As an artist it's easy to get hung up on perfection and quality. Excellence is good, but not if it silences all creative flow and shuts down all productivity. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our creativity is to let it flow uncensored. Pursuing quantity over quality this year will force me to consistently encounter and grow in my craft and will hopefully force me to draw from a deeper well. My 111songsintwenty11 do not have to be epic, great or even good. They just have to be finished. I’m so excited about the possibilities.

I read of a pottery teacher who divided his class into two groups for a semester. The students of the first group were challenged to each produce a single pot of the highest quality. The students of the second group were challenged to produce as many pots as they possibly could in the same amount of time with no regard to quality. Every pot was brought in at the end of the challenge to be counted and inspected. The surprise was that the pots created by the “quantity group” were far superior in quality when compared to the pots created by the “quality group”. Their pursuit of quantity caused them to excel in quality simply because they spent so much time with their craft.

So I'm in. I'm rolling up my sleeves, sitting down at the wheel, and I'm ready to sling some clay. I'm getting my hands on my craft and I'm hoping by the end of this year, my pursuit of quantity will make me a better songwriter. I'm hoping some quality songs will emerge from the piles of forgettable ones.

This blog is to chronicle my adventures in songwriting this year and to invite you to join me. I’m gonna post what I learn about songwriting and videos of each song as I finish them so that you can comment and join in the fun.

Monday, December 27, 2010

inspiration

today i’m creating a writing area in our living room. got the keyboard and guitar and a beautiful window to stare blankly out of. so, down to business. where will i find inspiration for my new rush of songs? with 111 songs to be written i can’t just sit around and wait for a song to force me to write it. i’m gonna have to be calculated and have a plan of attack! i’m on the hunt for good ideas!

it’s time to begin aggressively tracking new ideas and melodies and chords. here is where i’m gonna look for lyric ideas:

first, i’ll go to my old boot box. i confess, a lot of those ideas are still there because they aren’t good enough to become actual songs. but i’m sure there are some treasures to be mined.

creative poetry always sparks creativity. i’m pulling out my favorite poetry books to keep next to the keyboard. the beautiful language and word choices always give me ideas and inspire new ways to say what i’m feeling.

of course, as a believer, the bible is an inexhaustible source of subjects and stories, ideas and revelations. the word will “never fail”!

story songs are everywhere: novels, news, family members, jokes, movies, television, sappy commercials, documentaries. history is full of songs waiting to be written. i have a few eras in time and cultures that i plan to study to find new musical ideas, characters and stories that are begging to be sung about.

life experiences are obviously a great source for new songs. whether they are trivial or profound you can just write about a lesson learned or tell the actual story.

musicology is an amazing source for awakening new areas of creativity within. listening to different cultural sounds and historical musical trends can incite all kinds of different songs.  

personal emotions and, even opinions, are good resources for sincere and inspiring songs.

things people say are always a source of songs for me. casual conversations are usually full of good ideas. i’ve overheard some of my best ideas at the table next to me in the coffee shop. preachers and prophets are also great for timely and relevant messages and creative words. ministers spend a lot of time and energy learning to communicate and prepare their sermons. they use a lot of acronyms, alliterations and metaphors that are good to steal.

spontaneous times of worship have produced some of my most favorite songs. getting alone with the lord and just pouring my heart out opens my music up for the holy spirit to pour his heart back out to me.

assignments are also an excellent motivator for me. different venues and events sometimes need a song with a specific theme or hook line or feel.

ok! i've got my eyes and ears open. songs are everywhere!
where and when do you get your best song ideas?
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