Restart your creative engine
How a moment of play can help with creative blocks
When I was a kid, if I was playing piano and it all went a bit wrong or I couldn’t think what to do next, I’d sometimes slam both hands down on the keys. Porridge music, my mother used to call it.
This was immensely satisfying, for me and not so much for the rest of my family, I’m sure!
I remember the feeling that came before it, the rage and frustration at things not going the way I wanted them to. But it’s the feeling afterwards that really stays with me. It makes me think of the air after a thunderstorm, everything washed clean, reset and ready to start again.
And that’s what it’s really all about: the refresh, the reset, the chance to clear your mind and get rid of the rage (if you’re anything like ten-year old me!) and frustration that is an inevitable part of creating and working on something.
Hitting things might be incredibly satisfying in the heat of the moment, but there are other ways to do it that are not quite so violent.
It can be as simple as a conversation, a walk, or a cup of tea. But even better if it involves a bit of play, a touch of chaos and unpredictability, anything that startles, surprises, galvanises, and gives our brains a jolt.
For my music students— young and not so young—a game of catch with a fluffy ball always doe the trick. We throw it back and forth, seeing how long we can keep it in the air or who can get it over the high wooden beam in my music studio.
Or we set aside whatever it is we’re working on and, with few rules and only the goal of seeing what happens, make something up.
It’s a few minutes of pure risk and creativity that shakes us up and has us stepping off the path and, just for a little while, onto the grass instead.
Let me know if you enjoyed this post! And let me know if there's anything you're curious about or would like me to explore further. You can comment on this post or send me a message at katepainediscoveringmusic@substack.com ❤️