. Do “nothing,” but consume
Sometimes she says she finds that you have to “rot”—or just do NOTHING for a period of time—in order to get out of the rut. She says, “I may be biased because a lot of what I do is consuming media and then writing about it/synthesizing it for auditions. But I need days where all I do is watch movies in order for me to feel inspired enough to pick up a pen/practice.” So, you may find YOURSELF having to “rot” in order to get out of your creative rut. THAT’S tip number one.
Bruce and I do something similar, but we call it “consumption.” It is the idea that you take time away from actively creating to take in stimulus that can influence or spark an idea worth approaching. We find that just listening to others’ music or watching movies or going out into the world to explore can light a fire in us to get back to creating, so that’s our first tip.
Musical Discoveries #5: https://bit.ly/227muiscaldisc5blog
Here's our newest "Clouds" Obtanium Flow t-shirt design: https://bit.ly/obtflwtshirt623
2. Do “something”
Zandalee says that forcing yourself to put pen to paper/get back on the saddle and do something can help springboard you into what you need to do. We couldn’t agree more. In fact, as Bruce has mentioned having a daily practice of simply picking up the guitar or bass as he is sitting in front of the tv has helped sparked MANY an idea for a song or a melody or a set of lyrics. In other words, just deciding that you are going to have a run at creating even when you don’t feel particularly creative can help get you back on the path. –Keep in mind, that it may NOT always be your BEST work, but that it helps to empty out what you can, so that you can uncover the gems of your creative career.
Did you know that along with putting together our next album, we are working on our first book? Here’s the link, if you want to pre-order: https://bit.ly/diybookorder
Use the code HOLIDAY2023 at checkout for a 50% off discount. Limited time only!
3. Go back to old work
And you KNOW we loved THIS suggestion. She says, “revisit old works, it can help put things into perspective.” THIS has been one of our methods for breathing new life into old songs and re-imagining them into something relevant to our current situation. –If you did not know, three songs from our newest album, Obtanium Flow, are re-purposed from songs, some of which are decades old. (Those songs are “Instant Lover,” “Rings,” and “Daylight.”) –But tapping into a reserve of material that has been previously created, but that you feel you could add more zest or perform better or update the idea is like a creativity hack on steroids. Taking something older, but solid in the basic ideas, makes it easier to get started and can lead to a tremendously satisfying result.
Best Music-Related Documentaries #2: https://bit.ly/274musicdocsblog2
4. Chunking
We love Zandalee’s fourth suggestion. Doing a little everyday can help. Even if it’s just five minutes worth of work it can make a huge difference while you’re feeling unmotivated. We do this one ALL the time. Instead of saying we are going to write an entire song or record an entire song, we take the opportunity to work on a verse within a specified amount of time—like that 30 minutes you have between one activity on a Saturday and the next. We find that it becomes a joyous “treat” to squeeze it in, but does NOT feel as overwhelming as saying that we are going to take the whole day on a particular Saturday to work on a song. Somehow, it feels as if we’re being uber-productive and takes much of the anxiety to approach creating away. –Hey, and we know if it works for us, it can work for you, so give this approach a try.
Here's how we got on 18 playlists in one week: https://bit.ly/286playlistsblog
Top 20 Prince Countdown: https://bit.ly/princecountdown
Finally...
Those are our top tips for climbing out of a creative rut (as a D.I.Y. Rock Star). Remember, even folks who LOVE what we do sometimes get overwhelmed by the logistics or the process or worrying about the results of our work. Hopefully, the methods that we’ve shared will help make getting BACK to doing what you love to do easier.
What’s on our bookshelf #2: https://bit.ly/310books2blog
The benefits of having a website over social media: https://bit.ly/252websiteblog
Join our independent artist community Facebook group: http://bit.ly/diyrockstarjoin
Here are some great reasons to use a pseudonym: https://bit.ly/128pseudonymblog
Why creating a vision board matters: https://bit.ly/rockstarvision
Self-Care for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: https://bit.ly/7self-care
How about you?
What did we leave out?
We’d love to hear ways that YOU get out of a creative rut!
We’d love to hear what you have to say! Leave them in the comments below.
Want to know how to take better band photos? https://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
Which is better; releasing singles or an album? https://bit.ly/294waterfallblog
MPC One+ Unboxing: https://bit.ly/mpconeplusunboxingpost
File Management for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: https://bit.ly/229filemgmtblog
So, will we do it again? HELL, YEAH! 🙌🏾 In fact, our NEXT livestream is scheduled for soon, where we will debut the next music video for Bourgeoisie Paper Jam’s album “Obtanium Flow” --unless you are a member of our Patreon community. (If you’re in our Patreon, you will see the video one week earlier. Join here.)
Limited edition “Obtanium Flow” designs:
· “Clouds” T-shirt design: https://bit.ly/obtflwtshirt623
· “Retro Flow” T-shirt design: https://bit.ly/flowretroshirtaug23
81+ types of social media posts: https://bit.ly/277socialmediapostsblog
If you need to do social media, here are 10+ social media tips: https://bit.ly/socmediablog
Need Contest Ideas for D.I.Y. Rock Stars? https://bit.ly/contestideasblog
Here’s what we’re into now:
· We’re featured in Variety Magazine! https://bit.ly/featuresxsw2023
· The video for “Every Heartbeat” is doing well in Indonesia! https://bit.ly/everyheartbeatvid
· The Tony Webb "Funkalicious" video is going crazy in Honduras, y'all! https://bit.ly/twebbfunkaliciousvid
· One of our videos for our song, “Tell Me What You Want,” is going gangbusters in Vietnam! https://bit.ly/tellmewhatyouwantvid
If you like this, you might enjoy:
· Basic Recording Studio Setup: https://bit.ly/246basicstudiopost
· What to do when real life interrupts your artistic process? https://bit.ly/241reallifeblog
· 7 Strategies for rebounding from creative burnout: https://bit.ly/239digoutofburnoutblog
· How to give better interviews (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/236betterinterviewsblog
· How to give better live performances: https://bit.ly/219betterliveblog
· How to collaborate better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/Ep163collaborateblog
· How to write quicker, but better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/228writebetterblogpost
· Should you ever play for free? https://bit.ly/214playfreeblog
· 17 Tips for taking better band photos—ESPECIALLY if you taking them yourself: http://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
NOW:
New single, "Lovely Mystic (Obtanium Flow),” by Bourgeoisie Paper Jam http://bit.ly/BandCampPMG and
follow on Spotify at https://bit.ly/bpjspotfollow
More Ways to experience B L O O M I N G P R E J I P P I E :
· All things “Obtanium Flow”: https://bit.ly/bpjobtflwlinks
· Blog: http://bit.ly/bpblogsubscribe
· Shop: https://bit.ly/prejippieshop
· Patreon: https://bit.ly/PMGPatreon
· YouTube: http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
· Gab & Jam podcast: https://bit.ly/gabandjamhq
· Soundcloud (music): https://soundcloud.com/prejippie
· Join the Bourgeoisie Paper Jam Street Team! https://bit.ly/BPJstreetteam
· Prejippie Patreon: https://bit.ly/PMGPatreon
· Be the NEXT D.I.Y. Rock Star Handbook Pre-order: https://bit.ly/prejippiebklanding
· Funky Happy People (Who Listen to a Variety of Genres of Music) Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/funkyhappyjoin
· Be the Next D.I.Y. Rock Star Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/diyrockstarjoin
Please subscribe. Thanks. http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
Until next Monday, here’s wishing love, peace, and chicken grease!
Did you know that along with putting together our next album, we are working on our first book? Here’s the link, if you want to pre-order: https://bit.ly/diybookorder
Use the code HOLIDAY2023 at checkout for a 50% off discount. Limited time only!
