Energy.

[ZephyrStar]

Alright, this is a thread for those of us who are feeling uninspired, unmotivated, and generally wonder why it's so hard to get something edited. We all get this way sometimes, for various reasons, and creativity is not something you can just turn off and on at will, but there are things you can do to enable yourself to get back to the creative state of mind more easily. Some of this advice might sound silly, but as somebody who has to be fairly creative on a daily basis for my job (as mundane of a creative job as that is - I work in the print advertising industry) by the time I come home, I'm usually pretty spent.

My dillema is, that I am working on the single biggest project of my life right now, a 3DCG anime feature film which I am writing, directing, modeling, texturing, lighting, animating, rendering, editing, producing, and distributing myself. It will take years. As you can imagine, the one most important thing to do with a project like this is to keep moving. If you stop focusing on it for even one day, that's a lot of work lost. I've had to come up with novel ways of spurring myself onwards, even when I really, really don't feel like it. I'll tell you my tricks, and in return, post your own.

-TEA and COFFEE. Dunno how I would survive without them. (A Bawls is fine too)

-Change clothes. Every day, I come home from work, and the minute after I walk in the door I'm outta my work clothes and into something comfortable. I leave work at the door, and that's very important. I don't worry about work, they don't pay me to take it home with me, why should I.

-Change... clothes? I also have an odd habit. Whenever I want to feel really creative, I have this light jacket, it's kinda like an army jacket, that I wear. I dunno why, but I feel more... indie? It's my "director's" jacket? I feel like commanding things, and that feels pretty GAR. Must be the synesthesia.

-Eat a good meal. You're not going to have any energy unless you eat things that give it to you. Fast food takes it away from you. Take the time to make something good for yourself. Go easy on the salt.

-Drink lots of water. Most people go through the day under-hydrated. Not having enough can make you tired as hell at the end of the day, and also give you headaches.

-Take a walk. Even if you're tired, walk a mile or two, you'll feel a lot better. Better yet, run a couple of miles. It gets the metabolism and endorphins up, the blood flowing. Some of my best ideas come to me when I'm running.

-Sing. Sing a track from a musical out loud. Even if you don't sing well. Puts you in a good mood and ready to create.

-Talk to yourself. Whenever I am working on ideas or formulating plans, I pace back and forth through my apt with a notepad (or eeepc) in hand. This has a very mad scientist like vibe to it. Don't be alarmed if you cackle in an evil way when you come up with a good idea.

-Act things out. Maybe not as critical for AMV making, but I'm writing dialogue for my film right now, trying to wrap up the script. I act out all the things my characters would do, say their lines, test everything for good flow and to see if it sounds right. Various times I have found myself physically doing the actions of the characters, and then realizing what I saw in my head is pretty impractical compared to how you would react to a situation in real life.

-Pretend. Give your Oscar speech, teach a class to the 4th wall, have a conversation with an armchair, be crazy. I have gotten some great material this way. (No, I don't do drugs.)

And that's what I have for now. Some of this stuff applies to AMV's, and probably a lot of it doesn't, but either way, if you're stuck in a creative block, doing some of this might get you out of that "I dun wanna" mindframe and into more of a "THIS WILL BE BEST VIDEO EVAR" kinda thing. Also useful for all you would-be authors, artists, directors, etc.

>_>

[Ileia]

I like to edit a tiny amount of something, whether it's an idea or just a song I like. People who know me are familiar with the ever-so-frequent "minibeta". Poor André's probably gotten every one I've ever made. Watching that little bit always makes me want to edit more and I always keep them around.

[Otohiko]

And remember, sometimes it's okay not to have any. Don't kick your own ass too hard if you're out of steam and know when to take a break. Don't get into creative undertakings half-hearted and have other things to do when you're not into it. This is not a job.

[Nya-chan Production]

I like to edit a tiny amount of something, whether it's an idea or just a song I like. People who know me are familiar with the ever-so-frequent "minibeta". Poor André's probably gotten every one I've ever made. Watching that little bit always makes me want to edit more and I always keep them around.

Actually, I do this fairly often as well - though it often stays unfinished ;_;

[Fall_Child42]

Just watching and enjoying other people's stuff always get's me pumped up.

It's why I started doing it in the firstplace, and I think often I forget that the reason I make these things is because I think they are neat.

Seeing other people do this stuff and have fun with it always makes me want to do more of it myself.

[Jwalk0]

Just watching and enjoying other people's stuff always get's me pumped up.

It's why I started doing it in the firstplace, and I think often I forget that the reason I make these things is because I think they are neat.

Seeing other people do this stuff and have fun with it always makes me want to do more of it myself.

ZephyrStar, you make some very good points on how to get your creative juices flowing again and I do a few of them myself but I find this the most powerful way for anyone to get into editing. Watching an amv that a friend or role model has made that you enjoy really gets you into editing more than anything else, at least for me. People get into this hobby because they have fun watching their favorite animes and music synced together and when they find them edited from someone else on point, that gives them that extra incentive to say: "Fuck it, I'm giving this a try". Good luck on your project BTW, and TAKE YOUR TIME. Enjoy life while you're doing your project because time goes by too quick and your best years will pass you by before you even know it.

[Enigma]

Everytime i can't edit i just smash my head towards a wall until it all works out

[Kariudo]

I find that listening to a good song (be it in an amv or not) can really get me pumped up and ready to edit.

...It's a double edged sword though, as I might end up wanting to edit to the song that got me pumped up instead of whatever song I'm (trying) to work with

Ileia: sounds like it's compilation video time

[inthesto]

I break out the talent juice, do a horrible job of editing, and then look at it the next morning.

More often than not I change almost everything I did the night before, but it at least gives me a starting point and some momentum.

[Pwolf]

if the dvd doesn't contain at least 30min worth of video showing you acting out scenes, i will be sad.