By: Jotham Llyod
Whether you're a songwriter, musician, podcaster, or any kind of artist, you’re bound to go through a period in your life feeling uninspired. You may be perplexed as to why you are feeling this way, especially if it is a new sensation for you. It may cause you to reconsider previous decisions, asking yourself when you’ll find that spark again.
What not many people tell you is that this is normal. This uninspired feeling could be your subconscious telling you that you need to change the way you do things, or simply spice things up a bit. So, if you're feeling uninspired, stuck, or trapped in whatever you're doing right now, don't worry; here are some things you can do to alleviate that uninspired feeling, get back on track, and start creating again.
1. Acknowledge How You Feel
The first step toward overcoming this uninspired feeling is to look within. It is critical that we accept this feeling in ourselves as a valid feeling. We can't fix something we don't realize is wrong within ourselves if we don't recognize it as a problem in the first place. By keeping our feelings in check and validating them, we can better understand them and work our way through them as best we can, and make the best choices for ourselves.
2. Make Small Goals Or Set Stepping Stones
This uninspired feeling is often caused by an overwhelming feeling. When we are overwhelmed, we tend to nitpick every single detail and overthink it, leaving us unsure of where to even begin. One of the best ways to respond to this is to divide the large task into smaller tasks. If you’re a songwriter or composer, start with one line a day. By breaking things down into smaller tasks, we are allowing ourselves to move at our own pace—slowly but steadily. Small steps are still steps, and any action, no matter how small, is preferable to no action at all.
3. Keep A Journal
This uninspired feeling occurs and persists frequently as a result of our overthinking minds. It's frustrating how we can't seem to shake these feelings. We tend to dwell on it as we try to figure out how to deal with it before it consumes us. This is why keeping a journal or any other writing medium and writing it down may be beneficial. (You’re not Taylor Swift, who famously doesn’t write down lyrics while creating her music.) The chaos inside our heads can thus be channeled through words, allowing us to see it in a clearer light. Journaling can also assist us in other ways, such as keeping track of the small steps we've taken. This will assist and motivate us, albeit slowly, until we complete our task.
4. Take A Break And Recharge
There will be times when simply starting tasks or working on smaller tasks will feel overwhelming and exhausting. The motivation does not come from within. We are human, and we have limitations. Taking a break and recharging, in whatever form you choose, should be considered if this is the case. It's counterproductive to force ourselves into something we're not fully committed to in the first place. Feeling uninspired may simply indicate that we need to take a break from all of the hard work we've been putting in. After all, we can't give our all if we're not inspired and motivated to do so.
5. Change Your Scenery
We tend to put ourselves on such a high pedestal that we don't allow ourselves to make even the simplest errors because we are afraid of being disappointed. The fear of the unknown is sometimes what causes us to feel uninspired. Try going for a quiet walk to clear your head. Talk to an old friend. Try something new. Create in ways you never have before. If you’ve never painted before, try it. If you’ve never sung before, belt out a tune. Never picked up a guitar? It’s worth a try!
Embracing the unknown, regardless of its magnitude or outcome, may reveal aspects of ourselves that we haven't discovered yet, which may have the potential to become our new strengths. in this way, we can also understand the how’s and why’s, which will help us improve and find new inspiration.
Next Steps
Sometimes, we’re only left with one choice, and that is to dive right into what it is we have to do. Even if you’re feeling uninspired, pick up that guitar, or pen, or microphone, and start going. It doesn’t have to be good. It just has to be a start. At the end of the day, we are masters of our own minds; it is up to us to change things or let them be.