12 Ways Musicians Can Refill Their Creative Wells

One of the most inspiring creative stories I ever heard came from a good friend who, after playing a busy 50 concert/workshop season (in addition to her full-time job as a piano professor), awoke one day at the conclusion of back-to-back summer festivals, and realized that her passion for playing the piano had completely deflated. Gone, nada…. After a few fruitless (and panicked) days of ineffectual self-motivation, and attempts at returning to the familiar practice schedule, she called her mentor, György Sebök, and confessed that she might not want to play the piano anymore and was perhaps looking at other professional pursuits. He responded, “we all get fed up,” and then advised her to walk away from anything “piano” for a while. She spent weeks digging in her garden, until one day a Schubert sonata drew her back to the piano.  She would, over several decades, repeat this renewal of her love for the piano, each time finding new ways to reinvigorate her creativity and passion for this temporal art form.

We all get fed up. We get tired. We feel drained and dead. The music that once sparked passion in us feels lifeless and pointless. Many times this creates doubt and fear, and soon we’re asking ourselves if we really want to make music at all. These moments, when the creative well has been drained dry, are when we owe it to ourselves and our music to walk away, go dig in the garden, or do anything else that allows us to want to make music again. As the ever-wise author, Julia Cameron, in her book The Artist’s Way, writes, 

“As artists we must learn to be self-nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them-- to restock the trout pond, so to speak. I call this process filling the well.”

Filling our creative wells requires us to do one essential thing: stop. We’ve got to stop forcing ourselves to work at peak efficiency and give ourselves the mental rest we need. In a society that has made a god of productivity, where Sloth is the only deadly sin still condemned in our secular world, this is extremely difficult to do. But failing to honor ourselves with rest when our creative wells have run dry will always backfire—eventually, if we push too hard, we’ll lose our joy, our energy, and we’ll burn out completely.  Replenishing our creative resources takes time, and no one suggestion works for everyone. Here are twelve things that work for me; maybe they’ll appeal to you as well. 

Stop pushing

When I’m creatively drained, the worst thing I can do is to keep working on a project. Many times, if I walk away for the day, I return with renewed vision and motivation. 

Take a day or two off per week

If I go for more than two weeks without a day off, my creative spark disappears. Time off isn’t slacking, it’s good self-management for artists. 

Foster interests outside of music

I’ve written about this before in The Importance of Creating a Life, Not Just a Career but it bears repeating: beautiful, well-rounded playing requires us to create beautiful, well-rounded lives. Without passions outside of music, we (and our music) become depleted and empty. 

Walk away from social media

I think social media is my #1 creativity drain. When I spend too much time on it, my imagination has no chance to roam, I see little of the wonder surrounding me in the real world, and I become numb. 

Read something real (not just web surfing)

Sound bites and click-bait don’t encourage deep thinking. Whether it be a book or a magazine, my creative energy demands that I find things that feed my intellect and expand my understanding of the world.

Exercise

My husband jokes that if I miss a day of exercise, I become like a caged Border Collie—anxious and full of nervous energy. Exercise restores my mental equilibrium (and makes me a lot easier to live with).

Get outside

Going outside every day (even in less-than-ideal weather conditions) resets my mood. Fresh air, city or natural scenery—these things refresh the mind and provide a much-needed break. Many times, getting outside gets me outside of myself.

Travel

Travel has preceded every major life change I’ve ever made, probably because traveling forces me out of my routines, shakes my pre-conceived ideas, and allows me to see my life with a fresh perspective. 

Do something mundane

Garden. File tax receipts. Make a shopping list. These things take little thought, allowing my imagination to roam freely while giving me the satisfaction of getting something accomplished. 

Work with your hands

Some people knit or do cross-stitch; I cook and bake. I lose myself in the slow work of chopping vegetables or kneading dough, and when the dish is complete, I’m recorded with something good to eat.

Accomplish something—anything

In times of extreme stress, I’ve been known to create “to-do” lists just for the joy of crossing things off when I accomplish them. This forward momentum—however small and insignificant—lifts my mood by reminding me that I can still get things done, even if I’m not yet able to push past a creative block. 

Do something for someone else

When creativity dries up, the panic can make me very self-centered. Doing things for others frees that neurotic energy and allows it to start flowing again in a positive way.