Not that I’m ever short on ideas but I decided to tackle the topic of inspiration because I couldn’t think of a topic to write about. Sometimes inspiration starts that way. There is an old song that goes “It only takes a spark to get a fire going”, so where does one find that spark?
I hear music in everything so it’s easy for me to get an over stimulated palette of creativity. That palette quickly become a muddy mess that resembles a bad train wreck instead of a well-oiled machine. Just the act of trying to find inspiration can get your wires so crossed that you end up worse off than before you started. So how does one get a spark in a downpour of bells and whistles in this “Hey look at me” world?
One of my tricks has always been getting fresh ears. No, I can’t remove my God given sound catchers, but fresh ears can come in many ways. One is to listen to something that has nothing to do with what you listen to on a normal basis. I DJ a lot of EDM and Top 40 so listening to something like Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues helps me cleanse the palette. Not to mention that diversity expands your musical knowledge base.
Another way to get fresh ears is to listen to music through someone else’s ears. Stand next to someone who is new to what you do every day and just listen to their comments. Enthusiasm is contagious and catching a spark from their fire is just as good as starting your own.
Another trick of mine is to see a live act. This can be something as simple as listening to a street performer or attending a major production of a touring act. This might sound crazy, but a live act may not be alive! In the city where I live there is a plaza that has a fountain that is synchronize to music. This fountain “performs” at scheduled times throughout the day. Just watching the waterspouts and colorful fans of spray makes me see music in a three-dimensional way not just hear it. Besides inspiring, the water can also relax the mind, and we all know how relaxation can bring on the “flow” of creativity.
Talk to someone who wishes they could do what you do. Sometimes I take for granted that I get to do what I love for a living. Like many of us, I have worked the dreaded “day job” while trying to make ends meet from the music business alone. People spend their whole lives saving and planning to do what they love in their retirement years only to find themselves too ill to see their dream come to true. Or even worse, pass away before starting that chapter of their lives.
I teach DJ classes and it amazes me how I take for granted the amount of time I get to spend on what I love. My students only get a few hours after work or on the weekends to fit in what I casually do on a Tuesday afternoon. It’s like they fit what they love in between what they have to do, and I fit what I have to do in between what I love. If that alone doesn’t help you find some inspiration, I’m not sure anything will.
Short term sensory deprivation may be one of the strangest ways to clean the palette or light the fire, but it is one I turn to quite often. Sensory deprivation is simply voiding yourself of as much outside stimulus as you can. Get alone in a dark room with nothing more than a good set of earplugs and time.
Detaching yourself from the everyday bombardment of things jockeying for your attention will rejuvenate and refresh your mind and body. Sensory deprivation has been around the since 1954 and has shown to be effective not only on the mind but can reduce hypertension and cardiovascular disease. You really have nothing to lose but some well spent time.
Maybe you just need a hobby to take you away from your hobby. For me it has always been sports. I ride mountain bikes, dirt bikes, play basketball just to name a few but it really doesn’t matter what it is you do, just do something. Whatever you pick should take up all your faculties, so you are unable to focus on anything else. Trying to forget something is not easy but not getting the chance to think about it is a different story. Physical engagement of a sport or task helps to keep the mind busy. A thinking only task can leave room for the mind to drift back to the very thing you’re trying not to think about.
Finally go hang out with your friends. Find out what’s going on in their lives. Ask them if they need help with something or just simply grab a quick bite to eat. Don’t talk about what you’ve been up to unless asked. Listen to what’s on their mind. Let them choose the music you listen to or place to hang out, just go along for the ride. Like I said inspiration can come from anywhere at any time. You may need to go out and get it or even borrow it but never be afraid to ask, “where can I find some inspiration?”.