Testing the cure for writers block (supercharging creativity)

[Olie]

The situation:
So i've hit a bout of writers block after stopping my focus on production and trying to write lyrics again. I've stopped meditating as much which might have something to do with the block, plus the usual stress from work and everything else. Honestly i would be a fool if i didn't stand by what i said in https://www.futureproducers.com/for...ngwriting-lyricism/cure-writers-block-474546/.

My thought process:
So here's the deal, I'm going to try and "super charge" my creativity by applying the technique(s) in that post i wrote. The general aim is to boost my dopamine to as high as it will go (naturally, weed and alcohol disorientates me too much to write properly). Although creativity doesn't = dopamine, i'm curious as to exactly what it will do to my creativity. There are some studies that do link high dopamine to high creativity though.

High dopamine levels have been linked to mania (in bipolar disorder) which is generally associated with high creative output but it's also linked with psychosis, which i have experienced on a mild level a few times before.

The plan:
0) abstinence from TV the day before and on the day.
0.1) High protien breakfast to help dopamine and serotonin production.
1) sleep deprivation, i'm not going to over do it on this one but it's been shown to boost dopamine levels. I'm going to get a short sleep of 3 hours.
2) intense aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, especially difficult with my current fitness level. I will use new music i know i will like here to give a further boost.
3) meditiation for 30-60 minutes, during this period i'll also recall as many emotionally charged memories as i can, both negative and positive ~ with a higher focus on positive.
4) i will restrain myself from my morning cigarette till this point to get the highest boost here.
5) also addicted to energy drinks so i'll drink one here.
6) anticipation of rewards can increase dopamine, so i will have an awesome meal planned out for after i finish writing.
7) creating psychological distance can increase creativity so i will write about myself as if it was someone else (in 3rd person).
8) Will write in silence for maximum focus rather than using music again to help boost dopamine.
9) the colour blue increases creativity in studies, so i will use a blue themed screen on the program i use to write.

I will add to this list when i get more ideas.
tuesday is when i will test it.

 

[Olie]

Interesting video on dopamine:

 

[Olie]

I fell off the rails for a while there (don't ask). I figured out something, there's something really simple most of us have heard when setting goals: break it into small pieces, i had ignored/not taken note of this advice until recently, i'm not sure why. I got back into writing doing just this. Each time we set a goal and achieve it we get a hit of dopamine but like addicts achieving the same goal (taking the same amount of drug) over and over again becomes ineffective to keep "the high" and will get us more frustrated than anything. So we need to increase the difficulty each time we achieve a goal and make sure we are taking note mentally of each goal we achieve (sounds like a video game right? No wonder they're so addictive).

The reason i find producing so easy to keep moving with and writing so difficult is the way i viewed it. The goal for me when writing a song was to make the entire song (which would require a high dopamine level to begin on to keep me going throughout writing the entire thing). While producing i was just trying to make a simple drum beat *goal achieved* then make it more complex *goal achieved* then make a little bass line... You get the point.

What i did was this ~ first goal: Start by choosing a phrase or word, second: develop it into a sentence, third: develop that into 4 lines etc. Rather than having a strict way to do things though i would just suggest just being more attentive and taking note of each milestone you achieve. If you're just starting to write and feeling like crap focusing on really small goals to begin with is the key, eventually the dopamine will build and build like a snowball effect until you get into a flow state.

As for this plan, i will put it on hold for another day. It would still be fun to see what effect it has.