Starting from a blank slate

looking at blank slates, a brand new project, an empty canvas, an empty word document always tends to make me anxious. The sheer amount of possibilities that can emerge from scratch is overwhelming at times. Have you ever felt the same? Does the sheer responsibility of starting from scratch sometimes overwhelm you? You start overthinking everything? At times, do you overthink it to such an extent where you close the project and tell yourself you will do it another time? I guess we all go through this at some point. Whenever I sit to compose a new song, ideas come rushing to me like a tsunami and before I know it I'm left with too many options. Each option feels viable and you can't choose one. I have a formula to resolve this dilemma. At such moments of creative overdose take a moment and step back mentally. Take note of the different ideas revolving in your head and acknowledge them for some time. Accept the fact that it is happening to you instead of getting overwhelmed. Accept the fact that you can't do much and that's how you are. Now, start limiting yourself. Yes, that's right, start limiting yourself. Set certain ground rules in the project and only accept the ideas that can filter through these ground rules you have set. Restrict yourself intentionally. You will start feeling more in control of your thoughts. Keep setting more restrictions or filters till you finally only have barely any ideas to work with. For e.g., I restrict myself by only using certain instruments in the song and only a single scale even though I can easily go for more. Once your basic framework has developed, it will be way easier to expand on that by now incorporating newer ideas into your headspace. We are always told to not limit ourselves but are never told how to process all the unlimited information, data and ideas that come in with true limitlessness! Maybe limiting yourself after all is the true path to limitlessness. That's all for today.

Stay creative!