Quit weed 5 weeks ago and feel like I lost creativity

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varun213

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Hi guys,

I quit smoking weed about 5 weeks ago for a job and everything is cool except my creativity feels like its gone. I try to make new beats but every time I sit down to make a new track I simply repeat what I've been doing and start thinking too much like i'm forcing myself to be creative. I go in to make a beat only to just freeze at my computer and this has been going on for weeks now. I see myself playing the same melodies/style/progressions and cant think of anything new its been pissen me off. Then when you force yourself to do something new you just think too much and you freeze up and lose all creative inspiration to move forward.

I was smoking lightly only about one to two times only at night for like 8 months before I recently quit cold turkey but damn It really took a toll on my creative side. Everything else seemed to improve though.

Anybody every dealt with this before? Cuz right now I am fully convinced that Weed really makes you much more creative musically. But Technically slows you down lol.

For now i'm just writing some terrible music but i'm trying my best to push through it. I write a beat arrange it and then mix it but It just comes off too musical and nothing that is worth much I feel. My inspiration is totally off and its been 5 weeks already.
 
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I stopped smoking weed long enough to start a crack habit. One day I will be able to move my studio out the trap house.
 
You took the training wheels off. Now, you've got to use your brain and tap into the real you. You gotta learn how to ride for real.

My number one source of inspiration for my music is reading. For example, I read the original Frankenstein book (Mary Shelley) last year and ended up writing about 15 songs while I was reading. It's amazing what a book can do. Doesn't even have to be fiction.

So, instead of smoking, read something.

Need inspiration?

Just take a look. It's in a book.

Freakin' Reading Rainbow.

lol... You'll be alright bro...
 
Thats a great point. I just recently got back into reading.

I think the real creativity happens when you are free of marijuana.
 
One of the oldest myths in music (and the other creative arts) is that drugs/weed/drink/whatever will "make you more creative." Substances change your perceptions of your creative output (often making people feel like they're playing the most amazing shizzle ever when they're really just making fart noises), but they can't really add anything to your already nearly limitless creative potential-- that's in your brain and your soul and weed has nothing to do with it. I love what Nerozumiem said-- "you took the training wheels off." You have grown accustomed to creating while under the influence. Whether you were making anything good or not, I don't know. But I do know that you have made a strong mental/emotional connection between smoking and music-making that you now have to counter by spending lots of time making music without the smoke. It will come in time. Remember Pavlov's dog? No? Look it up. Retrain yourself. When I was teaching a lot of song-writing workshops, I would remind people that your writing/creativity is like a muscle that needs to be excercised regularly. Sometimes easier said than done, I know. But, you will get better and better the more you do it (and better at recognizing when you are really doing it well). Remember the first rule of brainstorming-- don't self-edit while you're brainstorming. Just let it flow. You can always say "that sucks" later. But even better, if you think something you made sucks, turn it off and put it away for a few days. You may find that what you created is a lot better than you thought it was when you're listening with fresh ears (unfortunately, sometimes the reverse is true too).

Give it time, man. "A smoke-free Rome wasn't built in a day."

GJ
 
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thanks alot man. Your post was golden.

Real shit spoken right there
 
I don't smoke.

I play piano sometimes when drunk and when playing I think I play just as well as sober. When I'm sober I definitely know that I don't.

Changing your state of mind so that you accept your own work no matter how bad it is won't help you improve.
 
I smoked a lot of bud when I was younger... I quit music then I quit weed... Then my life started to improve and I got happier... The decision to start making music again came sober and with the full support of my wife (who would've never come near me if I was still blazing when we met)
I'd always been in bands before and never thought I could do much on my own. I was wrong.
 
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This is sad to hear.. :( I also smoke weed sometimes but not often because i live with my parents and they rarely leave the house.. Keep strong!!
 
any time you break a routine it can have an effect on your creative process, its an adjustment period. Anytime I find myself in a creative lull, I watch tutorial video's, do some exercises, set boundaries for a project (X instruments, X key, etc), create small loop libraries to come back to later as I also save the presets for synths i've designed the sound on. Or i look for little workflow hacks/just get more familiar with my instrument/controller/DAW
 
Smoking definitely can help spark some ideas for me, but I like to create my music sober. Whenever I smoke, I'll make a basic mix of a beat, and i'll come back to it later. Whenever I smoke, everything I make sounds 100x better, but after listening to it sober a day afterwards, i realize how bad/unprofessional it sounds. Lol
 
if you cant smoke have one or 2 cans, just enough to get you relaxed. or else walk away from it for a while until you start getting solid ideas instead of forcing yourself to produce.
 
It probably go away after awhile, It's probably just a bit of depression from not having weed. I had the same thing before, it took a couple weeks to feel readjusted, but after a while it's okay. I hope the same happens for you and you feel creative again.----Peace
 
varun213 said:
Hi guys,

I quit smoking weed about 5 weeks ago for a job and everything is cool except my creativity feels like its gone. I try to make new beats but every time I sit down to make a new track I simply repeat what I've been doing and start thinking too much like i'm forcing myself to be creative. I go in to make a beat only to just freeze at my computer and this has been going on for weeks now. I see myself playing the same melodies/style/progressions and cant think of anything new its been pissen me off. Then when you force yourself to do something new you just think too much and you freeze up and lose all creative inspiration to move forward.

I was smoking lightly only about one to two times only at night for like 8 months before I recently quit cold turkey but damn It really took a toll on my creative side. Everything else seemed to improve though.

Anybody every dealt with this before? Cuz right now I am fully convinced that Weed really makes you much more creative musically. But Technically slows you down lol.

For now i'm just writing some terrible music but i'm trying my best to push through it. I write a beat arrange it and then mix it but It just comes off too musical and nothing that is worth much I feel. My inspiration is totally off and its been 5 weeks already.
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I completely understand what you mean. I'm about 3-4 years clean now (I miss it though haha). It definitely takes a toll on your creativity if you used it while being creative since it causes you to open your mind and think outside the box. You'll have to force yourself to get creative without it. That takes time though.
 
I quit for 6 months like you for a job. I smoked like 4 blunts daily and I saw my creativity went generic. People noticed too that my beats sounded plain than when I puffed. It frustrated me because it seem the job was hindering me and turning into someone I'm not. After I took another test, I decided to puff a little joint since they won't check for another month. I made some beats and everyone was smiling saying "you smoking again! Your beats are hot!" Then after a week that job fired me, not for weed though, but for doodling in MSPaint and during my break. I was angry but I went out to find a job that fitted me and my habit and the job I have now was that golden ticket. Do you and do what you gotta do and fuck that job unless its your career, then don't smoke but do you and be yourself 100 in everything you do. A way will come.
 
I've never smoked pot even when making music,fortunately i'm kinda creative anyway..I do lose creativity sometimes, like in this week i've been opening FL Studio , doing a simple drum and then closing it..repeat that for 3-4 days..But again luckily i get creative even if i dont smoke pot , but who knows i might try producing while being high haha :berzerk:
 
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I've never really needed to be high to feel creative, but when I am it's like I have all kinds of breakthroughs and shit, but then you also have to consider the fact that sometimes you'll get ideas when you're high that seem amazing at the time and then when you're sober you're like what the fuck is this trash
 
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