The Creative Crick in Your Neck

Right now I have a huge crick in my neck.  I can't look up any higher than a slight head raise.  I can't look right.  My vision is very constricted, not to mention my mobility and activity level.

This gets me thinking- how often does my creativity get a massive "crick in the neck"?  How often do I get so focused on one aspect that I lose the ability to look at it from another point of view?  The answer- alot.

I think many of us do.  Tonight I was in the mood to write a new song.  I had a very focused opinion on what it should be or sound like.  crick.  I didn't let myself freely write, I was doomed to only be able to look at the song from a small vantage point, and I couldn't get a single line out.

This applies to more than just music- really anything with a creative pulse.  Do you want to know what causes this crick? Stress. Tension.  It doesn't 'just happen', it isn't caused by 'nothing'.

But the real question- how do you get rid of a creative crick?
1) Stop turning into the crick
          You have to stop trying to work the crick out by force.   If you can't come up with a lyric, don't stop everything until you have the 'perfect lyric', because you never will at that rate.

2) Massage the painful area
        This can mean several things, but mainly- pamper it.  If you are stuck on a camera angle, watch one of your favorite directors.  Let your mind soak in the camera angles he has already used.  Don't 'research' by reading- in fact- don't research.  Just watch.  And when you start to feel the crick loosen, don't stop.  Let it go completely.  Stuck on a lyric- listen to one of your favorite songwriters, read some poetry, watch something inspirational.

3) Rest
         You are not going to get anywhere by staying up until you fix the problem.  I lost my remote for the TV tonight, and obviously, I freaked.  After 20 minutes, I stopped.  Not because I didn't care anymore, but because I knew I would find it when I calmed down.  You have to stop stressing about getting it done.   So take a break from it all.  If you can afford to take a nap, do that.  Your brain will be fresh then.  Maybe you can't afford to take a nap- go for a short jog.  Do something completely unrelated to the task you are trying to perform.


And finally- don't give up.  It will go away.  When I was a freshman in college I wrote a new song just about every day.  By the end of the year I had a 3 ring binder stuffed with songs- decent songs (well, most of them).  But since then (4.5 years later), I have written just as many in four times the timespan.  There are times when I go 3 months before writing something I like.  Because I don't force it, but I don't give up.  I know it will come when it comes.  Have faith in yourself.