Being An Artist: Part 2

I was recently chatting with a friend of mine about the butterflies in my stomach that songwriting sometimes produces…or rather the terror that I sometimes experience from songwriting. Maybe you too are an artist or creative type and can relate. Most times when I sit at the piano playing and singing my own words it is like the surrender of falling into a perfectly drawn warm, bathtub or Caribbean ocean. I'm unable to distinguish the difference between myself and the air around me because everything is one. There is a relief and satisfaction in being “back home”, back in the bigger me. Yes, being a vocalist/songwriter truly feeds me. But often the process of songwriting is touch and go.

Songwriting is more like a car that starts to zoom forward and then putters and spits in place, then moves an inch, then stops again. Sometimes one song can take so long I really do question why I call myself a songwriter. (Yes, this happened many times with “Head Full of Hair, Heart Full of Song"). And to make matters worse sometimes there is this terror…like a horrible itch inside my stomach as my mind buzzes like a cloud of gnats above me. “Will this work?", " Do I keep going on this path?" or "Should I steer the car around and make sure I arrive somewhere safely?…If I keep going, I may not remember where I started….” and every other version of this self questioning. All the while, I’m alone in the vehicle, trying to make sure to record the progress of my trip and it's direction.

Now, I know you are thinking “Well, why don’t you invite someone along?...Duh!" Yes, I could do that. Many songwriters have a writing partner for just this reason. Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Sia and that piano player who's name I don't know right now. Many famous writing teams of the past and present have shared this songwriting journey probably to avoid some of the pitfalls I have just described. But for some reason I kind of enjoy being on this part of the trip alone. I like hearing what melodies, syllables, rhythms and broken phrases I am feeling at a given time. Knowing there will be other ways along the drive or hike where I can connect with beating hearts and minds. The time when I get to connect with musicians in my band or share an idea with another songwriter/musician is like the reward of fresh, juice bursting in your mouth after finding the fruit you picked was in fact ripe.

Over the past two months I started a monthly workshop for singer/songwriters to shed, share, strengthen and gather feedback for more future song whispering . Our most recent meeting was this past Saturday, October 21st and we dug even deeper this time discovering reliable anchors for our upcoming creative pursuits. If you are interested in joining a supportive group to strengthen your voice, mindset and performance skills in a holistic way, let me know. We will be meeting again in December. So stay tuned..