Tag Archives: inspiration

It’s going to take me a few weeks to work all this out in my brain…

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You know those obnoxious people who go to a retreat or conference and then they come back and tell you all about it wide-eyed and red-eyed and hyped-up on caffeine overload? Well. I’m not going to be that person today.

Because the conference isn’t over until 11pm tonight.

Thankfully, I listened to those people who kept telling me: “Oh Mandy. You need to come to Recreate. You’ll love it.”

And dang it… they were right.

But, aside from the conference, I’ve also got some extra days in the Nashville area to do some other very important things: like hang out with my BFF who lives here. :) And yes, some fun songwriting things. But nothing major so don’t get too excited.

I’m rambling. I’m tired, and I’m only half-way through this trip. And I’m rambling. What was I writing about?

Oh yeah. I won’t be that person who tells everyone they should go to Recreate, because–it’s not for everyone. And that’s ok.

Just wanted y’all to know that I’m here.

And there’s a LOT happening between my ears right now.

What’s going on between your ears? (I can’t wait to read your comments… as soon as I can focus my eyes again.)

:Words Without Melody:

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She weaves the words that wrap me in a deep endangered sadness,
blanketing the very thoughts that my soul songs are wrapped in.
There’s nothing here but yesterdays. Those wonderments are fading
but dreams still dream and hands still reach for faith and hope, peacemaking.

There will be a thousand stories.
There will be a thousand glories.
There will be something far beyond this world we’re living in.

Without this mass of call and craft behind creative bend
that pounds my heart and pulls me in and pushes pen again
these mortal words–these secrets sweet–these prayers that go unanswered
stay locked beneath a weave of words, held tight and held unransomed.

There will be unending hope and
there will be soul locks that open.
There will be a rush for more and more and breath that goes unbroken.

There will be a line and letter.
There will be a faith unfettered.
There will be a song in every word and rhyme and beat and measure.

The Kind of Art that Makes Me Want to Cry

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Every once in a while I come across a work of art that makes me choke up.

Granted, my life is a bit of a roller-coaster of emotions as of late, but there’s something about this that makes it hard to breathe… I don’t know what it is. I think it may be the simple beauty of “creating” … You know – how human beings are made in the image of our Creator, so we’re creative as well? Maybe that’s what gets me. Seeing others absolutely soar in their creative abilities.

I don’t know.

But this is still worth watching.

Hit the full-screen button in the bottom right hand of the player, and soak it all up.

ht: The Chronicles of Lewis

Use your muse.

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There’s just NO WAY I could get even close to reaching this 100 song goal without finding triggers – muses – things that quickly and faithfully get my creative juices flowing.

No.

Way.

Thankfully, I’m finding patterns and muses in my own creative journey this year:

  • coffee/mocha of some sort. I’m not gonna lie. Caffeine/sugar works for me – starts my brain. And the sensory experience of the brewing, the stirring, the warmth, the smell, the taste. It jolts my creativity.
  • lighting – Changing the lighting in the room helps me – sensory again.
  • reading – Namely, blogs and books about songwriting. When I’m feeling down on my own creativity, they give me the boost of believing I actually am a songwriter – and they also have great ideas and resources to churn my brain.
  • exercise – I’ve written more than one song on the way home from the gym. The chemical boost in my brain is much better than caffeine & sugar, because there’s not that awful dip in energy.
  • telling myself that I don’t have to – Believe it or not, this genuinely removes the “panic” and pressure, and allows me to refuel. Sometimes the act of picking up the guitar, even though I don’t intend to write, causes the free-flow to happen. No pressure or expectations, it just happens.
  • telling myself I have to – Failure is my most powerful motivator. Period.

These are some of my muses. These are my triggers that get things going. And I can return to them again and again and they come through for me. They spark creativity. It’s the craziest thing, but they work.

So I shamelessly use them. Shamelessly.

What “muses” do you use?