I decided to go analog the other day, to jar my brain and get the juices flowing. No computer. No couch. No Masterwriter. Just floor & pen & paper & guitar & iPhone recorder. The effects, 3 hours later, were pleasantly surprising:
Whole point of this post? If you’re in a creative funk, try something drastically different… Change forces us to adjust/react/realign. And that takes creativity. Your brain, by force of change, will immediately jump into creative mode. Don’t believe me? Try it.
(Link, if player doesn’t appear.)
Some days I have to remind myself that this molded dust and clay holds life. And not the “oh wait, is my heart still beating?” kind of life. But Life. Capital L. Life.
Some days it just gets boring. Or frustrating. Or impossible (Don’t go all Mt. 19:26 on me. You know what I mean. It just feels impossible.)
And in those days I try to remind myself that this is just the way Life is lived right now. All dusty and messy and fallen. And the only true test of knowing whether or not I’m Living is if I’m Breathing.
Not breathing in the breath of lungs. But the Breath of Life. That is what we were given in The Beginning. And that is what will sustain us until The End.
If you are looking for signs of Life among your days, look for Breath. Look for the sacred inhale and exhale. And if you can’t find it–if you can’t locate that sacred Breath, then turn your face to Heaven and just Breathe. Let that inhalation be a prayer–a prayer that you will see Life…
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.)
It’s 10:35pm. The house is silent. All I can hear is the whir of the fan and the whistle of the 10:30 train in the distance and the click click click of fingers on keys…
This is the kind of quiet that really makes space for me to think and reflect. To create melodies and lyrics. To emote words like what your reading now. And, lately, I’ve wondered if it’s all this quiet is demanding to be filled by this voracious songwriting.
Drew recently used the phrase: “your songwriting career.” He actually said that to me. I was so stunned by the words that I have no idea what came out after that–except that it sounded a lot like questions of hows and whens and whats.
He said I could even do this when I’m a mom. But, here’s the thing. I don’t know if I’ll be so voracious (what a weird word) then. I wonder if this drive in me is there because I’ve gotta give all that life-giving-ness to something. Maybe the maternal is masking itself in the lyrical right now.
I guess the question is: Is this “songwriter” a forever-part of who I am, or am I just trying to fill the emptiness?
“Someone told me you have to write about 200 songs before you start getting it.”
I read this line in a fantastic article on AmericanSongwriter.com this weekend. If I wasn’t married, or detached by technology, I could’ve kissed the man that wrote it.
I’m flirting with the 200 count right now, and–trust me–I don’t share this number to brag. I share it in context: I’m still on the blind side of “getting it.” I’ve made no money and have little idea what I’m doing, but I learn more with every song I write.
As honest as I am about my amateur status, people still want to interact with me as a songwriter. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along this journey people began emailing me for info/feedback on their own songwriting ventures. I get mp3s. I get lyrics. I get questions.
And, here’s what I would tell them if they really wanted to know:
But, like I said, I’d only offer that advice if they really wanted to know. Truth is, a lot of us don’t want to do the hard work… But we don’t even realize it.
There are a lot of us in this online community who are chasing dreams right now: writing books, recording demos, training for marathons, starting ministries, etc etc etc. Some of us say “I wanna be a ______.” Others say “I am becoming a ________.”
The “becomers” are the ones who have the greater shot at being. The “wanna-be’s” are just that.
Which are you? What steps are you taking in “becoming?” Or are you still “wanna-be-ing?” Find out what the difference is between these two types, then start “becoming.”
