Does listening to music too much stifle your own creativity?

I think it's more about giving your brain a rest from the information barrage of daily life. If you're listening to music or watching something all day then your brain doesn't have any time to process all that and calm down.

You know how ideas often originate in the shower? It's because your brain just has time for a rest. that's one of the last places there's no tv or radio or anything that demands your attention. Only your experience in that moment. In my experience having more of those moments throughout the day makes me more creative and also generally more sharp.

For me, it has the opposite effect, I'm constantly thinking about how I'd play parts differently. Maybe that's just a drummer thing? But when I listen to music, I'm almost always drumming along in my head, and then it's really clear when my brain does something creatively very different than the artist in the track. Some of my most used "unique" fills and rhythms I've actually come up with listening or playing along to tracks from other artists. I guess for melodic instruments it's a bit different.

It's an interesting question.. In my experience, "spark", (y'know the moment where you are channel something greater than yourself), happens when it happens. I don't find listening to other artists changes how often that calling comes.

But then there's being creative as a matter of fact.. That is, going to the studio and just working because it's what you do for whatever motivation. I find I'm more productive and my work is more interesting when I haven't been listening to anything, not even my own work.

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I find creativity needs space to regenerate, we probably write subconsciously and store those ideas so they can spill out when conditions are right.. I would give listening to music a break for a few days and then jump on your instrument fresh and wide eyed hungry to find a rabbit hole.

Good luck matey!

Songs get stuck in my head if I am actively listening or not.

Sometimes when it's quiet some television jingle from childhood just pops right in there and sticks.

My two cents is to try ambient sounds to clear your mind.

Not to write or record with, but to warm up with an inexpensive white noise machine helps me sometimes. Nature sounds. Rain.

I also play along with my noisy old coffee maker while it produces a pot now and then.

Speaking of pot. No never mind. Heh.

Sometimes at home, playing along with audio books or recorded poetry can be fun.

Also when listening to music I have to actively not be trying to learn from it. Just enjoying music can be tricky when you are analyzing it. I guess that is most often how being influenced by other musicians happens? When I can just enjoy music is rare for me, but pretty great.

A small gong or chime to "cleanse" the room?

I hope that was helpful. Thanks.

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it makes me creative, but it burns me out, sometimes im too tired of listening after.

Im one of those who actively avoids listening to too much music because it very much fucks with my creativity.

It might be biting me in the ass but another reason is that I don't want to fit the current trends. Not saying I want to sound irrelevant either, it's just trends come and go, and by the time you release the audience might have moved on to the next thing. But something that catches people's ear on its own is timeless.

If anything I worry that I don't take enough new material in to keep expanding.

A composer's job is to rearrange a collection of sounds in a way people find interesting and hopefully haven't heard before. It doesn't matter if that starts from the rhythm of the toilet flushing or a song playing in the supermarket. Originality is when you present these ideas in a way that people don't recognize.

To me it generally depends on whether or not I'm paying close attention to the music or have it on as a background. I tend to get super inspired listening to classical music, even though that's not what I write.

As someone who's put off creating for years by instead listening to/consuming tons of music for "inspiration"...this is interesting. Maybe it's time for me to just go for it.