Listening to Your Muse, and Developing Creativity From Inspiration

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I think one of the most difficult aspects of being a musician for me personally is being able to not let the stress of life damage my creative energy. I think many creative people face the challenge of finding this allusive entity we call inspiration. This is what I have found to be beneficial in preserving my positivity towards writing and how I fight writers block.

Don't force Creativity

It's every writer's worst enemy. Getting hyped on the excitement of an idea coming, you can feel it, you rush to grab a pen and piece of paper and- the page remains blank as if the feeling vanished as soon as you were ready to write everything down. If great ideas come then awesome, if not, don't try to make something out of nothing. If you do, your ideas will sound less organic and feel contrived. Let creativity flow freely. Also, don't think too hard about it either.

Keep a pen and notebook on you at all times

You never know when creativity and inspiration will rush into your thoughts. Be ready to listen to it! It can be very easy to forget that amazing melody you thought of walking to your car after class after just a few minutes. It doesn't have to be pencil and paper necessarily, as long as you're able to make a record of whatever ideas spontaneously come to you. You can use your phone, or just doodle/sketch your idea instead if you prefer. Find what works best for you.

Don't criticize your ideas until you have written them down

If your brain came up with an original idea for part of a song, it's probably something you will end up liking in the end. Just let the seed grow, rather than rejecting it immediately because you don't believe it's good enough. Give it a chance to develop and change if it needs to.

Don't stress when inspiration doesn't come to you

The worst thing you can do for yourself when it comes to inspiration is worry about the lack of it. The most important thing I have learned when it comes to originality is that inspiration isn't something you can control. It's like trying to swim up a river, its not going to work out if you try to go where you want to. Allow it to carry you whatever way it flows and just go with the current.