Keeping Up Creativity

[john]

Hey Gang

 

I’ve seen a few artists on social media mentioning an issue with keeping up their creativity levels during COVID.
 

How have you guys found it? Are you managing to keep up your creativity? Do you do anything to help keep your creativity stimulated? How successful is it?

 

I haven’t really noticed any dip in creative ideas, but then I always try to keep stimulating creativity by keeping varying how I express my creative ideas. I guess I’m lucky as I am also active in expressing creativity as a visual artist as well as lyrics and music. For me, variety is key. It stops any feelings of going stale.

 

what about you?

 

Cheers

 

John

[Steve Mueske]

1 hour ago, Popthree said:

one thing i did while the area i live in was mostly 'locked down' was to start doing an insane amount of ambient looping.  most of the loop captures were done with my cell phone, the loop playing in the background, while my phones camera was pointed at an image of some sort.  mostly i used 60s/70s era photography magazines as the sources for the images.   i called the project 'Loops from a Pandemic' and i released almost all of that "lofi" content on facebook (much to the horror of my FB family).

 

OMG! That sounds incredibly interesting. I'd love to check it out!

[john]

14 minutes ago, Popthree said:

the one person in this world who has an affinity for my looping   thanks steve. 

 

 

Well, I appreciate looping, and definitely the skills it has brought you. The ambient guitar you have posted is awesome. Maybe that makes it two!

 

I guess changes in landscape have some swimming, others left high and dry. Some I think were left with a lot of time that quite quickly tapped out their reserves for ideas.

[James Anderson]

being   a  farmer    I  HAVE   always   been   in   solitary   confinement   in   a  large   space   . never  had  a  shortage  of  ideas  .cant  see  me  writing  about   covid    it  sucks

[john]

Certainly writing directly COVID inspired might be easier in some genres than others. COVID inspired blues, for example, versus COVID inspired pop. Lol

[Mahesh]

Oh my god, if I may say so, that sounds 'sick'!! In all good ways of course. Whew!

[Steve Mueske]

That guy has a whole series of these, and they all kick ass!

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

The Coronavirus era is the best thing to ever happen to me for being creative.

 

Prior to the pandemic my more recent musical work consisted of being a backup player for other artists performing their material.  While that may be financially rewarding it is hardly inspirational.

 

After the virus halted live music and studio production I spent most of 2020 at home playing piano by myself.

 

In 2021 I bought my first DAW, Logic Pro X.  Then I began the creation and recording of 4 tracks by myself over a 3 month period.  The last of these, Immortal, released for sale on December 9th.  Now I am making no money but am excited about what I am doing and have 4 singles for sale in major retailers under my own name.

 

Rather than playing on commercial Pop, Rock, or Country products which suck artistically I can be more creative and progressive.  I now play and arrange in a manner with instrumentation which cannot be pigeon holed into one genre.

 

The best news is I am beginning to receive recognition as a composer and arranger.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Clay Anderson Johnson
brevity