Ruts and Inspiration

I've been feeling a bit baseless these past few weeks. I recently uprooted myself, moving to Oregon for three months to get some perspective and complete a third album, and I'm spending significantly more time working on music than I have in years, but thus far I feel a sense emptiness and indifference to the ideas I've been coming up with.

My response to this problem has so far been to force myself to continue "working" as long as possible before eventually collapsing into some mostly mindless activity (watching a movie, browsing the internet, etc) which I immediately make myself feel guilty about. "I've come all this way, spent all this time and energy to be in this space and write my masterpiece!" You can imagine the internal monologue.

I've been doing this long enough to know that you can't force inspiration and that the vibe will eventually return, but it's a disheartening process nonetheless. Thankfully, I just happened across this short essay:

Chasing Inspiration by Tarakith

In it, the author identifies exactly the experience I'm going through and outlines a few ideas for dealing with it. All of his strategies are good ones, and, despite the fact that pretty much every creative person I've spoken to has gone through a similar rut, it's reassuring to be reminded that I'm indeed not alone in this affliction.

While this essay is oriented towards music makers, many of the ideas apply to the creative process in general. If you've ever felt lost and helpless in the creation of your art, this is a highly recommended read.