5 Ways to Overcome Blank Page Syndrome
Originally published on Psychology Today. Eric Maisel’s “Creativity Coaches on Creativity.”
Some creatives find a blank space obsessively magnetic. Picasso, for one, could hardly pass a blank canvas in his studio without compulsively needing to stop and fill it. Other creatives find the blank page or blank canvas the exact opposite of magnetic. It daunts them; it even terrorizes them. In today’s post, creativity coach Louise Warren explores this theme.
Louise explained:
If you have ever endeavored to create something, then you have probably encountered the dreaded blank page. It can be the stuff of nightmares for ambitious artists who long to bring their big visions to life. Though it can trigger an immediate sense of anxiety and frustration, part of our work as artists is to learn how to coax ourselves through these kinds of blocks. Here are a few easy tips to get you started.
1. Give yourself permission to do imperfect work
Oftentimes, we have an expectation that our art should come out of us fully formed. We don’t consider that all the art we admire had to have practice sessions or multiple edits before we got to experience it. In creating, we learn by doing. It’s a numbers game. We deserve to give ourselves as many chances to manifest our vision as possible. Pretend you are playing two roles as an artist. There is the creator whose goal is just to fill the page. Then there is the editor, who will go back and craft and strategize about how to improve it. Set a 10-minute timer and let the creator take charge.
2. Move your body
When I feel mentally stuck on an idea, sometimes the easiest way to combat it is to literally move. Our minds and our bodies are connected; when we move our bodies, we can energize our minds as well. Throw on your favorite song and dance, go for a walk, or even just get out of the house by going for a drive. Physically shifting our perspective can help us clean out the inner cobwebs.
3. Talk about your idea with a friend
This can be a scary concept if you like to work on an idea for some time alone before sharing it, but it can also help you gain powerful insights. Having to explain your idea to a friend can help you see blind spots that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. It can peel away the complicated layering and force us to get down to the basic concept that we are working on. Being disconnected from this root concept may be the very thing keeping us in blank page syndrome. Not to mention that a good conversation with a friend can go a long way in offering much-needed support!
4. Move on to a different section or a new piece
As a songwriter, I often use this trick. If I get stuck on a verse, I will work on the chorus. If I’m working on a melody that is just stalling, I will record and save my work, and then take a break from it altogether. Many times, I will figure out just what it needs as I’m pouring my cup of coffee the next morning. No matter what your medium is, sometimes we just need to take the pressure off and come back to it later. It’s amazing how many more ideas we can call in this way.
5. Use all of your available resources
It is truly an amazing time to be an artist. We have more supportive resources at our fingertips now than ever before. We can research at our local library or from the comfort of home. We have endless ideas available on Pinterest. There are rhyming dictionaries, masterclasses from our favorite artists, and free software online that we can use for inspiration. If you find yourself stuck, make sure you are taking a survey of all of your available tools and putting them to good use.
Happy Halloween!
Hello there!
It has been a few months since I last popped in here and honestly, a lot has changed (for the better). I took most of the summer off from playing out. I worked as a cashier (and barista in training) and have been working hard to launch my creativity coaching business (Rare Gem Creatives) to help other creatives who are struggling to navigate this crazy existence.
It turned out to be exactly what I needed. I read one time that Bob Dylan stepped away from his art and holed himself up in a cabin and ended up writing more than ever. I’ve always wanted to do this - especially over the last couple of years. I had a feeling that stepping back and gaining perspective would do the same for me.
Songwriting has always been the way I show up in this world. Whenever I’m not writing as much, I know it’s a sign I need to make more time for myself.
So that’s what I did! And I’m excited to say, I’ve been feeling truly at home in myself again, ready to start breathing life into my next project, and show up re-energized on my shows.
But for today, I plan to curl up with Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and pumpkin spice everything…
Until next time…. I leave you with my VERY appropriate song, “Haunted”
Love you guys!
Louise
I had to step away...
This past month, I did something that caused me great anxiety and self-doubt. I took a month off of performing. If my calculations are correct, this is the first month I’ve taken off in YEARS of playing. It’s no secret that I’m a gig junkie and feel at home on stage (always have).
That’s why when I noticed the signs of burn out, I got very scared. I didn’t want it to mean that I didn’t love doing music anymore - and it didn’t. But what it DID mean was that I needed to take a break. I needed to go soak up some inspiration, live life for a bit, and get back to my writing.
That’s been the goal and mission of the month. I’ve been changing the way I choose to share. I kicked off my brand new Patreon community. And I plan to share more of what I’ve been up to, my songwriting and creative process, and never-before-heard demos.
It’s not easy to step away from something I love but I know it won’t be for long. This month, I’m headed back into the studio AND back to Macon for a show with my fellow songwriters at the Society Garden (a new venue for me!). If you’re in Macon on the 29th, check my ‘live’ page for all of the details so we can hang!
Because I took some time, I feel rejuvenated and ready to create in a new and exciting way for you all again… Thank you for being along for the ride.
Stay tuned like my guitar! ;)
Love,
Louise
My Story of Surrender
Originally published in Macon’s The 11th Hour. March 2019.
“Surrender” might seem like a strange title to give my new EP release. You may find yourself visualizing white flags. But to me, it fits perfectly. “Surrender”encapsulates the lessons I’ve lived through over the past few years of my life, navigating the excitement and joy of love and the deepest pain of loss.
It seems to work this way every time. When I set forth a concept for a project, I experience and embody that lesson throughout every stage of the creative process. My first album, Lavender Sound, was all about becoming. Every song was written in the time period from my late teens to early twenties and inspired by a moment that transformed me. I gathered each piece, each lesson and created the person you see before you.
“Surrender” has been about unbecoming, if you will. Through this project, I had to learn to let all that was unnecessary fall away. I released the false sense of control I have on life’s twists and turns. I surrendered passionately to the moment. I learned with my whole heart that this moment is truly all that we have.
I first learned about true surrender while volunteering at the Children’s Hospital through an organization called Songs For Kids. For six years, I knocked on doors, stood by beds, and sang to the sweetest children and their family members. I’d put on my pirate voice for the Spongebob Squarepants theme song. I would dance my heart out while singing “Shake It Off”. And sometimes, if the situation got desperate enough, I would whip out my rendition of “What Does the Fox Say?”, which seemed to break a smile in even the most critical kid I encountered. Sometimes, I would just come in and sing a song. Other times, I would stay and chat for a while. It was always guided by the people I served and what their needs were. My ego and need to look cool or fit in definitely had to sit outside.
It was my experience doing this kind of work that led me to the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation and their Singer/Songwriter competition. As a musician, I’m always looking for opportunities to share my songs. As a person, I’m always looking for a chance to grow and give back to others when I can. Music 4 Macy (an offshoot of the foundation) provided me with an opportunity to do both. Most songwriting competitions require a fee for entry but not all of them use the money for pediatric cancer research. It was a no brainer to enter, even if I never made it to semi-finals.
When I did, it just doubled my excitement. Another opportunity to play. Another opportunity to connect with songwriters like myself. Another opportunity to give back in whatever way I could.
On the day of the finals, we had a full itinerary of workshops from people like Steve Rawls to vocal instructor, Mama Jan. Music 4 Macy wanted all of us to grow and they made a point of investing in us. When I actually won the competition (and the recording time at Real 2 Reel Studios), I already felt like I had been winning all day long.
One of my biggest memories of the night was hearing Macy’s family speak about her life. My father, who was one of my biggest supporters and one of my best friends, had unexpectedly passed the year prior. I recognized their grief and the overwhelming love they felt for Macy. I committed strongly in that moment to help any way that I could.
So, we began! I got to share the stage with Chuck Leavell and Edwin McCain for the foundation’s annual fundraising galas. I spent time drinking coffee and playing from my songwriting notebooks to my producers Michael Bateman and Jonathan Beckner while we debated which songs should make the cut. We spent a whirlwind of a week in the studio with the insane talent of Yoel b’nah Yehuda, Jason Pomar, and Nathan Lathouse who brought so much life to my music and pure joy to the process. Later on, Jason Fowler and David Jordan added their own magical touches which had me grinning from ear to ear as I listened back to the masters. Michael and Jonathan made Real 2 Reel studios feel like home to me. They pushed me vocally and musically. When it came time to record “Reach”, a song I wrote only three months after losing my father, they made me feel safe enough to go there, to surrender to the well of emotion inside of me. When our week was done, I felt like I had learned a year’s worth in that short amount of time. We passed it off to the safe hands of Steve Rawls for mixing and mastering. And it was done.
The first track is a love letter to the families I worked with at the Children’s Hospital. The second track, a love letter to a person who once kissed me on a moonlit night.
The third song is for my Dad - the man who carried my equipment, bragged to strangers about my songwriting, made me coffee in the morning, and taught me to value myself. I still reach for him and honestly, I always will.
I once heard that writing songs could be a bit like having kids. You bring them to life. Then in recording, you watch them grow and raise them right. In sharing and releasing them, I send them off into the world to live a life of their own.
So, here they are. I surrender them to you.
The Secret to Life
I have a story to tell.
6 years ago. That was the first time I stepped foot in a Children’s Hospital, my red guitar in tow, and unsure of what to expect.
A few months earlier, I approached the head of Songs For Kids, based in Atlanta, after singing at a benefit concert. I sang, I donated, I bought the t-shirt but I wanted to do more. They just happened to need a volunteer in Macon, my hometown.
So here I was. Singing Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band, and even the Spongebob theme song for whoever voted “yes” to a musical stranger.
It was within those walls that I learned how to focus my music as a tool of pure love. I learned to ignore my bad hair days, my missed lyrics, and off notes. When I entered their room, it was all about THEM, not me.
If they weren’t feeling it? That was okay. I was there to serve their need for rest and quiet not my need to be heard.
And yet, they did hear me. I developed unspeakably beautiful friendships within minutes. I never thought that possible before.
Oftentimes, I would think myself there to cheer these kids and their families up, but then THEY would cheer ME up.
“Has anyone ever told you that you should audition for American Idol?” I beamed. Especially my first day back after the sudden and painful loss of my father, who was one of my biggest supporters. He believed in me and now my grief was comforted by THEIR belief.
It wasn’t long before I realized that I wasn’t just singing to the kids. The parents needed it too. They needed to escape long days, attempting comfort in hospital chairs, and worrying. Sometimes it was because they needed to sing along to Michael Jackson tunes. Sometimes it was because they needed to run and get a saving cup of coffee and be where they could express their stress fully.
I was there for them.
Out of a strong commitment to their privacy, I can’t tell specifics about the children I met. But I can tell you they I met kids who told me I wasn’t any good (until I play “What Does the Fox Say” and totally won them over!). I met kids who wanted me to stay for hours and pulled up all of their favorite songs on youtube in order to teach them to me quick enough to sing them on my guitar.
I’ve met kids who recovered. I’ve met kids who didn’t.
There is no way around it, your heart gets attached and though I don’t know them beyond these walls, my heart has broken for them.
Then it beats with more determination to be a part of their journey and hopefully, their cure.
That’s why I didn’t think twice when I saw Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation was holding a songwriting competition. I saw the beautiful intersection of my passions once more. I didn’t even care if I won, I knew my entry money was going towards a good cause.
When I won, there was a song I knew that would be the perfect fit to record and it’s about my time in the Children’s Hospital. It’s FOR these families and their beautiful children. It’s FOR the child life specialist, the nurses, and the doctors. It’s FOR them.
Because they know the secret to life. Maybe you do too…
Love,
Louise
Lvl to the Room reviews "This Could Be Love"
"There’s a certain raw talent that filters through Louise Warren. Her voice sounds like the long lines of a pen as its letters loop through tender words and unrefined penmanship. “This Could Be Love” is a written message on the back of a postcard. Warren’s talent is like letter-reading because sending a letter is the next best thing to showing up personally at someone’s door. That’s the intimate approach she’s able to capture with this single." -Hope Ankney
A HUGE thank you to Hope Ankney and the Lvl to the Room for covering my lyric video of "This Could Be Love"! Click the title above to give it a read!
Love,
Louise
"This Could Be Love" Lyric Video Released!
It's here guys!! My beautifully talented friend at Celestial PR has brought to life my song, "This Could Be Love". I hope you go check it out and sing a long with me!
Love,
Louise
Bragg Jam 2018
Catch Louise's performance at Gallery West at 4:30pm!
Buy tickets here: http://www.braggjam.org
