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like writing a song then rewriting it and changing almost everything about it. i think this is a great way to curb overthinking and get out of a creative block.
jeff tweedy has a quote in the wilco documentary about destroying and reconstructing his songs where he says,
“there’s no reason at all not to destroy it. we made it so it’s ours to destroy, and that’s liberating and exciting in a really creative way”
everything you make doesn’t need to be precious or set in stone. it has helped me a lot recently to allow my art to be like clay that can be reshaped into anything it wants to be.
Jan 29, 2024
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Pull a joni mitchell and engage in arts that differ from your primary to inform it at a later time.
If you lean more toward visual arts try poetry, song writing, music making, acting/performances for the self, crochet, clay, claymation, videography, sound collection, whistling, discovering new sounds you can make etc.
Often when i want to create but i feel tired or uninspired i try to use still life or my surroundings— BUT If thats boring i ask myself a question and let my train of thought ramble -> connecting that rambling to my pen on paper
Honestly setting your inner critic to rest and creating things that are imperfect is actually incredible!
More often than not letting first drafts be final for a moment allows you to discover what you crave to create.
Apr 11, 2024
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setting a timer for ~20 minutes and just writing without stopping until the timer goes off is *really* good - because at the end of it you have a draft you can revise, which i think is easier and feels a lot more like making progress than emotionally preparing to write something you might not like.
dan harmon has this quote that i think was really helpful to getting me to see the value of just getting the reps in (without all the self-loathing):
*“My best advice about writer’s block is: the reason you’re having a hard time writing is because of a conflict between the GOAL of writing well and the FEAR of writing badly. By default, our instinct is to conquer the fear, but our feelings are much, much, less within our control than the goals we set, and since it’s the conflict BETWEEN the two forces blocking you, if you simply change your goal from “writing well” to “writing badly,” you will be a veritable fucking fountain of material…Prove it. It will go faster. And then, after you write something incredibly shitty in about six hours, it’s no problem making it better in passes, because in addition to being absolutely untalented, you are also a mean, petty CRITIC. You know how you suck and you know how everything sucks and when you see something that sucks, you know exactly how to fix it.”*
Mar 22, 2024
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i dont know if this will be helpful. Or confusing. But when i experience writers block i like to live with it (?) i think that its natural and you have to ride the wave. i think art comes to you. Not the other way around. Yes it is fun to create. but inspiration must naturally strike
I would get an ounce of an idea and i would push it and stress over completing it. And then get so frustrated And then its not fun anymore.
but now when i get an idea i transfer it to a physical medium and once i get stuck, i leave it alone. Until it comes back to me again. Or not at all. And that’s ok too. Not everything has to be completed
Keeping creative endeavors in the back of your mind can let them marinate and get nice and lovely. easier said than done but try not to get discouraged that you’re not writing right now. There is some kind of beauty in its absence
Feb 11, 2025
