When inspiration strikes with words, melodies, & music it is often overwhelming. It can be such an information overload that if sidetracked for one slight moment, all creative ideas could be lost. The most important thing to know in times of inspiration is acknowledging the desired beginning and end result.

-Lyrics are simple. Keep the words flowing on paper, keep them coming until there is nothing left. ‘Afterwards’, figure the theme and song title, then edit, and arrange them. It is difficult to do much more without having the melodies and music.

-Melodies can be a bit trickier. Some melodies can sound great but when adding words, they get hard to understand or too complex to follow. The best thing is to get a small recorder to record those great melodies that come randomly. Then, when new lyrics are finished, go through the melodies and see which one blends with the lyrics. This process can transform average melodies to solid hooks.

-Music can be the most challenging because it is very hard to discern when a song is completely ‘finished’. The most important thing with this is to know your market. Are you writing songs for yourself, for the underground, or for the radio? After determining your audience, the last factor that is often overlooked is can you listen to the entire song and not hear a thing wrong with it? Can you live with the instrument performance or can you ‘really’ do it better? Once you can listen to a song from front to back without something ‘bothering you’, it is a very sure sign that your song is as complete as you can get it.

These methods can help bring clarity to those emotional explosions of inspiration, prevent loss of focus, and can help you write even more songs…

...How many times have we stopped our music due to crazy circumstances in life. How many times have we put our desires on hold because of fear and uncertainty? How many times have we done these things and then realized everything works out in the end?

This week take time to reflect. Spend an hour or two just chillin but make sure not to do anything pertaining to work - Just reflect…
Take time to remember where you were a year ago and the year before that…
What your challenges were then – do you even remember them?
How different are you from that person a year ago or are you exactly the same?
Do you still have the same group of friends – if so, if not, why?
Have you picked up that instrument you have always wanted to play or are you still waiting to make time?
Are you listening to the same music or have you been exploring new sounds?
Has your journal writing and songwriting touched new realms or are they still the same?

If it was our choice, we would write songs and make music every second, every minute, and every waking moment of every day. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. The majority of time it seems like day-to-day activities come first and whatever time leftover at the end of the day is spent on music...

This week, no matter how busy your schedule is, stay open. During the times of other activities, keep your mind on your songwriting and your music. Always keep a pen and pad of paper with you to jot down any ‘idea flashes’ that flash on your ‘brain screen’ before they can escape. If you have access to a portable recorder, keep that with you for sudden melody ideas too. Start a song idea list and maintain it daily.

A true writer, artist, or musician, when working, when playing, when out on the town, or even when sleeping, will find that making music NEVER leaves the mind. This can both be good and bad…

Networking, planning, and communicating about one’s love is very exhausting and can be mentally and physically draining. To most, it may appear that someone is extremely dedicated to their love, but the reality is having music on the mind to that extent reduces ‘making’ music to mere thoughts. Instead of taking action and making music or writing music, one will spend all day planning and talking about it non-stop but will never pick up a pen or an instrument…

With the many people surroundings that are required in the music industry, it is often difficult to discern who is who and what is what. Some people may have something to teach and others may be the people holding you back from what you’re supposed to be doing. Some may have positive or negative learning lessons and others may be what your next song will be about…

Either way, all is answered when one is paying attention and if one is perceiving truth or being deceived by untruth. Life may be trying its hardest to get through and speak but when not listening, ‘life songs’ and ‘life revelations’ cannot be written…

By living one minute and one day at a time without looking at the past or future, we allow ourselves the chance to see 100% of what is going on around us each day. That fact alone eliminates writer’s block and reveals which relationships are true friends and healthy working surroundings as opposed to the ones whose actions do not follow their words.