One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my songwriting career is that “inspiration” is a complete myth, at least in the way we normally think about it. I mean, if we were completely transparent, we’d probably all admit that we spend an inordinate amount of time waiting for inspiration to strike and even worrying that it won’t, right? It is possible to live more creatively and with much more inspiration, if you only learn to master a few simple things.
First, learn the difference between being a “battery” and being a “power plant.” Most of us think about ourselves as batteries that can only hold a charge for so long. Once you’ve used up your energy it’s gone and you have to recharge. While it’s true that we live with physical limitations and get tired after a while, our minds and spirits have endless energy if we cultivate it as a mindset. In the end, we’re pretty much as creative as we think we are. Realizing that we are able to generate creativity and inspiration instead of just waiting around for it to happen is critical to a productive songwriting lifestyle.
Tony Wood, writer of nearly forty #1 radio hits says, “The difference between me and you is that you wait for inspiration to write, but I write until I feel the inspiration.”
Secondly, choosing to stop using “writers block” as an excuse for poor output will change your songwriting life forever. The reason we feel “blocked” creatively is because we’re not putting ourselves into the right state of mind. Motivational speakers like Tony Robbins and many more talk about “being in state,” referring to being in a certain state of mind. Truth is, we get to control what state of mind we live in each day by our inner chatter. Seasons of depression will cripple creativity, for sure, but we’re not talking about depression. If you’re depressed, go get mental support from a counselor or your physician. But if you’re not depressed and want to be more creative, change the inner chatter and thereby change your inner state of mind in order to find yourself generating inspiration and overcoming what appears to be a situation out of your control. Writer’s block is nothing more than a poor or low state of mind that you can change if you want to badly enough.
Thirdly, do things that feed your soul. Most if us, even Christians, wander around this planet on empty. We’ve given our best hours and energies to everything and everyone but ourselves. Great songwriting requires personal time for reading, listening, and reflecting on the things that fill you with ideas and inspiration. There’s a ridiculous notion in Christian songwriting that if you just sit down with your guitar or at the keys and get quiet or pray, you’ll suddenly feel inspired and a great song will drop out of the sky. If we were to be able to measure the effectiveness of this method, my guess is that it almost never results in world-changing songs. All great artists have worked hard at their craft and inspiring themselves to the work each day is one of the most common elements of greatness. Do things that feed your soul every day to see greater effectiveness and song output.
Looking forward working with this group.