How to Get Past Songwriters Block

Ever open up your notebook to get ready to write a song and you find yourself feeling stuck. You were probably sitting there for 30 minutes and all you had written down was a single line. Yup, I’ve been there. Getting past  songwriters  block always seems like a huge mountain to climb.

Or how about this? Remember the time you were driving and maybe even singing along to a tune and a strong burst of inspiration to write a song overwhelmed you? Or maybe you were walking and listening to your ipod and you felt that muse in you come alive. But you couldn’t sit down and write the song because you were actually on your way to do something more important than songwriting.

It’s really funny how a lot of times when we have the time to write the song,  songwriters  block becomes our closest friend, but the muse’s inspiration comes to us when we least expect it.

So how do we resolve this issue we have with  songwriters  block. Some people push through this phase and try to come up with what they can. I think that’s great for people who have the discipline to write songs, but if you’re like me and generally do not write when you don’t feel like it, there has to be a way to beckon the spirit of songwriting.

And YES! There is a way.

I know this sounds really hokey pokey, but this really works for me.

A lot of times, there is a specific strategy our brain uses to trigger inspiration or that state where ideas are swimming like a school of fish in our heads. The way to get into that state is different for everyone. So let’s take some time to figure out how we can get into state.

Remember a time you felt inspired. What were you doing? Maybe you were watching a movie. If so, what type of movie was it? Were you listening to any music? What might have you been thinking of? See the images you were seeing, hear the sounds you were hearing, feel the emotions you were feeling.

You might even start getting into song writing mode as you think about how you get into state. If you have a list of what you were doing before you were inspired to write a song, good work because you can use that to jump start yourself whenever you feel out of it.

For me, it’s taking a walk and listening to certain bands that I enjoy, or walking and observing what’s going on outside of me. Movies also inspire me, depending upon what movie. I’m probably not going to be inspired to write a song from watching Friday the 13th or Barbie’s Fantastic Adventure. Not to say that those movies won’t inspire you.

You don’t have to actually pop in a movie, but you can conjure up those same emotions from remembering specific scenes and music from the movie. Or imagine yourself taking a walk if that’s one of the ways you get the feelings of inspiration. See the specific images, feel the air on your skin, feel your feet pressing the ground.

Inspiration is a feeling, and you can access those feelings whenever you want to just by using your personal strategy of getting into that state.

If you think this is a waste of your time, I challenge you to try it out and see for yourself. Give it 15 minutes and see whether or not it helps you come out of  songwriters  block.