Writers block/uninspired/depressed

[neonblack]

How do you guys deal with feeling uninspired? I tend to feel worse about my playing when I'm depressed and better about it when I'm manic, but lately I just can't stand how anything sounds. All my songs feel uninspired and I can't come up with anything new. I'm stuck in a weird place where I don't know if I want to play bass or guitar. I have a Bass VI that I kinda want to tune to baritone and then use my four string Bass more. But I don't like my tone right now, even though I have a solid setup. I have no GAS to speak of, and I'm not excited about my incoming Count to Five anymore.

I kind of want to stop playing music for a while.

So what do you guys do when you get like this?

[Monarch]

Maybe it's better to stop for a while. If you are in making song and doesn't feel cool to you then don't force it, put it away, do something else, and start again when you're illuminated.

or

Take a movie, book, video game, whatever you like and which makes you feel good and inspired, could charge you with fresh creative energy. I usually watch doc Jodorowsky's Dune. After that, I can write thousand albums. Every time.

or

Put away composing, start practising some technique which will make your playing technically better.

or

just make some extremely insane giga noise.

[smallsnd/bigsnd]

stop playing for a bit. it's cool.
inspiration or motivation comes and goes and sometimes it can be forced, sometimes not.

[neonblack]

I think I'm just going to play Legend of Zelda until i feel better.

[D.o.S.]

Yup. Just do something else. Especially if this isn't your job -- don't treat it like one.

[neonblack]

It's just one of my few creative outlets and it sucks when I find no joy in it right now.

I have been wanting to get back into drawing/design work so maybe now is a good time to try that.

[ProCarsteNation]

yeah, man change things up for a bit!

a day at the sauna is also very nice to reset and get back into it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcESM9m1Wo[/youtube]

[Ugly Nora]

Maybe you need more adversity in your life to inspire you? Lose your job, break up with your significant other etc. Some of the world's greatest art came from a place of pain. Hope this helps.

[resincum]

a. take some shrooms
b. take a break

[kbit]

Taking a break can be cleansing. Whenever you feel like you wanna jump back on the horse, give it a shot. If it doesn't come back right away, you can always give it a little more time. Being that is is a main outlet for you, the urge and inspiration will come back.

[The_Active_Conundrum]

I can uderstand uninspired. I've been uninspired for about 8 years now.

Depressed and hating the sound is different for me. That is when you take a break or just try to sound worse/more noise/completely different genre.

how to write when uninspired is kinda easy. One of the things I do is take a melody or rhythm I like. If it is a rhythm, play different notes to it. If a note sequence, chop and screw the rhythm/add a "bad" chord or harmony. Kinda lazy, but having a structure or plan to dig out of a rut is almost as good as never getting in one.

[Twangasaurus]

Step one: Get a melodica
Step two: Find a cat
Step three: Attempt to serenade said cat with music that comes to mind based on it's appearance (you can use cliched stereotypes of [insert country here]'s traditional music but that's lazy).
Step four: Profit, and perhaps a weird reputation.

[amnesiac305]

Take a lesson. Maybe learn a song from a genre you don't normally dabble in. Listen to some albums that you have long put aside. If you play with a pick use your fingers or vice versa. Go see a live show.

[Paul_C]

time to buy a new pedal !

[paulandpaul]

might help you or somebody.