a question of creativity

[atw23]

hi everyone im new to the forum, but ive been reading your post for months, its been really helpful.

this is off topic but i am curious about your thoughts on creativity,
and how to improve it, yeah drugs help, but beside that.

i have always wondered if its something u can develop or are u born with it? sometimes i feel more creative than other times.

the longer i go without playing guitar the more creative i am when i play again. its like lifting weights, if u do too much u dont improve but if u take a break u come back far stronger then before.

it seems like the less i care about playing good guitar or any other instrament the better i play.

let me know what u think.

[pauljhart]

I tend to agree on the "put the guitar down for a few days" philosophy. The trouble is getting the timing right. No doubt when I have some time spare to try some writing I wont have actively thought to put the guitar down for a few days before.

I also find listening to anything new tends to spark off a few ideas or just moving away from your normal listening habits as well. Watching TV helps sometimes as even things like theme tunes for shows or music on adverts can start making you come up with your own ideas based around what you have heard.

I still wish it came as a pill though!!

[realityflaw]

Don't we all wish we could just turn on the creativity at will!!!! I have found that inspiration just happens and you just have to be ready when it does. That's the great thing about having the MR-8 around. I can capture the muse when it happens. We all have some our best stuff that never was documented due to a lack of a recorder being around. Now I can at least get the seed of the idea and build on it later when I have more time.

[billisa]

One thing I would definitely say is when a creative inspiration arrives, don't let it pass without writing it down, recording it, or acting on it in whatever way is relevant. In the past, I've awakened in the middle of the night with an idea... I now know it's critical to get up and jot it down as opposed to thinking it'll be there in the morning. Often, it won't be.

There's a song that the writer received the inspiration for in his sleep. It's called, "Yesterday."

I also think that while there is value in putting equipment away for a "rest", there is also value in persevering through the doldrums. What with all the new equipment and techniques that go with it, I find if I don't stay on top of how it all works, then the "rustiness" gets in the way of actualizing inspiration. Kind of like how being inexperienced with a keyboard can interfere with the process of good writing.

[pjh6467]

I agree with most the replies. Find any way to keep ideas in your head or jot them down or get on tape (compact flash card) ASAP. Another song or guitar riff evolving from a dead sleep was Jumping Jack Flash. 2 minutes of guitar on tape followed by 30 minutes of snoring. Voted one of the best songs of all time. It's a shame that most of our good ideas come at the most in opportune times. So sieze the moment, grab a napkin, gum wrapper whatever it take to keep the music in your head. Didn't Bobby Sherman write his stuff on candy wrappers? heh heh