Tapping into the creative spirit

In my weekly lesson with Ben Senterfit we discussed where does good songwriting come from?

We discussed that the greatest creativity comes during periods when you're outside your comfort zone (i.e. during an emotional time). How often do you hear about intense creativity following a break-up, death, or in my case losing a job? These times can open the way for great creativity.

In teaching canoeing we try to challenge students beyond their comfort level so they are open to learning. You need to be careful, however, not to push too far or they stop learning and only worry about survival. In music, when I learn new chords or riffs, I typically get a new song. If the chords are too difficult, I spend all the time trying to do the chord right (i.e. survival). For lyrics, tapping into the emotions inside you (pain, insecurity, and happiness) is typically outside my comfortable level, however, this is where the creative energy lies.

Yesterday I learned a new base run on SongU. Today, I had lunch with old colleagues who stirred up some emotions. On the drive home, I came up with the idea for a song and in 45 minutes I had a song. It still needs a little work, but I hope to post it next week on my website.