Breaking in the Creative Process

Since posting my first musical endeavor here to theDIHEDRAL, I have continued trying to write more and more songs. It is fascinating to me how much songwriting has forced me to slow down and learn about myself and the way my brain thinks.

I believe that one of my greatest strengths (as well as weaknesses) is my ability to charge into a situation and just figure things out, no matter what it is. However, when it comes to songwriting, things aren’t that simple. There is no ‘right way’ to do things. You can’t force it.

Often, when writing a song; I end up sitting in the same spot for three hours, banging my head against a wall, trying to come up with something I deem original enough to put pen to paper. Other times, it all spills out in 15 minutes.

So, that frustration about not understanding my creative process has forced me to look inside myself. Why is it is easy to write a song at some times, and difficult at others?

For me, the main takeaway I have learned from songwriting is how important it is to slow down and understand yourself. Don’t ignore your own weaknesses, or your strengths. You can’t just white knuckle everything into existence.

In rock climbing, beginners often hold onto the wall as hard as possible. They trudge up inclines in static, rigid moves. In reality, the best climbers squeeze just hard enough to keep from slipping. They understand their own strengths, and the way their body reacts to different angles and hold shapes. This allows them to conserve energy, and ultimately climb in a more graceful, effective manner.

So, big takeaways?

For me, it’s that you cannot give to others what you do not know that you have. If you want to give something to this world, it’s best to understand yourself. It’s okay to learn while you go, but make sure you are practicing some level of internal awareness. Don’t get so lost in learning the thing that you are doing that you forget to learn about the person doing it.

I’d love to share another song I wrote, if that’s alright. Hope you enjoy.

Lyrics:

Well that record needle fell

As she prayed in vain for

a colder day in hell

Desperately yearning

Immersed in the lax subversion

Of meaninglessness

And aging guitar licks

So take it to the sky

Those faded lines and pastel lies

Baby can’t you see

We’re calling this all that it can be

Oh, don’t you see

A painted smile’s a vacant belief

Like these falling leaves

So beautiful, but dead to me

Oh don’t you know

There’s not much left up the road

And only one way to go

Thanks for reading/listening!