2013-06-02 Out with Doubt
After the last vlog, some folks realised they had questions to ask me that they hadn't sent my way. You keep sending questions, and I'll try to get to them in blogs and vlogs. Today, I'm going to answer the following:
How do you stay inspired; to not get discouraged in the set backs that we all as creative beings and musicians have?
from where does the drive that keeps your passion for creating music, and performing come?
Do you have those moments of weakness and doubt in doing what you do, and how do you stave off these demons of doubt and discouragement?
Because this has the potential to get wordy, I thought a blog might be the best way to go. So, blog!
I think there are four parts to this question:
- Do I have moments of weakness and doubt in creative things?
- How do I push through them?
- Where does my drive for pushing through come from?
- How do I stay inspired?
Okay, there's the orderly part. Now to stay coherent as I try to answer. Though, as I review this, it turns out I get less and less helpful in my answers (if someone was looking for help from my answers).
Do I have moments of weakness and doubt in creative things? I don't know any creative person, including those who have 'made it', who don't have moments now and again. So, yeah, I've had my moments. And, given that all my lyrics come from true places, I'm guessing that the vulnerability of this and the extent to which I want it will mean I've got occasional moments ahead of me the rest of my life. Even if I were to quit, I'd probably have moments of doubting that decision the rest of my life. Hurrah!
How do I push through them? That varies. So, here's a list of stuff I do:
- Just keep doing what I do, remembering that such moments have come and gone in the past.
- Talk to honest friends, because I think most doubt comes from fear. And fear is generally a big, fat liar.
- Remind myself all the things that I've gotten right, the positive input, the great moments, and what it is I'm trying to make happen and why.
- Ask myself what quitting would look and feel like. Sit on the idea for the minutes it takes me to realise that I've got loads of lyrics still to write and that it feels even worse to consider giving up than it feels to keep trying to push through the doubts.
I'm afraid there's no guaranteed magic bullet for the doubts. But just continuing to work on the things that matter (and this applies to creative endeavours, all types of relationships, and any goals/dreams that matter to you) and keeping a handle on your self-talk (don't lie to yourself, which includes positive and negative lies) until it either feels good again or until you're calmly sure its time has passed seems to work for me.
Where does my drive for pushing through come from? Thinking specifically of the music...I've wanted this pretty much my whole life. To be honest, the passion and drive are just...there. I have had other things I was good at and enjoyed, but the passion just...just wasn't there. And given that one of the 'other things' was writing, I can't pin it all on the fact that my lyrics are rooted in truth and, therefore, emotionally connected to me. I'm sure that's part of it, but only part. Sometimes, the drive, like the 'pushing through the doubts', is just about doing what it takes to move things forward until the passion surges back. I find that focusing on why I'm doing this is the most effective approach for getting the drive fired back up.
I think that most important things in life that have an emotional aspect have some similar truths. One of those is that emotions, drives, passion, love, and so forth all wax and wane. And if the things matter, you push through and keep working on what matters until, as I said, either you get the good feelings back or you calmly realise that you've truly moved on. Start with thinking about what is good or why you started on the path in the first place, don't just let hate or some belief in, as they say, the grass being greener on the other side, lead you. And, as one of my dearest friends reminded me, when you hit a negative emotion or a low, don't put a full stop (aka period) on that moment; put a comma or ellipses on. It's not over. It's not the final answer.
How do I stay inspired? Mainly, I focus on the positive and remind myself what I'm doing it for. I keep a list of songs, people, quotes, and such that have inspired me and I refer to it regularly (even when I'm feeling good). And, at the worst times, when I've most stubbornly dug into some sort of BS lies the negative voices in my head have been telling...some emotional something will swim up and make me write lyrics. And I'll realise that I'm going to be constantly 'inspired' that way. Hurrah for the stereotypical huge feelings of an artist! (Other stuff I'll do, if we're just talking about staying artistically inspired as opposed to pushing through the doubt times, includes listening to music, going to shows, looking at art, giving myself long and relaxed quiet times to let my brain go.)
I feel generally blessed in terms of my doubts and overcoming them, and I hope some of my answer has been helpful (or at least interesting). And that it answered the questions. Heh.
If you've got other questions or things you'd like to read here or see on the vlog, drop me an email, lovely.
xxx
Amber
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