6 Inspiring Tips for Creative People

I don't often point my readers elsewhere, but I would be neglectful if I didn't share this with you! 

In this blog post at HostBaby.com, Chris Bolton shares six great tips for ramping up your creativity. I find all six to be helpful and true in my own experience - AND several of these are tips I haven't written about here! 

So, your reading assignment for today: 

Finding Inspiration: 6 Inspiring Tips for Creative People

Getting Meaningful

Hi there, Monty! My name's Maggie, and I'm 14. Being so young, I have no idea where my head will be by the time that I graduate high school, but at the moment, the only thing that I can really see myself doing in the long term is writing music and playing in a band, whether we become wildly famous or I'm stuck living on bread, cheese, and water for the span of my adult life. I... I really love music. I live for it.

However, I don't have a lot of life experiences in my inventory on which to base meaningful and well-written songs. There are certain issues that I feel quite strongly about, but I feel they're inappropriate for songwriting, that I may come across as trying to (immaturely) be 'the next big controversy'.

I want to write songs with lyrics that help people, that inspire people. If I help even one person with my lyrics, it will have been worth it; I just don't know how to do it yet. If you can think of any tips at all for me, could I ask you to post them on your blog?

Thanks, and I really appreciate you even taking the time to read this comment. :) 

Hi Maggie,

Thanks for writing. I shortened your question a bit for my readers; I hope you don't mind.

In a moment I will refer you to an older post called "What to Write About." I give some excellent suggestions there (if I do say so myself) about how to generate ideas. These will work for anyone, old or young, and I won't repeat them here, so please do go read them, but first...

There is an extra dimension to your question beyond just what to write about. You really want your songs to help and inspire people. It's fantastic that you want to use your music to make the world a better place! And it sounds like you have the passion to make it happen. Also I must say, Maggie, that you show unusual maturity to recognize that due to your age, tackling controversial subjects might come across the wrong way, and that you still have a lot of life to live before you may feel you have any deep insights to share. I agree. Just keep writing. As you gain skill and confidence, you'll know when it's the right time to tackle some of those issues you feel strongly about.

In the meantime, don't sell yourself short! Like any dedicated young person, you have a lot to offer. (For some really cool inspiration, check out the book It's Our World, Too!: Stories of Young People Who Are Making a Difference by Phillip Hoose.) Your youth may mean that you are inexperienced, even naive, but it probably also means you are creative and have a fresh way of looking at things. You certainly have the potential to reach your peers with inspirational and meaningful lyrics.

OK, enough pep talk. Here are two specific ways to write a meaningful song:

1. Write a great feel-good song. Think about how energized you feel when you play your favorite happy song! ("Good Day Sunshine" may be a good example, or "Good Vibrations," or "Walking on Sunshine.") Next time you feel great, try to write a song that will help someone else capture that same great feeling. Start with some brainstorming. Why do you feel so good? How does your body feel? What thoughts are going through your head? Try to come up with a unique playful phrase to capture how you feel in that moment. 

Writing "in the moment" does not require life experience; you just need to be observant and aware and expressive about how you feel right now, and why you feel that way. And a great feel-good song really can touch people, lift their moods, and help them get through troubled times.

2. Write about your problems, but don't try to provide answers. What's your biggest trouble in life right now? Is it something you could write about? Of course it is! Just like with the feel-good song, write your trouble song "in the moment." What's the predicament, how does it make you feel, and why? If you aren't comfortable putting your problems out there for the world to hear, write in third person, as if the song is about somebody else. Or disguise the situation by changing the details, while staying true to its emotional core.

And don't worry if you have no solution to offer. That's OK. In fact your song may resonate better with your audience if it doesn't try to provide a solution. Listeners like the freedom to come to their own conclusions. 

Can a song about your troubles help other people? Absolutely! Think how you feel when you recognize the sad situation in a song. ("It's like she's inside my head!") It's very comforting to know that whatever your troubles are, you aren't the only one feeling that way. If you write a great trouble song, your audience will recognize themselves in it and not feel so all alone. (Check out the Beach Boys Pet Sounds CD for some awesome examples.)

Finally, two bits of advice for living your life in a way that will keep you on track for deep meaningful songwriting as you mature:

1. Get the very best education you can. It doesn't matter what you study; a good education will expose you to new ideas, aide you in your search for meaning and wisdom to put into your lyrics, and help you become a clear communicator and a deep thinker. Not to mention giving you something to "fall back on" if you ever get tired of subsisting on bread, cheese, and water. :)

2. Don't ever go suffering for your art. There are a lot of people who will tell you that you have to suffer before you can create great art. There's a certain logic to this idea: "misery gives you new experiences that are the raw material you need to write meaningful lyrics." Sometimes great art can come from great suffering. But the key here is: it doesn't have to! Great art can also come from perfectly well-adjusted happy people. We all suffer quite enough in life as it is. That's just part of the human condition. Extra needless suffering won't improve your songwriting. In particular, as a musician you'll likely run into people who abuse drugs and alcohol. Yes these can be great tools for increasing suffering, but they will not make anyone a better songwriter. Nuff said.

Oh, and don't forget to check out: "What to Write About" for more ideas. 

And just write. The bottom line is: any song worth recording will help someone get through their day!

I hope this helps!

On The Sunny Side of the Street

Hiya Monty!

Well, you see, I have written quite a few songs but they all seem to be very sad and my music teacher keeps telling me that I need to write about happy things. However, I find it very difficult to find happy inspiration. Please could you give me some 'happy' ideas to write about.

Thanx,
Natasha


Hiya Natasha,

First of all, sorry it took me so long to write back - I haven't had a chance to do any blogging stuff over the summer.

I'm not sure if I agree with your music teacher, without knowing more about you.

Your teacher might just be worried for you. If your songs are all sad, does it mean you're always sad? Could it mean you're depressed? Depression can be a serious problem, so she would be justified to worry about it.

If you are clinically depressed, forcing yourself to write happier songs won't help. But help is available. If you think you might be depressed, take an online screening test. (Here is a typical one.) If it suggests you may need help, talk to a parent, teacher, or other trusted adult about what you should do.

My personal favorite most helpful book about depression (and I'm no expert) is Learned Optimism by Dr. Martin Seligman. The book is written for adults, with information for parents. The exercises work for kids.

Most likely though, your songwriting is just something that helps you process your normal sad moments. Everyone feels sad sometimes, and we all have different ways of dealing with it. Maybe you tend to write when you're feeling down, and you just don't feel the need to write when you're happy.

Now if you write songs for your own satisfaction, there's nothing wrong with writing a bunch of sad ones. But if you hope to make a career out of songwriting, your music teacher may be right - your songs will need to appeal to a wider audience than just yourself.

True there are plenty of bands out there that do dark, down, negative stuff, and they have plenty of fans. But most hit songs are hits because they make people feel good. The one thing I hear over and over about the early Beatle's music is that it made people feel happy, and that fact is the key to why they were so insanely popular.

And even if you don't care about writing popular music, it can't hurt to push yourself to write something different whenever you're stuck in any kind of a rut. Attempting a new type of song is always a great way to learn and grow as a writer, and as a person.

So, here are some thoughts that will hopefully help you get started at writing a happy song. I'll try to include lots of different approaches, so maybe at least one will work for you...

Write When You're Happy
Like I said, maybe you only feel motivated to write when you're sad. So pay attention to your moods, and next time you feel deliriously happy about something, sing! Put that happy energy into some music. You don't have to stop what you're doing and write, just use the moment to grab some inspiration. Jot down a word or two or record a bit of melody. You can always come back to it later to see if you can turn it into a song.

Keep a Journal
It is always good writing advice to write in a journal as often as you can. Keep track of your moods. Write about what made you happy today. Keep your songwriter's ear open for a phrase that might make a good song title.

Look Back
In your journal, write about a happy memory from when you were a little kid, or a happy dream you had once. Write down all the details, then see if you can capture that moment in a song.

Listen
Listen to lots of happy or joyful music. Ask your friends and family what music makes them happy and listen to their recommendations. Put some happy music in your head, mix it around, and see what comes out when you sit down to write. "I'm Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves must be about the happiest song I can think of.

Brainstorm
Make a list of things that make you happy. A lot of upbeat songs you hear on the radio are about romantic love, but you can write about anything. Donovan once write a happy song about his favorite shirt!

Always Look On the Bright Side of Life (Be Ironic)
That's the title to a very funny song from the Monty Python movie, The Life of Brian. The characters are facing death, but they start singing this happy bouncy tune. If you're having trouble finding something positive to say, you can write a happy song using irony. Irony happens when attitudes seem the opposite of what you would expect. Pick a topic that really brings you down, but for humorous effect, write about it from the opposite perspective, as if it should make people happy.

Get Silly
If you can't come up with a sincere topic for a happy song, try getting ridiculous. Just write a nonsense song with noises instead of actual words. (Think "Crazy Frog" for example.) Or, come up with some absurd images, like a tree that grows lollipops, or a flying guitar - both of which have been made into actual happy songs, by the way. You can brainstorm by choosing words at random from a book. Put adjectives in one column, nouns in another, and verbs in another, etc. Then put together random combinations using one word from each column. Look for an image that makes you giggle, or a combination of sounds that go well together. Have fun with it.

Get Angry
There's a whole world of emotion other than sad or happy. If you are stuck in a rut with sad songs, and happy isn't doing it for you, writing an angry song might get you moving. To me, sad says "Why does it have to be this way?" While angry says, "I'm ready to do something about it!" So try taking a sad song you've already written as a point of inspiration. Ask yourself what the situation is that makes the singer sad, and what could she do about it? Write some ideas in your journal. Then write a song about taking action. Instead of "I'm down" your song can say, "I'm not gonna let you keep me down."

Get Hopeful
Hope is another emotion that can spring from sadness. Again, start with one of your sad songs, and ask yourself what hope there could be in the situation. See if you can focus on one ray of hope and spin it into a new song of its own.

I hope I've helped!

What to Write About

In this month's column I have several letters from readers to respond to. I'll start with two readers having similar troubles...


Monty,

Im just a teen and i have a band i love to write songs..... just none of them are that good.....i dont know what to write about anymore.....my band is pop and punk so i dont know what to write about!

PLEASE HELP ME!

.~*THANKS*~.

- Sara


hi
i am only 11
i want to write a song because if I want to start a band, I want a good song. Every time I sing a song it is all nonsense. I could say i like green eggs then say have you ever read a book in my lyrics. Could you please give me good tips on writing a good song.
Thanks

- Miriam


Hi Sara and Miriam,

First of all, as a beginning songwriter, you are allowed to write songs that are "not that good" as you say. Songwriting is something you get better at as you go along, but you have to write the bad ones before you get to the good ones. That's the way the world works. So don't let it discourage you. If you feel you haven't written a great song yet - just keep working at it and sooner or later you will!

Now, if there is one piece of writing advice I've heard a million times it is this: write what you know! As a young person you probably don't know much. This is not an insult. What I mean is just that you don't have much life experience. The longer you live the more you learn and the more you will feel that you have something to say with your writing. (I myself have been writing for many years and am just beginning to feel that I have worthwhile things to tell the world.)

But lack of experience should not hold you back, because on the flip side of the coin you probably know more than you think you do. (Even if your parents say it's the other way around!) Read on for a suggestion that will help you discover what stuff you know.

A second consideration, especially if you want your band to accumulate fans, is to write about universal feelings and experiences - things everyone can relate to. A song is by nature a personal statement, but if a song is too personal, people won't relate. The best songs present a universal message in a personal way.

So, for example, suppose I loved anchovies (those nasty little salty fish that some folks put on their pizza). If I wrote about how great anchovies are, very few people would relate to the song. However, if I wrote about how my love for anchovies makes me feel like a weirdo, a lot of people would relate. Almost everyone has some kind of quirk that makes them feel like a weirdo at times.

If all you listen to is top 40 radio, you might get the impression that songs have to be about being in love or getting dumped. But people write songs about all sorts of things. The Beach Boys started off writing about surfing and cars - those were their hobbies. What are yours? The Beatles wrote a song based on a circus poster ("For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" on the Sgt. Pepper CD). Maybe you can turn some piece of artwork that you like into a song. The group They Might Be Giants wrote a hit song about a night light! ("Birdhouse in Your Soul" on the Flood CD). What object in your room might inspire a song? I recently saw the movie School of Rock - great movie! The kids in that movie write a song about what makes them angry. What makes you angry, sad, happy?
Here are some assignments:

1) Listen to your favorite CD and write down the topic of each song. Then go back and make a guess at what real event in the songwriter's life might have inspired each song (it doesn't matter whether your guesses are right or not). Write down your guesses. Finally, for each song ask yourself if there is a similar event, object, or person in your life who could inspire a song.

For Example: This is a song about loosing a close friend; Maybe the writer had a friend that died; My good friend moved away last year - I could write about that.

2) Figure out what you know. Start with a blank page and write "I know what it's like to..." at the top. Now make a list of items that could finish that sentence. Some examples: make a friend, lose a friend, stub my toe, fight with my sister, swim in a lake, fly in an airplane, stand on my head, step on a frog - whatever!! It doesn't matter if your items seem trivial or silly. Write as many as you can. Fill the page. Don't think about it very much - write as fast as you can. See if you can fill the page in two minutes. When you just can't come up with any more, take a break. Then go back and look at each item and ask yourself how you might expand it into a song. You'll probably have enough material to keep you writing for weeks!!

3) This is the same as number 2, but with a different start. Write at the top of your paper: "Things that make me angry!" Or you can try "sad" or "happy" or any other emotion in place of "angry."

Try these exercises - they are guaranteed to find you something to write a song about or your money back!!