August 15, 2023
2:18pm
I’m sitting in my room right now fiddling with my guitar. I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but I’ve been playing around with songwriting. There was a solid five-day period in the last couple of weeks that I just couldn’t stop. To be honest, the songs are really just lyrics with some very mediocre guitar playing, but I enjoy the creative outlet—-at least when the words and melodies flow easily.
It has now been over a week since I finished a song. So, it makes me wonder, was that just a one-time thing? Am I ever going to be able to write a song again? I’ve tried to sit down and write, but it just seems like nothing wants to click.
Finally, a few nights ago I had a song idea that gave me some hope. The vibes were right, lights off, candles lit. I actually enjoyed the writing process for the first time since my five-day stint. About a third of the way through writing the song, I realized that a chorus I wrote the day prior would mesh nicely with this one. While searching through endless amounts of unfinished work, I found myself wondering why I hadn’t finished this one. The tune was good, the lyrics were a work in progress, but usable. At that moment, I decided to ditch my idea of combining the two songs, and rather finish both of them separately. They didn’t have to be number-one hits, in fact, they didn’t even have to be good, but something inside me told me that I just needed to finish them.
Taylor Swift usually spends about two years making an album, and for the first six months, she’s writing songs that she ends up scrapping. In an Access Hollywood interview, Taylor explains that those six months are used to “let (an album) become what it’s going to become on its own.” Right then, I realized that rather than letting my music become what it's going to become, I was trying to make it perfect. That’s where the finishing of songs comes in. When writing, or at least when I’m writing well, I’ll scribble down the first thing that comes to mind and just go until I feel the song is over. When I’m not feeling confident in my work, I’ll give up, and scrap the song the second I reach a standstill. But, that’s not how life works, is it? You don’t quit the second you hit a roadblock. So, why should I let myself quit when it comes to my songwriting?
Whether in regard to songwriting, or just life in general, there is something to be said about persistence-- finishing what you started. If I went out and ran a marathon tomorrow, finished two hours behind the last person, but still crossed the finish line, I am going to be proud. I can write a really shitty song, and have a really shitty time doing it, but it’s not about the quality of the material I produce as much as it is about just being able to say that it’s complete. It means that I had the determination, the drive, and the persistence to get through it.
Now, I’m not saying that you have to have any interest in songwriting to work on being persistent. Go finish that book you started six months ago, or go polish up that essay draft you’ve been putting off for days. Whatever the task may be, make sure you finish what you started.
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