Why songwriters are living a meaningful and purpose driven life Pt 2
Why is it that songwriters are living a meaningful and purpose driven life? This is Part 2, a continuation of Pt 1 Here
I took this shot yesterday morning, whilst clearing my head before sitting down to write a song.
Secondly, and a great place to start (see what I did there?), is to keep check on yourself. Make a checklist of the answers you have provided for yourself regarding your own emotions and reactions to the songs you consider to be wonderful. Memorise your checklist but I wouldn’t advise keeping it as if a set of rules. The idea is that your emotional checklist becomes a default set of considerations for you to call upon during your songwriting process, whether co-writing or solo. I’m often awoken by my co-writer from an almost trance-like state during writing sessions “what have you got going on, Karl?” I’m usually spending some time with each new lyric, line-by-line, “am I moved? Is this the winning line, of all lines we could write here and now? How do I feel about this? How will I feel about this after today? Is this missing something that could otherwise make it extra powerful?”
Why wouldn’t we take the extra time to consider and re-consider each line? There’s a possibility with each and every song we write that they may be published, recorded, printed on a CD and sent out into the world forever! My approach to this has always been “that’ll do, won’t do”. We are in an honoured and respected area of creativity, as such that the results of our artistic output often get the opportunity to be carved in stone and to live forever. With the aid of technology, this is no longer a far-fetched dream. Self-released music is rife and is a very simple and inexpensive process. Within twenty-four hours, we can self-release a song or Ep or album and have it available for sale all over the world.
Taking pride in each and every moment of each and every song we write is the least we can do to ensure that when the time comes that our work (creative work) is launched into the can’t-change-a-thing-even-if-I-wanted-to consumer space, we are as proud as proud can be that our art has been shared. This in turn of course, ensures that we’ve done all we can to feel comfortable enough so that whether or not it befalls the ears of our desired listeners, to us, it’s still brilliant and represents us best and perhaps even helps us represent how we define ourselves as artists/songwriters.
“Whether or not the body of work you are building will be recognised for it’s true value, is beyond your control” – Todd Henry Author of “Die Empty: and “The Accidental Creative” http://www.theaccidentalcreative.com
The same pride is recommended in a co-write situation although after years and years of co-writing and all the variables that we encounter as prolific co-writers, there’s a healthy need for compromise and that can take on many forms. Admittedly, I struggled at the beginning of my co-writing endeavours whenever I was presented with an idea that didn’t sit well with me.
I hear friends declaring this almost on a weekly basis “I don’t want to share my best ideas” or “I’m happy writing on my own, why would I want to write with others”? My approach to this is simple but this wasn’t always the case. In fact, in my book ‘The Free-Thinking Songwriter” http://www.insidesongwriting.com.au/books you can read in detail how my first ever co-write came about, why I was hesitant and what my apprehensions were, as well as what those first co-write sessions ultimately lead to in the great wide world!
Not only have I learned something from every co-writing session I’ve done but I continue to learn and there’s a reason for this. Combining the creative minds of yourself and your co-writers, be it one or two or even three partners, will always see the birth of something that would never have happened otherwise. Therein lies the joy of co-writing and therein presents the infinite opportunities for greatness. Caring about the depth and integrity of the song doesn’t have to stop at co-writing but there’s a method to the healthy compromise I’m suggesting…..to be continued.
Karl’s new book “The Free-Thinking Songwriter” is available now, everywhere eBooks are sold!
Amazon Kindle Version
