The Only Trick

My guitar teacher recently shared seven different ways I could find inspiration to write a song, from starting with only a drum beat, to borrowing someone else’s style, to using just lyrics without any thought of music at all. I appreciated the time he took to come up with these ideas, and told him I’d give some a try, knowing there was very little chance I would do so. Not that they weren’t good suggestions, I just know how I operate.

For instance, a few days later I found myself at a doctor’s appointment. The doctor and her assistant were very nice, and I didn’t mind that something small needed to be removed, but there was all the wondering what it was, and was it a problem, and the need for more tests. They were just doing their jobs, but it left me in a mood, and not a particularly good one, and when I got home, I went straight to my guitar where I started not one but two songs, both of which I liked very much.

That was some good medicine. There is nothing like a feeling that wants expression to serve as inspiration. The songs themselves did not end up as gloomy as I felt after the appointment. They went somewhere else entirely, somewhere much better. It was like the songs showed me the path from that despair to where I’d always rather be.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with prompts and creativity tricks. I started a song once because I watched a music video and thought, “I should write something bouncy like that,” and I did and I liked it. But these strategies aren’t full-proof. They’re just another way to help you unlock or direct you to the feeling that’s the true conduit for inspiration. I’m always feeling something, after all. Pay close attention to it, and there’s probably a song in there somewhere wanting to be written.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt
You can find William at: williamkenower.com