If you’re feeling creatively uninspired after a few months of winter doldrums, don’t fret! There are plenty of things you can do to spark your imagination and start planting seeds for a new project. Here are five easy ways that might help get your creative juices flowing again.

Make Time to Be Creative

This may seem like a no-brainer, but making time every day to be creative is the key to success. Even if it’s just twenty minutes, devoting time to creativity is good for your craft and your brain. Plus, it’s fun! The good news is that whatever you choose to do in the time you have set aside is up to you. You don’t need to always focus on any particular project or goal. Sign up for an online course. Read a book about music. Take the time to just daydream. The possibilities are endless.

Document Everything

While it would be nice if great ideas arrived on demand, all artists know that inspiration sometimes strikes at inopportune times. Fortunately, smart phones make it easy to capture these moments as they happen. Got a melody you like? Record it as a voice memo. Write lyrics in your notes application or carry a notepad and pen around with you. Don’t judge or edit yourself. Entire songs have been written based around ideas that started as voice memos, so you never know what will happen.

Change Your Set-Up

Still stuck? Maybe changing your environment will do the trick. This can mean anything from altering your listening habits to include new-to-you music to purchasing a new piece of equipment to upgrade your home recording set-up. Perhaps a new pair of headphones or a new microphone to alter the way you hear yourself. Are you a songwriter? Switch up what instrument you usually write songs on. If you feel comfortable doing so, invite a friend over to jam. Bouncing your ideas off someone else can sometimes prompt new ones.

Go Outside

With the weather warming up in some parts of the world, it’s a perfect time to go outside and get some inspiration from nature. A recent study showed that creative thinking improved 60% while the person was walking and for a little while afterwards. If it’s too cold where you are to truly enjoy being outside—that’s okay! The study showed that it made no difference whether the walking was taking place in or outdoors. Alternatively, you could listen to some naturalistic ambient music or field recordings to recreate the experience of being in nature.

Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself

Remember that forcing ideas to come and being upset when they don’t is a creativity killer. Being overly critical of yourself and your work can have a prohibitive effect on any progress by getting you caught up in the details. Let perfectionism go and just try to have fun for a while!