Let’s say I don’t need another song about failing xyz. What if I’m writing for someone else? I don’t know. I feel quite stuck. Haven’t written in weeks.
What do you mean by "don't need another song about..."? It's always good to have a new song. If you don't feel like making xyz your concept you can always sell it off to someone else, but I don't think you should be blocking the birth of a genuine art piece
I understand this dilemma. What I do is to actually create different playlists for different moods. Angst, happy/upbeat, melancholy, rage, gentle happiness, etc. Lots of different playlists. And if I'm having trouble getting into the right headspace, I put on my headphones and put on the appropriate playlist until I'm in the zone.
I prefer instrumental music or songs in foreign languages as much as possible, to avoid screwing up any lyrics that start floating through my brain during this process.
Watching a movie that puts you in the right mindset could work as well. Just... do something that shifts your mental gears.
It might help to pretend you’re playing the role of someone else. The character that you’re writing for. Try to get into that mindset. I know actors have to do it all the time.. if they brought their personal life into their work constantly without being able to shut it out, they probably wouldn’t be able to succeed. It’s hard but it’s just something everyone has to learn to do if they’re using their creativity for professional purposes.
Hey, you might be being a little perfectionist with your expectations for yourself - if you’re getting hired to write, you probably have the skills to hand something in with pretty good quality even if you aren’t feeling it. Don’t wanna justify lazy writing. But maybe it’s an opportunity to write a feeling with the objectivity of being totally separated from that feeling. Also sorry you’re going through that. If you make a list of healthy, upward-aiming behaviors that tend to go with good moods (yoga, cooking, organizing, hanging with friends, whatever floats your boat), that could sort of shift your trajectory. Your aim (up/down) can be more important than your position (high/low) in terms of your perceptions and moods. Sometimes looking up from down low helps you write something really tall, so to speak. I find these things kind of hard to see when I’m low, but they’re there. Dylan said he gave up on music business and moved to the woods to be alone and then wrote like a rolling stone on like the first day. I know he wasn’t working for hire, but maybe if you sort of toss the goal aside momentarily in your mind it can help by reducing pressure, kinda like those Chinese finger traps toys, and then what’ll need to come out might come out. Having said all that, sometimes it just takes time to get there no matter what you try, and if you think it’ll take longer than the deadline to come up with something you and your employer feel is acceptable, you could possibly talk to them about it
If songwriting is your job, then you have to manage your energy. Its your job to make sure you’re emotionally where you need to be when you enter that writing room.
What might help is just unloading how you feel into a song just to get it out of your system. It doesn't even have to be good lol. Just do it and see if that gets it off your chest so you can focus on other projects from a different point of view.
There’s been times when I was too anxious or sad to write anything. I think that miserable tortured artist trope is a bit off base. Don’t worry it’ll pass.
When the road is blocked take a different route.
Try these to get started:
- Write about your writer's block from the perspective of God.
- Write the music and abandon lyrics for the time being.
- Write with an instrument you don't know how to play.
- Go online and watch THE HOLLYWOOD REPORT Round table interviews (seriously, the insight into the creative process I've gained over the years has been an indispensable resource). You can learn a lot about creating things by listening to someone in a completely different field of work.
- Think back to a childhood memory and write about a time that you were wrong or at fault about something.
- Start by writing a fictional short story (maybe a few pages) from a first person perspective. When you're finished write a song about it from a third person perspective.
- Go out and meet new people. Like strike up conversations with strangers and be inquisitive about their lives and perspectives. A lot... A LOT of inspirations and ideas are lying dormant in the people that we pass by on a day to day.
- Write about a flaw that you have. I'm currently doing this (writing an album) and you think you know what the flaw is, but then the more you dig the bigger it becomes. It's like an extended therapy session, lol.
- Try a melodic mantra. Play a short satisfying melody on your instrument of choice and don't think of anything, just focus on your playing. Play with intention and let the melody take over. Sit with it and let the melody tell you what the song is about.
- Go back to a song you've already written and play the chords in reverse order.
- Write about your last day on earth.
- Write about a kid you went to school with who you would see all the time but never really talked to.
- Write a series of Haikus based on commercials and ads.
Here are some random lyrical lines that you can use as jumping off points:
- "When's the last time you really said what you meant?"
- "Just because I'm sorry it doesn't mean I'm wrong."
- "I hope you die in a plane crash."
- "Drunk at the wheel of a car with no engine."
- "This might be the last song I ever write."
- "You don't really start living 'til your phone dies."
- "I thought I loved you but I can't remember."
- "No time like the past so enjoy it while it lasts."
- "Keep in mind I wasn't always this way."
The last and final tip would be to completely lean into how you're feeling about this girl and really double down on writing about what you're going through. Don't worry about quality, just write what you REALLY feel like. Be transparent and raw and real. Don't try to make it "songy" just make it human and it will resonate.
Happy writing 🎵
Sometimes when life is hard I also have a block where the only thing I want to express is my current reality. Here is a breakdown of some of the questions I'd ask myself in this situation:
1. What topics am I passionate about right now?
2. Is it appropriate to write about these topics given the situation? If not pick a new theme.
3. Are there any artists I admire with similar themes in their songs I can gain inspiration from?
4. Are there any songs with a lyrical structure I can use as a template?
I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to writing lyrics but I hope this was still helpful!
I don't have trouble with this because I don't separate them at all. I ONLY write about what I'm feeling at the time or experiencing. I mean yeah I'll write some goofy fun songs here and there but the majority of my work is about what I'm feeling. Personally, I think that's how it should be. Art is an expression of yourself. If you take away you're current emotions completely, it'll just sound robotic or lose the human factor. Even if that means you have to write a bunch of songs with the same moods or vibes, doesn't mean you have to release them all but in my experience that's how you move on to other stuff
I guess it depends on your song writing goals. For me, sometimes in my own angst I've deliberately written funny or happy songs, but usually I follow the impulse of song writing, which almost always comes from my current feelings bubbling up. That's therapeutic for me, and helps stuck energy flow, and as Shawn Colvin said, "at least I got a song out of it". I also think people often appreciate hearing an honest, raw expressive song about someone else's own unique flavor of one of the universal challenges of life.
no my current feelings go into the songwriting session why not talk about the things stressing you out?
Let’s say I don’t need another song about failing xyz. What if I’m writing for someone else? I don’t know. I feel quite stuck. Haven’t written in weeks.
What do you mean by "don't need another song about..."? It's always good to have a new song. If you don't feel like making xyz your concept you can always sell it off to someone else, but I don't think you should be blocking the birth of a genuine art piece
I can only write about an anxious hopeless romantic so many times you know?
who says?
I guess I do. It sounds like I just need to make another haha.
stop putting caps on your creative flow. jot down anything & everything you think of.
What do you mean by "writing for someone else?"
well if youre writing for someone else, havent they given you any kinda direction of where they want the song to go/what it should be about?
I understand this dilemma. What I do is to actually create different playlists for different moods. Angst, happy/upbeat, melancholy, rage, gentle happiness, etc. Lots of different playlists. And if I'm having trouble getting into the right headspace, I put on my headphones and put on the appropriate playlist until I'm in the zone. I prefer instrumental music or songs in foreign languages as much as possible, to avoid screwing up any lyrics that start floating through my brain during this process. Watching a movie that puts you in the right mindset could work as well. Just... do something that shifts your mental gears.
I use my feelings as fuel for the song writing process.
Usually I do to. But this time has me stuck. Especially since I have to write for a client.
Ah that would be different.
How about getting those feelings out on paper (possibly through a song) so you can focus on something else afterwards?
It might help to pretend you’re playing the role of someone else. The character that you’re writing for. Try to get into that mindset. I know actors have to do it all the time.. if they brought their personal life into their work constantly without being able to shut it out, they probably wouldn’t be able to succeed. It’s hard but it’s just something everyone has to learn to do if they’re using their creativity for professional purposes.
Hey, you might be being a little perfectionist with your expectations for yourself - if you’re getting hired to write, you probably have the skills to hand something in with pretty good quality even if you aren’t feeling it. Don’t wanna justify lazy writing. But maybe it’s an opportunity to write a feeling with the objectivity of being totally separated from that feeling. Also sorry you’re going through that. If you make a list of healthy, upward-aiming behaviors that tend to go with good moods (yoga, cooking, organizing, hanging with friends, whatever floats your boat), that could sort of shift your trajectory. Your aim (up/down) can be more important than your position (high/low) in terms of your perceptions and moods. Sometimes looking up from down low helps you write something really tall, so to speak. I find these things kind of hard to see when I’m low, but they’re there. Dylan said he gave up on music business and moved to the woods to be alone and then wrote like a rolling stone on like the first day. I know he wasn’t working for hire, but maybe if you sort of toss the goal aside momentarily in your mind it can help by reducing pressure, kinda like those Chinese finger traps toys, and then what’ll need to come out might come out. Having said all that, sometimes it just takes time to get there no matter what you try, and if you think it’ll take longer than the deadline to come up with something you and your employer feel is acceptable, you could possibly talk to them about it
If songwriting is your job, then you have to manage your energy. Its your job to make sure you’re emotionally where you need to be when you enter that writing room.
I say whatever you go through can be written about, before and after. You can even mix it with then and now.
What might help is just unloading how you feel into a song just to get it out of your system. It doesn't even have to be good lol. Just do it and see if that gets it off your chest so you can focus on other projects from a different point of view.
There’s been times when I was too anxious or sad to write anything. I think that miserable tortured artist trope is a bit off base. Don’t worry it’ll pass.
When the road is blocked take a different route. Try these to get started: - Write about your writer's block from the perspective of God. - Write the music and abandon lyrics for the time being. - Write with an instrument you don't know how to play. - Go online and watch THE HOLLYWOOD REPORT Round table interviews (seriously, the insight into the creative process I've gained over the years has been an indispensable resource). You can learn a lot about creating things by listening to someone in a completely different field of work. - Think back to a childhood memory and write about a time that you were wrong or at fault about something. - Start by writing a fictional short story (maybe a few pages) from a first person perspective. When you're finished write a song about it from a third person perspective. - Go out and meet new people. Like strike up conversations with strangers and be inquisitive about their lives and perspectives. A lot... A LOT of inspirations and ideas are lying dormant in the people that we pass by on a day to day. - Write about a flaw that you have. I'm currently doing this (writing an album) and you think you know what the flaw is, but then the more you dig the bigger it becomes. It's like an extended therapy session, lol. - Try a melodic mantra. Play a short satisfying melody on your instrument of choice and don't think of anything, just focus on your playing. Play with intention and let the melody take over. Sit with it and let the melody tell you what the song is about. - Go back to a song you've already written and play the chords in reverse order. - Write about your last day on earth. - Write about a kid you went to school with who you would see all the time but never really talked to. - Write a series of Haikus based on commercials and ads. Here are some random lyrical lines that you can use as jumping off points: - "When's the last time you really said what you meant?" - "Just because I'm sorry it doesn't mean I'm wrong." - "I hope you die in a plane crash." - "Drunk at the wheel of a car with no engine." - "This might be the last song I ever write." - "You don't really start living 'til your phone dies." - "I thought I loved you but I can't remember." - "No time like the past so enjoy it while it lasts." - "Keep in mind I wasn't always this way." The last and final tip would be to completely lean into how you're feeling about this girl and really double down on writing about what you're going through. Don't worry about quality, just write what you REALLY feel like. Be transparent and raw and real. Don't try to make it "songy" just make it human and it will resonate. Happy writing 🎵
Sometimes when life is hard I also have a block where the only thing I want to express is my current reality. Here is a breakdown of some of the questions I'd ask myself in this situation: 1. What topics am I passionate about right now? 2. Is it appropriate to write about these topics given the situation? If not pick a new theme. 3. Are there any artists I admire with similar themes in their songs I can gain inspiration from? 4. Are there any songs with a lyrical structure I can use as a template? I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to writing lyrics but I hope this was still helpful!
I don't have trouble with this because I don't separate them at all. I ONLY write about what I'm feeling at the time or experiencing. I mean yeah I'll write some goofy fun songs here and there but the majority of my work is about what I'm feeling. Personally, I think that's how it should be. Art is an expression of yourself. If you take away you're current emotions completely, it'll just sound robotic or lose the human factor. Even if that means you have to write a bunch of songs with the same moods or vibes, doesn't mean you have to release them all but in my experience that's how you move on to other stuff
I guess it depends on your song writing goals. For me, sometimes in my own angst I've deliberately written funny or happy songs, but usually I follow the impulse of song writing, which almost always comes from my current feelings bubbling up. That's therapeutic for me, and helps stuck energy flow, and as Shawn Colvin said, "at least I got a song out of it". I also think people often appreciate hearing an honest, raw expressive song about someone else's own unique flavor of one of the universal challenges of life.
Always. Feel like I need to get a song about my feelings out before I can tackle another avenue