At 10:02 AM 12/7/01 +0100, Marian wrote: >Thank you for sharing your thoughts on songwriting, Steve, It's interesting to hear that >dry periods can happen for as long as two years. Do you get nervous when >that happens? Or is there a basic trust that inspiration will come again? >Do you try to write anyway during those times - sit down on a regular basis >with a pen and just see what comes? What is your process in the dry times?
Hi Marian, Fortunately, I have many creative outlets. Many times during my dry spells, I may be co-writing with my friend Lafayette, a gospel singer, or Yolanda, another singer friend. I wrote a novel during the last spell- LOL! And I also have the visual and graphic arts. I do have this inner trust that it will return. And I don't try to edit or pre-empt my ideas anymore, or force them-(but if I get a lyrical idea, I will write it down.). For example, when I hear something in my head, I go right to my synth and lay it down on my sequencer or digital 4-track, even if it's just a riff or a song snippet. I trust that if it's coming out, it's coming out! As if the song evolves on its own. Sometimes I can 'see/feel/taste' the creative process while it happens- all internal dialogue is gone and you are in a 'zone'. But when I try to remember that moment, or relay that experience to someone else, I can't. Let's not forget AFTER the song is done (now this is your baby and you love it) and you listen to it and think: okay, is this any good? LOL! So I (laughably)call up my musician friends and play it for them over the phone just so I won't sit for a few days wondering if my song needs to be filed.(in the trash-lol!) These days I am much more confident of my material. Don't be afraid to try something, Marian. Some of the songs I've written that I though no one would like turned out to be my most popular... Hugs, Steve Steve
