Cannabis can be a powerful tool for sparking creativity. From flowing through different patterns of thought to writing music, the psychoactive properties of cannabis can help your mind make new connections or come across ideas you ordinarily may not come by in your sober, everyday consciousness. However, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get high and automatically get creative. You’ll have to take some very specific steps to ensure you get the most out of your experience.
Pick the right strain
Not every strain of cannabis will spark creativity in the same way. A sativa is more likely than an indica to give you a head high, which can at times even feel psychedelic. Strains like Kali Mist or Jack Herer are known to be energetic, uplifting, focused, and creative, while, if you’re not so much into sativas, you could try a euphoric hybrids like Chemdawg or the trippier strain known as LSD.
Start with intention
Once you pick out your strain, decide what you want to create before you actually consume it. If your intention is to use cannabis for a creative purpose, make sure you know what you want to work on. Whether that means getting your easel and paints set up before you spark your joint, or ensuring your home is quiet enough for you to sit with your thoughts and journal or write a story, you want the conditions surrounding the creative enterprise to facilitate your project. Oftentimes, when we don’t set intention, we might end up with creative thoughts, but don’t express them because we aren’t set up to do so, or are already too relaxed hanging out, munching, or watching TV.
Don’t get too high
You want to hit the sweet spot between being altered and being too high to function. If you don’t consume enough, your mental state will be too close to how it normally is, but if you consume too much you may risk getting anxious or too zonked out to be productive.
Take a moment to meditate
You’ll likely want to approach your creative project with a clear head. Once you consume, whether you ate an edible or smoked a joint, take anywhere between a minute and ten minutes to close your eyes and center yourself. Doing so will help you transition from your mundane frame of mind to a more creative space. It will also help demarcate the creative time you set aside for yourself from everything else you do.
Decide on your music
Music can have its own mind altering effect. Decide if you want to add music to your experience, and if so, consider how the music you choose will affect your mood. Some music makes us nostalgic for eras past, other music may incite feelings of calm or angst. If you’d rather not be influenced at all, perhaps opt for no music.
Don’t judge yourself
While you’re in the process of creating, whether it’s a written story, a painting, or a song, don’t worry about what you’ll think of it once you’re sober. Just create for the sake of creating, rather than judging yourself along the way. The more you think about how it will turn out, the more you’ll take yourself out of the moment. You can decide in a few hours or a few days if you like what you made.
Don’t give yourself a deadline
You can’t quite tell where your mind will go once you get high. If your creative project needs to be complete under a certain deadline, decide if cannabis will help you focus and meet that deadline, or if it will encourage you to take your time with the project. The last thing you need is to feel stressed when you’re trying to only feel creative.
Ditch your device
Nothing is better than taking you out of the moment than your cell phone. If you’re trying to get into a creative zone, keep your phone at arm’s length, turn it off, or put it on airplane mode. Once you get distracted with a text message, phone call, or notification, that time set aside for yourself could be tainted.
