Every musician runs into writer’s block sooner or later. Sometimes it’s right at the beginning. You pick up the guitar, sit at the piano, or open your DAW, and… nothing. Other times you’ve got 90% of a song finished but can’t work out the next lyric, the bridge, or that missing part that will pull everything together. It’s frustrating because creativity isn’t something you can force.
I’ve tried different ways of pushing through it. I’ve sat there hoping inspiration would magically appear, I’ve played the same section over and over, I’ve tried changing instruments, changing sounds, changing tempos. For me, there’s only one thing that consistently works. I walk away. I switch the studio off, close the door, and go and do something that has absolutely nothing to do with music. I’ll mow the lawns, go for a walk, head out fishing or work in the garden. It honestly doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it isn’t songwriting. I also avoid listening to other people’s music during that break. I want my own ideas to resurface rather than muddying my musical mind.
The break might last a couple of hours, or it might be a few days – don’t put a time limit on it. Something interesting usually happens. When I come back and listen again with fresh ears, I hear the song differently. Sometimes I realise half of what I’d written isn’t working and I delete it without hesitation. Occasionally the whole song goes in the bin! That might sound extreme and like failure, but it isn’t. Recognising that an idea isn’t your best work frees you up to write something better.
Other times I’ll pick up the guitar, play a few chords, and suddenly everything clicks. The melody just appears. The part I’d been searching for arrives almost effortlessly. It wasn’t because I worked harder, it was because I gave my brain time to reset. Creativity needs space.
When we become fixated on solving a musical problem, we can end up going around in circles. Every new idea gets judged against the frustration we’re already feeling, making it harder to recognise the good ones. Stepping away breaks that cycle.
Of course, there are times for some people when deadlines mean you simply have to keep writing. Film composers, session writers and professional songwriters don’t always have the luxury of waiting for inspiration. But for most of us making music because we love it, there is no prize for sitting in the studio the longest and feeling miserable. If the ideas have dried up, don’t waste hours trying to force something. Go and live your life for a while.
When you come back, you’ll often find the music has been quietly working itself out in your subconscious all along.
