The Creative Mind Block

It’s one o’clock in the morning. I’m sitting on my couch with my guitar in my arms. I’m staring blankly at the pitch black abyss surrounding my windows. Strumming one dissonant chord after another. Nothing is making any sense, musically. One chord to another, my guitar sounds like a crying baby deer. “Why can’t I just make this song happen?” I keep thinking to myself. After strumming a bit more, I realize this is quickly going nowhere. So, I go to my iTunes for inspiration. Track after track plays and I’m still not feeling creative.

Why does this always happen at the most frustrating times? This musical creative mind block is something I’ve been experiencing off and on for a month or so. I’ll sit down, strum two chords, think of a melody and put the guitar down realizing it’s going nowhere. I’m sure fellow musicians will attest to the frustration this block causes. It’s a feeling of meaninglessness, helplessness, and creative insecurity. When this block occurs, I feel less like a musician and more like a layman trying to construct a song.

After thinking about this phenomenon for a while, I realize that it might be caused by my utter dislike for pop music and it’s form. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge/solo, chorus, out. <--- Typical pop musical format. Now, deep down inside, I’ve forced myself to write crappy pop love songs simply because I wanted to. I’ve forced myself to write all kind of music as well. But this time, it’s a bit more difficult.

I’ve actually gotten over this mental creative block recently. But I still realize that the musical inspiration is generally lacking. I no long can listen to music and get inspired. I find myself striving to write music that is generally unheard of, out-of-the-box, or just strange in general. Whenever I’m with fellow musicians, writing music is always easier. Perhaps it’s the energy in the air, the chemistry, and the creative flow of ideas. All I know is that when I’m playing with another person, I find myself in a state of emotionally creative bliss. Everything seems to work: I find the right notes at the right time, and the music is all that matters to me at that point in time.

I’ve had times where I’ll sit down alone and churn out an entire album in a zombielike state. Where it would’ve taken me 3 hours to create a musical work, I would have created an entire album when I’m is this mood. Now, this state of mind is rare and I wish I could have it all the time. (If anyone wants to hear proof of this, leave your email in the comments area or something and I’ll send you the album.)

Music is strange. One person’s hated genre is another’s favorite. I write music according to my own personal tastes. There is so much music that I want to hear that I can’t because it isn’t created yet. I make the music I want to hear. Perhaps that is why I can’t sit down and write a song every time I pick up the guitar. Oh well. If any fellow musicians read this, I’d like them to write about their own experiences of this mental musical block and what you did to get over it. Maybe it’ll help me get over this block. It’s good for you guys and for me. Good for you because you get to listen to more of my music. Good for me because I get to make music and keep on doing what I love. Thanks for reading this even if you can’t relate.