"Creativity" by Elena Goodrow
The constant pressure of being creative is something many artists can relate to, especially musicians. As someone who released an album within the past 5 months I’m constantly being asked, “When is the next one??” I have no idea and I hope it’s a long way away because creating an album was exhausting. It was rewarding, but exhausting. When I play gigs at local restaurants people that know me will shout, “Play us a new song!” The pressure to be creative is always there, and it’s something I have grappled with since I began songwriting in 2019.
Creativity is a mysterious thing, it’s something ingrained in you but at the same time it cannot be forced. Oftentimes your best work comes when you least expect it. I used to feel more stressed to pump out new music left and right, but I recently changed my perspective. I used to have the goal of music being my full time job. I would imagine a future where all I did was perform and write. I began to realize that this dream of mine actually felt more like a nightmare. I love writing music so much, but if I’m relying on my own creativity as a source of income I know I would become burnt out so fast. I love working a “boring” 9-5 day job, it truly brings me joy and fulfillment. Then on the weekends I can play gigs or write some music, stress-free. Music is something I do on my own time when I feel like it. When I’m playing music I feel more like myself than any other time, it’s a gift to feel so connected to something in that way. I want to keep my relationship with music as fun and carefree as it is right now. I go through periods of writing nothing, and I go through periods of writing tons of songs back to back. Right now I happen to be experiencing the latter.
The past couple weeks have been an emotional whirlwind, I’ve been constantly up and then down as I’m tossed around by my life. I process these emotions in one of the only ways I know how: songwriting! I wrote five new songs in two weeks which might be a new record for me, and before that I had not written anything in months. It felt great to pour out my feelings into song on my own terms and not try to force myself to write.
My newfound relationship with my creativity has been lovely. I encourage you to think about the things in life that bring you joy and how they can KEEP bringing you joy. I never want music to feel like a hassle or stressor, so I shifted the way I engage with that part of me. How can you ensure that the things you love stay being loved? Sometimes that means taking a step back, and that is okay. How do you stay creative in ways that are healthy for you? <3