Creative Tips! Getting Unstuck
Frustration is so annoying. But first, ask yourself: do you have the right to be frustrated?
Have you practiced? Have you tried everything to resolve the issue? Have you put in the time? If you haven't then you can't be frustrated.
Get to work. Explore, have fun, go big, go small…
If you have tried everything you know, then you need new information, new tools to get yourself unstuck.
The great thing about frustration is it’s the moment before a breakthrough.
So go ask or find a mentor for help, seek out expertise, search the Internet (be discerning!), go into the rabbit hole to find new things to try. Learning curves can feel like a mountain, but this is also where the fun is! This is where your growth lives, this is where you succeed. It’s how you get unstuck.
Because being stuck just means you’re trying to do the same thing the same way. So, what you need are tools and choices to do what you’re doing in a new way. I always recommend to the artists I work with to make lists of the tips, tools, + tricks that I provide them so when they’re practicing they can try different things to explore, whether that be improvising new melodies, trying new ways of singing, expanding their expression — finding what works for them, what makes it thrilling.
Sara Bareilles told me she keeps me in her pocket, and whenever she needs a tool I taught her, she pulls it out and uses it. I LOVE THIS!
There are times I’m working where an idea popped into my mind seemingly out of nowhere — but it’s actually a tool that I was taught, it’s an experience I had from the past, and I am reminding myself: “Hmm. This worked. Want to try this right now? It could be the solution. Or, it could take me in the direction that will lead me to where I want to go creatively.”
This is why I recommend you fill your pocket with tons of tools, exercise, tips, and tricks that work for you! And you will constantly be adding to it because what works for you now may not work for you in six months, or a year. Some tools will last a lifetime, some you only need for a brief moment. You change, the world changes, how you want to express yourself changes. So you will update your emotional, professional, and creative tools all the time!
Post, share + tag me! I love to hear what you experience. And if you DIG the PARR PAPER — please, share it with your friends!