[North Guitar]

Lately I have been finding that when I am busy at work or going to be late for something I have inspiration really boom. Ideas and creativity seem to flow like a river from inconvenience but when I have time off I cannot write anything remotely interesting.

I have even noticed I play guitar better when I am not supposed to be playing(usually if I am supposed to be leaving for work or an oil change) Even lyrics seem to be easier to write if I am driving when I cannot actually write them down.

Just curious if other people deal with this as well- the inspiration of inconvenience

[MartynRich]

Happens all the time. Get a recording app for your phone and try humming the ideas or speaking the lyrics. It´s worked a treat for me.

The worst time is late at night when you´re falling asleep...

[ShinyThang]

I have exactly the same problem. Ideas come easily when I should be leaving for work but over a long, empty weekend I come up with nothing. Let me know if you find a cure!

[Boydie]

If you haven't got a device to capture these "seeds" of song ideas then this is an absolute must

It can be a small notebook or pen but if you have a smartphone then an app can be really helpful

For lyrics, title ides and notes I use ONE NOTE, which is an app that can sync across all devices - so I can have an idea on my phone and then work on it on my laptop etc.

ONE NOTE also allows you to record audio snippets so you can keep everything in one place - although I am sure there are better options for recording audio ideas on the move

[North Guitar]

I definitely do carry a book for recording/jotting down ideas I am just wondering does inconvenience/urgency heighten our brains thought process.

(having time off but not being creative during, then working and wishing to be able to create)

[tone]

I take a slightly different view. I think our judgement of creative thoughts and ideas changes depending on what we're doing.

If you have an idea while you're driving, you're probably going to cut it quite short with the new idea: how am I going to remember this idea so I can write a song?

If you have the same idea at home while sitting down with your guitar/ notepad/ whatever, you might sit with it for a while and then decide it's not worth pursuing. Or you might play around with it, and not be able to take it any further. The crucial difference is you're better placed to judge its quality.

The best remedy for this in my opinion is to create space in your routine for writing. Of course, some days you'll come up with nothing or just awful rubbish, but if you persist, you'll begin to open the channels, and good stuff will come. Having said that, it is also worth carrying a notepad around though