not Cereal Posted January 13, 2002 Share Posted January 13, 2002 ever been haunted? i am feeling spooky this morning. something in my past is nagging at me today and i just cant shake it. no reason for it either. maybe this is why i havent made any tunes for about a year. i went from about a song a week to nothing. i mean literally to many cd's worth of stuff to remember. then nothing. i havent written anything for over a year. and today i feel sick. not like a cold or a flu. just something really wrong. dammit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudioMaverick Posted January 13, 2002 Share Posted January 13, 2002 You might be goingthrough "burn out". Keep doing the same thing over and over... few years. Live, eat & drink it. Then, one day, your pshychie plays a trick on you... it starts talking to you and says things like, "What are you doing with your life? Is this it!?" I'd say, do something different, for a while. Stay away from music for a few weeks, or a few months, and the bug will came back. You'll have energy. While you are away from the burn out *thing*, you will eventually have a situation happen to you that wil start that kindling up, again. A new flame... a near-death-experience... who knows. It's happened to me. The important thing to remember is that family & friends are most important in life. Spend time with them. You'll feel better about yourself -- and, that is the key to the rest of life. "It's all about the... um-m-m, uh-h-h..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolhouse Posted January 13, 2002 Share Posted January 13, 2002 I know there are people that don't ever feel this way from time to time,but I don't personally know any of 'em. You may be on to something about the whole songwriting thing. That's my primary field of endeavor. Songwriting requires some distance from it's subject,even if it's intensely personal. There's a big difference between having "negative" feelings [i]about[/i] something(sorrow,anger,etc...)and having a gut level disturbance telling you there's some important unfinished business that's creating similar feelings. One's fuel,the other's a roadblock. I suspect,on some level,you know what's buggin' you. There may be a change coming on and you haven't decided you're ready to make it yet. At any rate,the first thing is to get it out in the open. For me,the only thing that works is quiet and solitude. Clear the decks so that whatever's bothering me can have room to step forward and be recognized. Put another way,God speaks in whispers. When we're too much of this world we can't hear. later, Mike [ 01-13-2002: Message edited by: coolhouse ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted January 13, 2002 Share Posted January 13, 2002 Hopefully, the AudioMaverick "near-death experience" doesn't happen...yikes! I like Mike's suggestion that "God speaks in whispers"...and, to tell you the truth, I think a lot of things speak to us in whispers. I haven't written much new music lately, and I'm incredibly burned out on gigging. But...I've got old stuff that I need to see through to fruition, so I'll cross the "new music" bridge when I get to it. But, getting back to the "whispers" thing...change your sensory input. If you listen to a lot of music...nix it for awhile and listen to the music in your head. If you don't listen to a lot of music and the muses aren't speaking, try listening to some new stuff for inspiration. Basically, whatever you're doing, try the opposite. Cut back your T.V. and increase your reading...or vice versa if applicable. Take long walks...whatever might help. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Sorry to hear it isn't going well. Mike and Tedster make excellent suggestions. I'd over a slight shift - try focussing on something else. I know the value of quiet, but for me there have been times when actively doing something else frees my head (and heart at times). Sometimes I come back envigorated. Sometimes ideas come to me so strongly while doing activity 2 that I have to stop and go back to activity 1. If there is any kind of religious feeling in you, try prayer. It never hurts. And sing in the shower. I used to write poems everytime somebody left my job or we finished a project. More ideas came in the shower than any place else. All the best - we're pulling for you. Tom (and you can cheer up after everybody here takes their shot about what I do in the shower...) www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricknbokker Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Sorry to hear you're not feeling well, in more ways than one. I like the change idea. Doesn't have to be a major shift or anything, as I know you enjoy your current gig. Shoot. I don't know what to suggest. When I'm down, I look at the stars. The night sky. Makes me feel small and insignificant in the bigger scheme of things. This is not a bad thing. I know my place in the universe, but it also renders my problems as insignificant... or at the least, easier to deal with. Just make sure you bundle up! :) Steve (NOT thinking about Tom in the shower...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poorplayer Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 borrow an instrument that you don't know how to play Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricknbokker Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by poorplayer: [b]borrow an instrument that you don't know how to play[/b][/quote] What a great idea! I gotta try that. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JES Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Could it just be depression? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halljams Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by coaster: [b] and today i feel sick. not like a cold or a flu. just something really wrong. dammit.[/b][/quote] I can't remember, are you one of those smokers from the smoker thread? :D No but seriously... You should read Dan's "what are your goals" post and possibly re-evaluate your position. Write down very carlessly on a, or some pieces of paper, every little thing that's been bugging you latley. Just jot 'em down or go into details, whatever you feel is needed to release some of it. Go till you can't think of any more things then put it away, or throw it away, burn it whatever. Do this every day for a week and you will find that the paramount issues will keep coming up and those are the ones you need to deal with first. The great thing about it is, it brings the issues to the for-front of your thinking and, a lot of time, solutions just present themselves out of no where, because you are dealing with the problems sub-conciously. This is not hocus pokus bullshit, it is how the mind functions. This idea sort of comes from a book called the Artist's way. It is an exercise designed to free up your mind so you can be creative, but is really just good life maitnence too, when ever you get all bunged up. Might work for you, i don't know. It works for me. Clears things up real good. It's funny, some people say they can't do this exercise, Just can't write it down. My girlfriend is one of them. Possibly cause they are scared to see what will come out? I asked her and she admitted to that. It's definatley worth the effort in my opinion. If you try it, let me know if it helps or not. Good luck. JH Check out SUPERVIBE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 coaster - Get some exercise and some nourishing food to start with. Take a class to get you moving and mixing (aerobics, yoga, kickboxing, etc.). Do something fun tonight like going to a movie with some supportive friends or family members. Oh, and stay off the sauce for a few days. Water, tea, lemonade, orange juice, Perrier - there are LOTS of other options. If you don't feel better after a few weeks, consult with a physician and get tested for Lyme Disease. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Studio Pet-Rock Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 You're in North Dakota and it's winter. I'd bet the weather is a big part of your problem - as it was for me when I was there last winter. My advice would be to throw your gear in the back of your pickem-up truck and get outta there. Southern Colorado's nice this time of year :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Maybe you could try reading? Here's a list of books that help me gain a sense of perspective: Dharma Bums - Kerouac Naked Lunch - Burroughs Allen Ginsberg's Poems (Howl & America) T.S. Eliot's Wasteland John Donne's Poems Surfacing by Margaret Atwood Kate Mansfield's short stories. There's many more but I usually start by picking up one or two and dipping in until one of them takes a hold of me. It's great to escape from yourself with a book - TV, friends, etc. rarely offer this. "That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." - Banky Edwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Here's one: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/mansfield/garden/bank.html "That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." - Banky Edwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjay Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Without taking a break from your own music, you might try revisiting your own old favorites, but re-arranging them into different genres. If you wrote a soft rock ballad, try turning it into an alt-bluegrass arrangement, or take a bluesey number and do it as a ska tune. It's an interesting exercise, and you often learn stuff along the way. But if you feel like you need a break from music, period, listen to your feelings by all means, rather than pushing yourself further into the burnout. You'll know when to return to it. And definitely: travel, even if it's only over into the next county. A change of scenery works wonders. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offramp Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 nevermind. edited. [ 01-15-2002: Message edited by: offramp@earthlink.net ] I've upped my standards; now, up yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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