Get Out of Your Musical Rut!
Inspiration isn’t easy to come by, especially when the world is on fire. Sometimes, it’s easy to find ourselves in a rut, especially when it comes to practicing. Music is such an emotional, yet tedious craft that it’s easy to become uninspired if you’re going through things outside of the practice room, or even if you’re just not feeling good about the repetition you’re having to perform. The good news is that inspiration can come at any time, but there are a few ways that we can get back to it and start feeling the spark again.
Intrinsic Motivation
First off, it’s important to remember that inspiration is fueled by intrinsic motivation and dopamine. We want to feel the personal rewards that come from an activity and are fueled by that when feeling inspired, flooding our brains with the “feel good” hormone. We are intrinsically motivated by our purpose – knowing that we’re serving something larger than ourselves, skill mastery – knowing we are getting better at something for ourselves and our personal growth, and autonomy – knowing we are choosing to perform a task rather than being forced to perform the task. Extrinsic motivation such as competition and working for money tend to have the opposite effect. Extrinsic motivation tends to negatively impact inspiration. Studies also show that inspiration is not “willed” but rather “happens” to you. Therefore, trying to force inspiration into existence, particularly with competition and money, will prove to be futile.
Dopamine
Inspiration helps us to move past our limiting thoughts with the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is responsible for feelings of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and optimism. It allows you to feel motivation, pleasure, and satisfaction, but also affects movement, memory, and focus. All these things play a huge part in effectively becoming inspired.
Don’t force it
Because inspiration “happens” to you and cannot be forced, we must find ways to allow it to find us. Openness is your best friend. Being open to a new experience, a new feeling, et cetera, will help you be open to inspiration first and foremost. Inspiration also requires mastery – although interestingly studies show that inspiration is spurred by mastery but also helps develop mastery. So, you’re not likely to find real, effective inspiration in sewing when your passion/mastery is in a musical instrument. Preparation cultivates inspiration. All of that said, the first steps to inspiration are focusing on your mastery and being open to a new experience.
Flow State
Flow state is another version of inspiration. It’s when you’re doing something so enjoyable and inspiring that you’re “sucked in,” losing track of time and being completely “in the zone” for an extended period. People report feeling euphoric and moving through their outlet quickly and efficiently during states of flow. Dopamine plays a huge part in flow state, as it gives the immediate rewards required for your brain to continue in this positive state. Sometimes we talk about getting into “flow state” at work, but I don’t believe it’s truly a flow state when dealing with extrinsic motivation – I believe flow state, like inspiration, comes from intrinsic motivators and doing things that we love. Simply working efficiently is not the same thing as a flow state.
Letting it “happen”
Activating flow and inspiration is difficult, because, again, it “happens” to you. That said, you can always create a space in which you’re more receptive to inspiration and flow. Mindfulness, meditation, and reflection are important parts of this process. I believe that the best way to open yourself to inspiration starts with meditating on a time when you were particularly inspired. What were you doing? How did you feel? What activated that state for you? Close your eyes and think closely about what that meant to you and how you got to that place. It’s also helpful to take “note” of things. What was different about that moment compared to all the other times you participated in your mastery and weren’t inspired or in “flow”?
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a beautiful way to take stock of what’s happening around you and to note the things that help you get where you want to be. One mindfulness practice that I love is to make changes. Sometimes we get engrained in our habits so much so that we stop noticing things. We get bored. So, changing up your practice routine, joining a new musical group, even changing the repertoire you’re working on, all are great mindful ways to open yourself back up to new inspiration.
At the end of it all, being open to the possibility of inspiration, spending the time to master your craft, practicing mindfulness, and making changes when necessary, can help you get back into the saddle once again. Take a moment today and think about what is keeping you from feeling inspired.
Once inspiration is achieved and the dopamine is dumped into our brains, we can experience true creativity, optimism, self-esteem, and of course, mastery. Mastery is on both sides of inspiration, before and after, it requires it, and it builds it. Keep trying. Keep showing up. Keep looking for ways to get reinspired. I’m so proud of you for showing up!
Key Takeaways:
Inspiration is fueled by intrinsic motivation, and negatively affected by extrinsic motivation.
Inspiration is not willed but being open to it is important.
Flow state cannot be achieved with something you don’t enjoy.
Recall a time you were inspired and ask yourself how you got there.
Make changes! Join a new musical group, change your repertoire, or change your practice routine.
Practice mindfulness.
Keep showing up!
