3 Exercises to get your Creative Juices Flowing

We’ve all been there. Our creative reserves run dry and ideas seem to fall flat before they can even come out of your brain. This can make the process of songwriting difficult and frustrating but don’t worry, these creative blocks are only temporary and there are things you can do to kick start your creativity and get back on track to writing your next big hit.

Free Writing

Sometimes getting an idea is as easy as sitting down and writing it out. Set aside some quiet time to sit down and write. Write everything that comes to mind. Don’t worry about a story, or plotline, or even a theme. Just write what comes to mind and see what you can come up with. Keep writing until you have nothing else to write then kick back and see if anything you’ve written can inspire your next project. This can be applied to music through vocal improvisation or free play on an instrument. You can sing random lyrics or play various chords and see how things work out. If something catches your ear roll with it and you may just have a new song within a matter of minutes.

Set Constraints

Vastly different from free writing, setting constraints can be another effective way to get you thinking creatively. Constraints can be as simple as setting a timer when free writing, or as complex as following a prompt. You can ask a friend or colleague for a prompt, or you can do find numerous prompts online with an easy Google search. Another good source for writing prompts is the Reddit community R/WritingPrompts, offering new prompts daily. This is also easily doable musically. Pick a meter you don’t normally work with, try composing a different genre, or play only variations of select chords. Sometimes limiting your choices can help you think of something new and interesting.

Change Your Point of View

Sometimes all you need is to change your scenery. The mundane day to day activities can sometimes create a fog that we can easily get comfortable in. Thinking of new ideas can be difficult because our brains have been conditioned to expect and experience the same thing every day. The easiest way to step out of this fog is to step into something different. Try visiting a new restaurant or coffee shop that you’ve never been to before. Take a road trip to a different town, or go for a walk in a park you’ve never been to before. On the flip side, you can try going to familiar places and try to look at them differently. What would your neighborhood park look like if you were a child? Would your hometown feel different if you were taller, or shorter? Changing your point of view whether by changing the scenery, or your perspective, can also be a great way to kick start your creative juices.

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