Rick Rubin can write a book about creative techniques, set ups, work flows and conditions that is quite concise and admittedly unoriginal. I feel like getting older has shown me that there are truly so many ways to get your piece of art done.
In recent times I've been prolific at conceptualizing, creating, finishing and performing songs. I'm happy to share my secrets, they might be unoriginal, but maybe they'll resonate with you.
Start with anything but your phone
Rewind to the height of covid. I was in the middle of a government funded staycation, my first time receiving money to do nothing, and I was quite pleased. I had everything I wanted, two great roommates, loads of video games, computers, music to make and empty soccer fields nearby, a true rat park, if you will.
Still, I started my mornings, in my bed, going through my YouTube recommended vids. (Sidenote, YouTube has gotten way worse in recent years, or maybe its my algorithm, but 2020 was a time where you could watch a whole video without scrubbing through to the 'good part' promised in the the title.) The videos were immense. I rewatched Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga triumph over boringly repetitive champions Bayern Munich which brought me to tears, I'd be yelling watching masked inasense's best battle rap bars of all time, then I'd see hilarious 11 minute hood meme compilations which featured legendary clips like that guy asleep in his backseat getting water poured in his mouth, which led to massive belly laughs.
All this before I left my bed.
Then after 2 hours I figured I'd make a song before exercising with my buddy. I'd stare at the blank page, play a beat, try to get in the zone and I'd be nowhere near the state I needed to be in. Firstly, the beat doesn't sound as good when I've already been so stimulated. Then I'm tasked with choosing to stare at a page when I've already watched such incredible, historic moments unfold. It wasn't happening.
I think it was Rich Roll's podcast where I first heard about the journaling practice of morning pages. It's a simple concept; wake up and write 3 pages of stream of consciousness thoughts on paper. This is probably the most transformative practice of my adult life. Staying off my phone, reflecting on my choices and situations, having a record of how I felt in adverse times, and, subsequently knowing they would pass - all came from a pen and paper.
Waking up and tuning in was priceless. No longer would I spend my spark, my tears and cheers, on classic YouTube vids. Now I was pouring into the pages, and had the attention span to sculpt a song.
Divorce your vision
Sometimes I start writing with a song in mind. I'll think 'oo! you know what would be good? A song about how everyone is happy at golden hour!' Then I'll start writing the song. And, uh, I'll be flowing and noticing that I'll write a lot of lyrics about betrayal. That's strange, okay back to the song! As the orange starts to pour in, your stabbed me in the open. Wait! That's getting dark randomly? Is it random? Perhaps the song about betrayal is wanting to be written more than anything else. You can wrestle that, and if you're writing a song for a school project that has a narrow focus, perhaps it might be fastest get this betrayal song out of the way so you can approach golden hour content, unclouded.
Think less, write more
Get out of your head. Write fast without stopping. You can edit it later. Be careful when saying no to the inspiration, it might listen! Say yes! Invite ideas, it might be silly, it might be cringe, it will be written, either by you or someone else.
Don't judge drafts
I'll allow the song to write itself. Sometimes it takes 3/4 verses and 5 subject changes before I'm able to hone in on what lyrics best fit the music. Finally, I'll get the moment; thats the song! It doesn't often come cheap, but it can come quickly if you get good at getting out of your own way.
Collaborating is awesome, but make sure you're in a space where people won't judge you for being silly. Make voices, share controversial opinions and talk about your embarrassing moments, leave no stone unturned! If you find someone that feeds your flow state, they are likely worth keeping around.
Take ear breaks
Sometimes dedication needs direction. If you get tired of your song, pause, listen to something else or engage in some other form of low dopamine content (podcast, book, stretching, exercise) then come back to it. See what parts of your project are hitting. You might be reminded of how dope the song is, falling in love with what made you start this thing in the first place.
Scroll reels as much as you can while working
Tell me you didn't believe that I was going to endorse scrolling while writing?! For me, it's the worst thing you could do. In order to create anything of value, I need sustained attention. Nothing decimates your attention span quite like a short trip into reel territory. The most curated, hyper-niche memes and videos designed to stimulate you in a way that simply cannot be matched by songwriting. Please stay away from your phone at all costs.
There are so many ways to write a song, but a lot of the magic lies in the preparation and the environment.
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