{"id":13197,"date":"2020-11-12T11:18:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T16:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=13197"},"modified":"2025-10-10T12:03:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:03:48","slug":"waiting-for-inspiration-to-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/waiting-for-inspiration-to-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"Why waiting for inspiration to strike will get you nowhere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Dani Pendergast<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you consider yourself a creative person?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If so, you\u2019ve probably been asked at one point or another to share your creative routine. And if you\u2019re like many creatives out there, your answer might include phrases like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI get my best ideas in the shower.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do my best work when I\u2019m going through something tough in my life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t decide when I get a creative spark; it just happens!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s all well and good, but it sort of sounds like us creative people spend a lot of time, well… not creating, but rather waiting for inspiration to strike to create. We want to spend our lives creating art \u2013 but only when we feel like it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it possible that we\u2019re procrastinating on creating?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Procrastination and creativity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Enter the two terms into Google and you\u2019ll find tons of research on how procrastinating actually helps<\/em> your creativity. I\u2019ve experienced it firsthand; many a songs were written while I was supposed to be studying for an exam, cleaning the house, doing my taxes \u2013 virtually anything else. We procrastinate on something hard by working on our creative projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what happens when there\u2019s nothing hard or important on the to-do list for the day, and we actually get some free time to work on music, paint, write, etc.?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s just me, but I tend to \u2014 wait for it \u2014 procrastinate on being creative. And I shamelessly chalk it up to feeling uninspired. \u201cI can\u2019t work on music right now. I have to wait until I\u2019m in a more creative mood\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sound familiar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the thing: our brains are lazy. At any given moment, they take stock of all the possible activities we could or should be doing, and try to reason their way into doing the easiest one. And even if you\u2019re in love with your creative work \u2014 you find it fun and fulfilling \u2014 at the end of the day it\u2019s still work. Therefore, it falls victim to being shifted up and down on your brain\u2019s list of priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say you\u2019re supposed to be filing your taxes. You could do that, or<\/em> you could take a break and pick up your guitar for a few minutes. Your brain screams, \u201cYes! I love that idea!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about days when you don\u2019t have any important tasks? You could pick up the guitar and write a new song\u2026 or you could go to your freezer, scoop out some ice cream, and see what\u2019s trending on Netflix. Which do you think is your brain\u2019s top choice now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This poses an interesting question: when you set aside your taxes because you feel a creative spark and an urge to pick up the guitar, is it actually a creative spark, or is it just an excuse to get out of doing something hard? Is it possible that you feel inspired because your brain decides to prioritize the easier activity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brain also has to justify this decision and make it worth putting off an important task, so you just happen to come up with some of the best lyrics and melodies you\u2019ve ever written. If this is all true, could we discipline our brains into prioritizing creative work, even when there\u2019s nothing else we\u2019re supposed to be doing instead? And could this be the answer to reducing all that time we spend \u201cwaiting for inspiration?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problems with waiting for inspiration to strike<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. You cover up bigger issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If waiting for inspiration is just procrastination in disguise, we\u2019ve got something else to deal with. See, procrastination isn\u2019t a problem in itself. Rather, it\u2019s a symptom of other much bigger problems. We\u2019re talking fear, self-esteem issues, limiting beliefs, self-sabotage\u2026 the list goes on. Personally, I procrastinate on creating music because I\u2019m afraid that whatever I create won\u2019t be up to my standards, but that\u2019s a conversation for another time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is, if you spend a lot of time waiting for a creative spark, it may be a sign that there are some deeper issues that need tending to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. You sabotage your success<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If making music is just a hobby, that’s absolutely alright. Do your thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if you\u2019re hoping to make an income with music<\/a> or have a full-on career? What if you have goals and aspirations? You simply can\u2019t afford to waste time waiting for creativity to strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. You miss out on the opportunity to improve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t practice your craft regularly, inspired or not, you deprive yourself of the chance to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you practice regularly, you can look back and see how far you\u2019ve come, what your strengths are, and what areas need improvement. Just because your work is creative, it doesn\u2019t mean that it doesn\u2019t require hours upon hours of practice. Of course, it should never feel like painstaking work, but you do need the discipline to make time for it even when you don\u2019t feel like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. You\u2019re unable to produce quality work on demand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What if you have to be creative as part of your job? What if you have clients who need a catchy song written or produced by a certain deadline?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you regularly practice being creative, even when it\u2019s the last thing you want to be doing, you train your creativity muscle. This makes it possible to produce something great on demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about actors shooting a scene \u2013 they\u2019re not allowed to say, \u201cSorry, I don\u2019t feel like it right now, can we try again tomorrow?\u201d They simply do their job. And what allows them to do it is the ability to discipline their brain, set aside all distractions, and reach deep into that part of themselves where the artist lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the same with professional songwriters and producers. They don\u2019t go into the studio only to say, \u201cHmm, I\u2019m just not feeling inspired today.\u201d They\u2019d lose money, and probably their jobs. If you take your music seriously, you have to train your creativity like a muscle until you can create your own inspiration whenever and wherever you need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do instead of waiting on inspiration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Identify any blockers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We touched on this briefly earlier. It\u2019s one thing to procrastinate on something you don\u2019t enjoy doing, but when you procrastinate on your passion, it\u2019s likely a sign of some deeper issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spend some time with yourself and ask the hard questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n