Best Strain for Creativity

Introduction

(Note: To skip right to the list of best weed strains for creativity, click here).
Though I highly recommend reading through the whole article to understand how to best use cannabis for the creative process :).

Cannabis and creativity have a long history together, that goes back many many years. From artists like Bob Marley to Jack Kerouac, weed has been a muse for a large amount of creative minds through the years. But does it really help increase creativity? Or is it just a myth?

In this article, we’ll shed light on the myth of whether toking up a doobie will help unlock your creative potential. Whether you’re a painter, writer, musician, or any other type of artist, choosing the right strain of weed can play a considerable role in unlocking your creative potential. We’ll dive into the science and strains that you might want to consider when selecting the perfect weed for your creative journey.

My Personal Experience (Weed and Creating Music)

As an avid musician, when starting out I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my favorite musical artists. “How did they write this song” I would ask myself, and of course for many (as they would even mention in their lyrics), weed was a source of inspiration.

Cannabis heightens the senses and helps you to hyper-focus on certain things. And to see things in a totally different light – for me I literally felt like I was seeing things as a kid again. Things that were mundane to me in everyday life suddenly became fascinating things to appreciate. It made me think deeply about any and everything I focused on.

It especially heightens your hearing, and I remember one of the first times I smoked as a teen, I was listening to Bomfunk MC’s debut CD (after I climbed my tree and was just chilling up there, on a half-day from school, eating Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups) and suddenly instruments I didn’t even know were there started to stick out to me. Especially the bass line. I had never really considered the bass in any song, and here it was, in full splendor. Synths, effects, the type of drums – I could appreciate it all. And it all sounded amazing.

And then when I would go on to compose my own music, after smoking, it just became a lot more fun to create. When you hit that right chord, or write that profound line, it hits you a different way when you’ve been smoking. You see it in a different light – from a distinct place.

And so for about the first 3 years of music school, I would smoke a few times a week, creating both with and without weed, to see the difference.

There were pro’s, but there were definitely cons too. Smoke too much, get paranoid, and then instead of creating be creeping around the hallways trying to figure out what it was. Or get munchies and get super enthusiastic about pizza and watching The Office instead of actually creating.

I’ll list out the pro’s and con’s here:

Pro’s

• You go into your own world, can focus more deeply on what you’re creating (not always though, as sometimes it’s actually easier to get distracted).
• You become creative in a different way. Different ideas pop up that you wouldn’t normally have.
• Creating becomes fun. Like really fun. You can get super psyched about what you’re creating, be jumping up and down and wilding out, bringing a different energy and enthusiasm to it.
• Less filter. Since you’re having fun and are so enthused by your own work, you’re less likely to get analysis paralysis, or say “this sucks” and get frustrated and get writers block. So it can be used as a way to fix writers block, or just being stuck on an idea. Even Sting said he will ingest weed as a tool to help finish ideas when he’s stuck.
• Helps to create positive / upbeat / fun art. Anyone who creates will say it’s usually much easier to create sad or melancholy art, rather than happy works. It’s just the nature of the beast, the everyday can be difficult, so art will naturally reflect that. Weed is a way to tap into our funner, wilder side. Though for that I guess it could be said alcohol works too 🙂 .

Con’s

• Munchies. I get really excited about music… until I start getting really excited about pizza and root beer. A sugar crash ensues, and even if I had smoked a sativa, I’m usually pretty lazy after.
• Paranoia. Although weed helps to hyper-focus on art, it can also make you hyper-distracted with everyday stuff like random noises outside, your walls creaking, and even just background-noise intrusive thoughts.
• Slower Cognitive Skills. Some strains can actually enhance this (usually in lower doses), but for the most part, don’t plan on doing complicated stuff when you’re high. If you’re going to have to bust out your computer manual to troubleshoot an error while blazed, you’re prolly not gonna be neither very effective nor having much fun.
• Distractions. Maybe it’s because I have ADHD, but when I’m high, and random stuff comes up (forgot to pay bills and they’re due that day, gotta run some errands, clean this, fix that) sometimes that stuff bothers me more than usual, and I feel like I have to get it done before I can create, so I’ll just end up doing a bunch of random errands instead of actually creating.

How to Prevent Common Issues When Using Weed for Creative Work

Munchies

• Not all strains give you the munchies. Pick a Sativa to avoid getting hungry – though some strains will still get you hungry no matter what.
• I also found the time of day influences this too. If you smoke in the evening, around dinnertime, you’ll probably get hungry.
• Eat before you smoke. Many strains enhance your feelings, including hunger.
• Get the urge to eat? Choose healthy snacks, like fruits. Some foods like mango, chocolate, and nuts can actually strengthen your high.
• Get the urge to drink? A cup of high quality, organic coffee or tea can enhance your high to be more focused and energetic. (I love a fresh coffee when I’m high.)

Paranoia

• Don’t smoke too much. For me 1 or 2 hits is perfect. If it felt like too little, I would wait 20-30 min before smoking any more, as some strains take longer to kick in.
• Make sure your setting is good. If you know they’re going to be repairing your street with jackhammers that day, or a stressful event might be happening in/around your house in the next few hours, maybe put off smoking for another day.
• Mindset. Weed (typically) amplifies what you’re already feeling. So if you’re anxious and on-edge, smoking might enhance that feeling. Especially sativas, which are more energetic and better for being productive. So work on being able to control your emotions. Take a deep breath. Accept that you can’t change everything around you, and try to view the world in a positive, hopeful way. Strive to change your mindset.
• CBD or Black Peppercorns. If you found that you got too high, and don’t like the effects, ingesting some CBD (in any form) can help bring you back down to earth. Another option you can find in your kitchen is just chewing on 2-3 black peppercorn balls. Black peppercorn contains the terpene Caryophyllene, which helps bring down the intensity of THC.

Slower Cognitive Skills

• Plan your activities before you smoke. Not totally necessary, but you might want to consider it if you smoke and then just get distracted with random stuff. If using weed to be more creative, stick to the main creative activity you’re trying to grow at, whether it be purely painting, writing lyrics, creating new guitar riffs, etc. Set everything up before you smoke so you don’t get frustrated trying to dig out your art supplies or instruments from storage while blazed.
• Do simpler, fun activities when creating. Stick to pure creation, try to avoid complicated tasks with many steps. For me I would try to avoid going into my DAW (music creation program on my computer) and trying to learn new effects or ways of doing things, since I would usually just get stuck, lost and frustrated while I was high.

Distractions

• Same as above – just try to plan out your activities, and keep those activities simple. Focus on the most important elements of creation – for music, it’s melody, lyrics, harmony… I don’t know much about painting, but I imagine just sitting down and… painting. Going on YouTube to learn a new skill might be distracting while high, at least in my personal experience.

How I Use Weed For Creativity

Everyone is different, I love weed from time to time, but I’ll have my phases. I hate relying on substances for anything, so although I’ll have phases where I might smoke every day, or once or twice a week, I’ll also have phases where I don’t smoke for months (like I’m doing at the time of this writing). When life gets busier, and I have to be more on-point and focused, I realize I do much better off of weed.

I know some out there that can smoke daily, some for whom weed helps to concentrate, etc. I’m just sharing my own personal experience.

In terms of creating, if I haven’t smoked in a long time, and I’m stuck (using Sting’s example) – then I’ll use weed as a tool to help move the project forward. It really depends, maybe once a week, or every 2 weeks, or every few months.

The problem (for me) with smoking multiple times a week, is that when I’m high I stop worrying about stuff, and lose my edge.

And simultaneously, since I’m high, technical stuff (with music that means fixing computer DAW errors, tweaking plugins, connecting cables and setting microphones up)… all that boring stuff becomes even more tedious… and confusing. If I get a computer error (which happens often), while I’m composing a song, I’ll get more stuck and frustrated than if I was sober, it’ll take me longer to fix it.

So when I’m smoking (or eating an edible), I make sure that I’ll keep it simple, and not going to be trying to be learning new skills and stuff like that. For me, it means sticking to a pen and paper (composing lyrics), and my guitar. Or just recording vocal tracks takes into my computer, nothing more.

I know it’s also my mindset though, if I consciously remember to just be chill and go with the flow, it helps a lot with any problems I can run into.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Strain for Creativity

I’ll list out the best strains for creativity down below, it’s usually better just to try some of those strains out for yourself and find what works. But before I do, I’ll touch on some of the science that goes behind finding a the right strain to inspire your brain.

Sativa vs Hybrid vs Indica for Creative Work, Which is Best?

Everyone is different – while sativas on paper are better for creativity and working, hybrids or indicas might work better as they might take the edge off and help to alleviate physical stress or tension, helping artists to focus more on the creative process. It depends on your own personal preference, and personal mood.

Sativa: Sativa strains are known for their energetic and uplifting effects. These are the go-to strains for creative work, as they stimulate your mental clarity and senses, while giving you the energy and motivation to follow through on your ideas.

Hybrids: Hybrids are a blend of sativa and indica genetics, giving a balance of mental stimulation and relaxation. The ratio sativa/indica (stimulation/relaxation) is different which each hybrid strain however, so it’s worthwhile to research each hybrid to find the right fit for your creative goals.

Indica: Indica strains are often associated with relaxation, alleviation, and a body high. While they might not boost creativity as much as a sativa, some find a small dose of an indica can help to relax, which in turn can help someone that’s stressed focus more on what they’re doing.

THC vs CBD: A Creativity Balancing Act

When it comes to understanding the effects of a strain, understanding the balance between THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidol) is important. THC is responsible for the psychoactive effects and altered thinking processes associated with cannabis. In contrast, CBD is not psychoactive and has more anti-anxiety and calming properties.

(Actually, if you get too high and are feeling anxious, taking CBD can help to counteract the psychoactive effects of THC. Having some CBD gummies or tincture on hand can help in this regard. Chewing 2-3 Black Peppercorns also helps as the Caryophyllene it contains counteracts THC).

Personally, I think the obsession with THC is overhyped – cannabis has a very complex makeup of various terpenes and cannabinoids which create synergic effects. Research has found that the cannabis plant has about 80-100 cannabinoids, and about 300 non-cannabinoid compounds. All of these have some sort of influence on the effect when ingesting weed, and the ratio of these cannabinoids and compounds varies with each strain (and even between plants of the same strain). This is why at the end of the day, we can narrow the best creative strains down to a handful, but it’s a good idea to try different one’s out to find which one works best for you.

Terpenes: The Aromas of Creativity

Terpenes are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in plants such as cannabis. They’re responsible for the flavors and aromas we smell in our strains. In nature, these terpene scents help to protect plants from bugs and critters that might eat them, by giving off scents to ward off their predators. These terpenes interact with cannabinoids to alter the effect that ingesting cannabis has.

How this process works exactly is still uncertain to scientists, but there has been some anecdotal evidence regarding certain terpenes that have a positive effect on creativity. Here are the most common terpenes associated with the creative process:

Pinene: Found in pine needles, parsley and orange peels, is has a piney aroma and enhances mental clarity, alertness, and may even aid memory. It’s aromas are described as pine, wood, and mountain air.

Limonene: Found in citrus fruit, peppermint and juniper, works as a mood-booster and is mentally invigorating. You could say it’s the “motivating” terpene found in cannabis. It’s aromas are described as lemon, citrus, and orange. Some state that any strain with a lemon or citrus aroma gets them in the “creation zone”, so when looking for new strains, keep your nose attentive to this particular terpene.

Myrcene: Found in mangos and hops, contributes to relaxation, which can help with performance anxiety or alleviating any stress that might block your creative juices. It’s aromas are described as earthy, herbal, and cloves.

When researching strains, you can look out for genetics that contain these terpenes. Though as mentioned before, at the end of the day the most important step will be to try a few different strains out to find which one works best for you.

In the next section, let’s explore the strains that creative individuals have found particularly inspiring.

Best Strains for Creativity

Through years of personal experience, research, and asking around, I’ve compiled a list of the best weed strains for creativity. I’ve highlighted the absolute best one’s I recommend the most (from what I hear, and also from personal experience):

Best Sativa-Dominant Strains for Creativity

• Jack Herer – (80/20 sativa/indica) – One of my favorites for creating in general. Everything just becomes fun with this strain, uplifting, motivating, fun, yet at the same time you can remain clear-headed. Also easy to find.
• Strawberry Cough – (80/20 sativa/indica) – Also relatively easy to find, this one I find I can focus with better. Many people with ADHD and problem focusing recommend this strain. It’s also very positive and fun, I’ve only been able to try it a few times, but it’s also definitely one of my favorites since it consistently gives a good positive, clear experience.
• Sour Diesel (in edible form) – (90/10 sativa/indica) – In edible form (I would heat and eat 1/5 of a brownie) this strain was amazing. By far my best weed experience ever. However the same flower, in smoke form, to me was just average. In general I hear edibles (in low doses) provide a superior experience, something I need to experiment more with my favorite strains I’ve smoked. Note that store bought edibles (like from MedMen) probably won’t have the same effect. I’ve never had such a positive effect from dispensary bought edibles – I think they just use leftovers or lower-quality flower to make them, or pure THC extracts. From personal experience I would say you want all the cannabinoids and terpenes from a strain in your final product – limiting it to only THC or CBD degrades the high.
• Lambs Bread – (95/5 sativa/indica) – Jamaican landrace, though note that dispensary Lambs Bread might have been crossed with another hybrid or indica for faster flowering times. Amazing for music. Very fun and friendly strain. Definitely the best strain to listen to dub/reggae in my opinion, though it can be a bit too relaxing/fun to focus well on.
• Original Haze – (100/0 sativa/indica) – Very clear, cerebral high with no crash. Though it can become psychedelic fast, so keep the dosage low. More euphoric than creative however.
• Original Haze x Lambs Bread – A cross of two great strains from SnowHigh. Very hard to find so you most likely must grow it out, if you can find the seeds available for sale online. Very clear effect. You can also try to cross these two legendary strains yourself, if you can get your hands on some legitimate Lambs Bread seeds, which can be tricky to find.
• Congo – (70/30 sativa/indica) – Nice medium sativa strain that is easy to grow in colder climates. Uplifting, energetic, and happy effects. From ACE Seeds.
• Honduras – (100/0 sativa/indica) – Clean, energetic feel good landrace sativa. From ACE Seeds.
• Nepal Annapurna – (100/0 sativa/indica) – Mildly psychoactive. Clean, refreshing, spiritual, From ACE Seeds.
• Nepal Mist – (80/20 sativa/indica). Elegant, clean, kind high. Isn’t too overpowering, which will help to concentrate better on your tasks. From ACE Seeds
• New Caledonia – (100/0 sativa/indica) – Very clean, clear, and cerebral high. Initially psychoactive. Supposedly a great high, I hope to be growing this one soon (late 2023). From ACE Seeds.
• ESB – (70/30 sativa/indica) – Great for music I hear.
• Wet Dream – (90/10 sativa/indica) – OB Haze x Blue Dream – I tried this once back in SoCal and loved it, it was probably the funnest weed experience I ever had. Not sure if it’s the best for focusing, but it was so fun, I’m sure it’ll be good for creating.
• Any Haze Strain – Any haze strain really could be good. Hazes are known for being energetic. As mentioned, it depends on every person.
• Blue Dream – (60/40 sativa/indica) – Blueberry x Haze – A well bred Blue Dream will be great for creating. Blue Dream gets has gotten a lot of hate lately, from what I understand it’s because it’s a clone-only strain and over the years the genetics have simple degraded. I’ve smoked Blue Dream once and had a bad experience, but it was also from a semi-sketchy source. If you can get it from a good source, this could be a real good option. Or try a Blue Dream and sativa cross – the OB Haze x Blue Dream cross that I tried a few years ago (Wet Dream) I really liked.
• Super Silver Haze – (80/20 sativa/indica) – Great for getting into a creative groove. Relatively easy to find. Note that this strain might be a bit strong for some people, I’ve tried it a few times and it’s not my favorite for creating, but some state it works wonders for them.
• Funky Mangifera by Mephisto Genetics (Autoflower) – (70/30 sativa/indica) – Very well balanced for both motivation and creativity.
• Golden Tiger – Very motivating, but also very powerful, so make sure to keep the dosage low. It’s mix of landrace sativas (Koh Chang Thai X Hmong Thai) X (Malawi X 3rd Generation Malawi) from ACE Seeds.
• Super Silver Haze – (80/20 sativa/indica) – Great for getting into a creative groove.
• Durban Poison – (100/0 sativa/indica) – Extremely potent South African Landrace. Definitely recommended to keep a low dosage with this one, unless you’re an experienced user. I’ve tried it once and it was very fun, but smoked a bit too much and got very paranoid – easy to overdo it with this one.

Best Hybrid Strains for Creativity

• MAC (Miracle Alien Cookies) – (50/50 sativa/indica) – Amazing for music from what I hear from people who’ve tried it.
• Chemdawg – (55/45 sativa/indica) – I’ve only tried it once and didn’t like it too much, might have to try again. It’s been recommended to me by others however for creative endeavors.
• Nebula – (50/50 sativa/indica) – Calming / Dreamy effect. Fruity flavors.
• Tangie – (50/50 sativa/indica) – Energetic, upbeat. This is a fun strain. Might not be the best for creative work but it’s worth a try.

Best Indica-Dominant Strains for Creativity

• Blueberry – (20/80 sativa/indica) – from DJ Short. (The breeder Lemon Hoko also has a good version of this strain). A lot of rappers from the 2000s (and 90s?) loved this strain, and even made songs about it (Blueberry Yum Yum by Ludacris, circa 2004). I’ve heard great things about Blueberry, but have yet to try it. If you have, let us know what it’s like in the description!
• Purple Chitral (40/60 sativa/indica)
• Chinese Yunnan – (20/80 sativa/indica) – From Ace Seeds. Never tried it, but I hear it’s balanced and good for creative work. Cannabis Chinensis (the Chinese Sub-Variety of Cannabis, basically landraces from around the region of China) are generally easier to focus on and very gentle. Not as stimulating as other strains. Some Burmese strains also have a similar effect.
• Hindu Kush (Autoflower) from Sensi Seeds

Best Strain for Creativity and Focus

Strawberry Cough. This classic strain is famous for helping to focus, so if you’re looking to keep from straying off track while on a weed buzz, Strawberry Cough is right up your alley. It’s a lovey, friendly strain, and also amazingly smells like strawberries.

Note: With any strain that unlocks your creativity, you can add a cup of coffee or tea for focus. Make it an organic coffee (or tea) to remove pesticides and provide a cleaner, more focused, experience.

Best Strains for Anxiety and Creativity

Cheese. This legendary strain has been praised by the famous author Graham Hancock, he went so far as to attribute the success of his best selling book “Fingerprints of the Gods” to being high on cannabis, as he noted he wrote it entirely while being stoned on Cheese. It’s more of an indica strain, but still works great for creativity. Since it’s more on the indica side, it works great for anxiety. It may be hard to find, but well worth a try if you can get your hands on it. Worth it to try any strains with Cheese in them in general, I’ve found I like those. Cheese is only available as a cut, so to grow it you have to connect with someone who can give you a clone. However – I have seen seeds on sale of it online, though I’m not sure how close they will be to original Cheese (also known as UK Cheese, as it originated in the United Kingdom).

Jack Herer. This sativa strain I’ve found to not really induce any anxiety, especially when you smoke just 1-2 hits. Making edibles out of Jack Herer will provide an even cleaner effect, though you must really be careful to keep the dose small with edibles. It’s a very positive, motivating and fun strain, definitely one of my favorites.

Note: If you find sativa strains give you too much anxiety, bump down to a 60/40 (sative/indica) hybrid, and move up from there (70/30, 80/20, etc). Remember, everyone is different. You might find just a small dose of an indica (1 hit) can help alleviate some anxiety and help you create better. It different for everyone, so some experimentation is required. Might not want to take any huge bong hits if just starting out.

Best Strain for ADHD

Strawberry Cough again. It helps with focus, and getting stuff done.

Edibles vs Smoking vs Vaping for Creativity?

Edibles

If you’re looking for a clearer, friendlier high, a low-dose of edibles is something I’d recommend trying out. Note the key work here: low dose.

Edibles are notorious for greening-out, it’s very easy to eat a whole brownie and consume waaaaaay too much THC… I’m curious as to why they dose edibles as 50mg-100mg of THC in one brownie, instead of something more reasonable like 5mg-10mg. Brownies taste good… once you start eating one, you’re gonna wanna finish it. I think this is why so many people have bad experiences with edibles.

When taken in a really small dose (like 1/5 or 1/4 of a brownie, maybe less, aiming for like 1mg-5mg of THC), you’ll have much more positive effects.

I know for myself, when taking weed edibles in small doses, I’ll have many of positive effects without almost any negatives. I’ll be clear headed, positive, funny without trying, and can easily concentrate on my creative tasks, without the common haziness and confusion I get from smoking. This is because when combusting (burning) cannabis with fire, the most psychoactive compounds get released. That’s why when you smoke weed you’ll typically get the most “groovy” experience, vs vaping it or consuming it as an edible.

Note: It’s best to make you own edibles, or from a reputable home-made source, with properly grown weed (preferably organic). Strain matters of course as well, just as with smoking.

Vaping

If you use a vaporizer like the Mighty Vape from Storz and Bickel, where you can adjust the temperature, you’ll be combusting (and consuming) different terpenes. In general, the cooler the temperature, the more clear-headed and subtle the experience will be, based on the terpenes you’re burning. So you can turn up the temperature to 410F (210C) and as low as 104F (40C). The higher the temps, the more psychoactive THC will be burned, and the more it’ll feel more like smoking a joint. Above 450F (232C) and you are combusting all cannabinoids in your weed. (Smoking with a flame burns the cannabis at 600F+ (315C+).

Smoking

Smoking is the most traditional way of consuming cannabis, either in a joint or from a pipe (bowl). I’ve found smoking from a bowl is easiest to dose, especially if you just want 1 or 2 hits to keep from getting too high.

Smoking (burning with fire) releases the most psychoactive compounds in cannabis, so you’ll get the most “out-of-it” effect from smoking. Not ideal if you’re trying to do creative work, but you can still get stuff done, as long as you don’t overdo it.

Smoking is the easiest way, still can be plenty creative, but do note you might have a better experience from edibles (or vaping at a lower temperature).

I’ve heard some people say that when vaping, they get a more concentrated and focused effect, and when they smoke a joint (or bowl), they’re most likely ordering a pizza down the line a few hours later. So keep that in mind.

Do you have an opinion on whether edibles or vaping or smoking is better? Leave a comment down below with your own experiences.

Conclusion

Cannabis and art have a rich relationship steeped in history and countless artistic achievements. Weed can be a potent tool for creativity, but it’s not without it’s nuances and considerations.

In terms of creativity, we saw that lots of things like strain, dosage, setting, mindset, consumption method, and even food and drink you eat, can all effect how effective and creative you are after consuming cannabis. This is also further complicated by the fact that all of us are different, and will react differently to different strains. Therefore, the key to finding the right strain(s) to unlock your creativity lies in experimentation, moderation, and self-awareness. Only take a small dose, and note how you feel.

Also be aware that while cannabis can be great for creativity, be wary to use it as a tool, and not as a crutch. Weed is definitely addictive, contrary to what many might say. I’ve gotten addicted to it myself, and while it’s not as bad as getting addicted to alcohol or other hard drugs, it definitely had it’s bad physical and mental side-effects. These days I rarely use it (at least in this period of my life, not to say I won’t ever smoke a lot again), but I do recognize it’s potential as a creativity-booster.

Ultimately, cannabis can be a great companion as a muse, source of inspiration, or reflection – depending on how you use it. Be mindful, responsible, and consume it with intention.

Remember you don’t need weed to be creative, it’s just a tool. At the end of the day, your own experiences, consciousness, soul, heart and mind are at the root of your artistic expressions. Learn to tap into those, and your creative adventures will be limitless.

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for reading this article, and please do leave a comment down below with your own experiences with weed and creativity, to help others on their journey. Cheers!