Today I was meeting with one of students that I am teaching at Living Stones in our School of Worship Arts. This young lady is growing into becoming an amazing songwriter and worship leader. As we sat down again to discuss where this session will lead us, we determined that we would focus heavily on songwriting. At the end of our nearly 45 minutes together, we came up with a definitive plan that I believe will launch her even further into the realm of her songwriting. I am confident that these same tools will work for any emerging songwriter or other creatives as you embark upon your own journey of creation. I hope these tips will help you.
1. Search for inspiration. Inspiration is something for which we all long. We must view inspiration as something that we can actually search for and find. In your normal, everyday routines, search out inspiration as opposed to waiting for it to find you. Simple things can inspire you. Write those things down. Put them in your “inspiration journal.” This isn’t your normal journal or note-taking journal; it’s special. Carry it with you and cherish those opportunities as they come.
2. Read Psalms daily. You may read a chapter, two chapters, or just one verse. Whatever you do, read the Psalms and find inspiration there. David was a man that lived life inspired by the normal, routine parts of life that he experienced with God, His Creator, at the center of it. Read Psalms search out the writer’s inspiration and your own.
3. Write everyday. Write something everyday. Don’t end a day without writing. If you find yourself laying in bed and having not written a thing, get up and write something. Don’t attempt to write a song, a poem, or a chapter in a book. Just write something. Use the inspirations you received during the day, or the day before, and write something.
4. Finish something every week. Take your inspirations and what you’ve written everyday and finish something every week. Often times, we may write something and finish nothing. This goal will cause you to work and refine those things that are written daily and finish something. What that looks like will vary based on the person. Finish a complete poem. Finish a complete song. Write that chapter in your novel, that scene in your screenplay, or finish that painting. Don’t end your week without completing a bigger part of something.
I’ll expand these thoughts and highlight each of the specifics in a future blog. In the meantime, get creating.
