Mastering Your Creative Flow: The Power of a Morning Routine for Artists, Songwriters, and Producers

Are you an artist, songwriter, or producer looking to unlock your creative potential?

Discover the game-changing secret to maximizing your artistic abilities: the power of a morning routine!

Immerse yourself in this transformative practice that boosts productivity, ignites creativity, and fosters personal growth.

With consistent practice, intentional goal-setting, and self-care rituals, you can unleash your artistic brilliance like never before.

Don’t wait to harness the true power of morning routines!

We all want to have more good days then bad.

Who doesn’t wanna be their best-self 24/7?

But sometimes, it just seems impossible to tip the scale towards the good.

You know that feeling of frantically jumping out of bed after snoozing way longer than you should and dreading the day ahead of you. Bet you do. And I bet it snowballs into being extra moody, half-as*ing everything, and making poor lunch decisions.

For maybe a decade, I’ve been practicing this thing that helps me dang near guarantee a good day. But over the past couple of months I neglected it. And in some recent sessions with my therapist, I was reminded about it, and was nudged to reground, and prioritize this thing because of the immense power it has on my productivity and overall well being.

It’s the Morning Routine!

You may have heard about it, or maybe not, or like me, even practiced it and forgot about it when life smacked you in the pie hole.

Most of us know what we SHOULD be doing, but sometimes we just need a friendly reminder of those little what’s that make life better.

So I wrote a blog post about how the morning routine works. I even share my exact routine step by step. The post is geared more toward creative professionals, but the framework and principles apply to everyone.

If you’re feeling a little bit off, maybe you should give the MR a shot and craft your own personal morning routine to stack the day’s chips in your favor…everyday.

Having a morning routine can provide numerous benefits for artists, songwriters, and producers. Here are some advantages of establishing a consistent morning routine:

1. Increased Productivity: A structured morning routine helps create a productive mindset. By starting your day with a clear plan and specific tasks, you set the tone for the rest of the day. This can lead to improved focus, efficiency, and overall productivity in your creative work.
2. Mental Preparation: Engaging in activities that stimulate your mind in the morning can help prepare you mentally for the creative tasks ahead. Whether it’s reading, meditation, journaling, or listening to inspiring music, these activities can help you get into a creative mindset and overcome any mental blocks.
3. Enhanced Creativity: A morning routine can foster creativity by providing dedicated time for exploration, experimentation, and ideation. Engaging in activities like brainstorming, sketching, or improvisation exercises can stimulate your creative thinking and generate fresh ideas.
4. Consistent Practice: Establishing a morning routine allows you to incorporate regular practice into your schedule. By dedicating a specific time slot to your craft every morning, you create a habit of consistent practice that can significantly contribute to skill development and growth as an artist, songwriter, or producer.
5. Self-Care and Well-being: A morning routine can include self-care practices such as exercise, stretching, or mindfulness activities. Taking care of your physical and mental well-being early in the day can boost your energy levels, reduce stress, and enhance your overall mood. This can positively impact your creative output and emotional state throughout the day.
6. Setting Intentions and Goals: Starting your day with intention allows you to set clear goals and priorities for your creative work. By defining what you want to accomplish and visualizing your desired outcomes, you can increase your motivation and drive to achieve those goals.
7. Personal Growth and Reflection: Incorporating moments of self-reflection, gratitude, or learning into your morning routine can foster personal growth and self-awareness. This self-reflection can help you identify areas for improvement, gain perspective, and develop a positive mindset that supports your artistic journey.

Below is my current exact MR, usually in this order, but I don’t stress too much on the sequence, my only goal is to do all the things.

Obviously I wake up, at the moment, it’s 7:30am when I can no longer hide from the sun. Bed is around midnight ish (bonus…I also have an end of day ritual, but I don’t wanna over do this post). Then I just dive in without thought and do the following

• Hydrate – I chug a pint of ice cold water to shock me awake, followed by a hot fresh double espresso (fast, foward by Counter Coulter) to warm me back up.
• Go back to my room, open the blinds and shut the door (I need silence for the MR)
• Do 10 minutes of some stretching, box breathing, and “good morning” yoga poses (I learned this stuff from a former Navy Seal Captain). I incorporate 8 second up/down push ups to transition into cobra pose for some bonus gains.
• Do 10 minute meditation focused on my breathe (box breathing) while sitting on my block
• At this point, my headspace is clear, calm, and the world is in slow motion.
• Next, I grab my 5-minute Gratitude Journal and complete a sheet.
• I’ll do a journal entry in my Day One app for more long form thoughts n stuff
• I grab my guitar and practice for 15 minutes or so, playing whatever comes out of me
• I grab the kindle (app) and read a chapter of my book. Currently it’s Never Finished by David G.
• I grab my productivity planner, pop my heads phones on and play my brain stimulator app while reviewing the work day (usually mapped out on Sundays) This is my plan of attack. I use this planner to get laser focused and do one thing at a time in short bursts with small breaks (pomodoro technique) in between.
• DONE

That’s it.

The whole process takes about an hour.

Afterwards, I’m usually starving, so I make a bullet smoothie or eat some real food to fuel up. While the smoothie is smoothing out, I make the bed. Then I attack the day.

Total time spent (MR, Fueling the body): 90 – 120 minutes

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes of my routine, both mentally and physically, but to drive the point home, I’m making tiny, progressive wins, and doing a little bit of everything based on my current goals (health, wellness, learning, work, etc…)

These tiny wins, compound overtime, similar to an IRA earning interest. The positive effects it creates on me last almost all day. When you start the day winning, you naturally try to stay winning the entire day. A

Also, the yoga poses, when you put your body in positions of strength, power, and other positive ones, your subconscious absorbs these attributes and gives you good stuff. These are just a snippet of the all the benefits of practicing the morning routine.

Now you might be thinking, I don’t have 2 hours in the morning for this crap. Welp my friend….that’s gonna have to change. Wake up earlier. Make a few small sacrifices to create the space on your calendar. This is time dedicated for you. Hold it sacred. Make it a habit. Choose yourself first. If you have a job you hate, the routine is even more valuable because you can use this time to level up your situation.

Remember, the specific activities and structure of your morning routine can vary based on personal preferences and goals.

Experiment with different practices to find what works best for you and adapt your routine as needed.

Consistency and dedication to your morning routine will yield the greatest benefits over time.