Risk the Reward
Mar 1, 2009 sojourn
What a whirlwind 24 hours… the culmination of planning a workshop, then both witnessing and reaping the fruit of hanging out and learning from seasoned veteran artist and songwriter Craig Bickhardt. Going out on Friday nights is always tough for me, with work and my desire to just degauss at home. But once I get to the venue, relax and enjoy the show, I realize every step of this mini-journey is so worthwhile, and this past Friday night was a great precursor to the next day’s workshop.
Saturday morning it’s an early rise and get to the Well to setup and greet our workshop attendees and presenter. The day goes off without a hitch, the interaction very much in tune with expectations for our time with Craig. Our NSAI chapter is so dynamic; we had a couple of brand new faces and some recently signed members in attendance, all willing and enthusiastic participants. And Susan, our hostess at The Well serves the group like family… just can’t thank her and The Well enough.
No punches pulled in the accounts Craig shared of both success and rejection, perspectives on the current and future states of the music industry, especially as it pertains to the songwriter. But even with the less that “hopeful” picture, I think we all left encouraged to press on with our respective art and raising the bar for the work we produce.
There were many nuggets of wisdom shared. Craig’s views on creativity always stir introspection. He told a story of two groups of children being asked to draw pictures, one was offered candy for doing so, the other just asked to draw. The drawings from group that got the candy were not very creative at all, the focus was on the reward, not the potential art. The group that created without the objective of being “compensated” for their effort produced thoughtful and inspired works of art.
What’s the point?
To me, and I think we as writers know this, there’s risk in being a writer. It takes time, often significant amounts of time. Time away from family, sacrificing sleep, and time away from our comfort zones. It takes guts, and money, and shattered hope through rejection, and the fear of sharing that first draft or forgetting the words or melody, on and on… there is risk in being an artist.
What about the reward for taking such risks? Truth is, there is no realistic promise or guarantee of tangible reward. But the heart of what I got out of this segment is the need to do a gut check on my motivation for creativity. I need to expose the nagging slack in my discipline and slay it by making time away from being tethered to the Internet, closing the door to my studio and being willing to sit in silence as my mind and being dive into a character, scene or feeling that might end up in a song, story, or other form of art.
We didn’t spend much time on tools like literary devices, but Craig made what I perceived as a pretty profound perspective regarding imagery… that is, to use imagery to reveal and expand upon a character, motivation, and/or emotion. This is where taking time in quiet is key to “seeing” what I’m writing about.
Though quite tired and drained, I drove home Saturday afternoon through heavy rain inspired to press on as an artist/writer, re-committed to the understanding that being true to my own art means embracing risk and putting forth effort to produce the ultimate reward — art itelf.
Tags: bickhardt, Evening Muse, NSAI, songwriting
Stew
The swirl of the new year is settling, I mean we’re almost half way through January and this is my first post for 2009. I don’t make resolutions, but do plan keep my threads centered on music and writing (and art) this year. Not to say there won’t be a rant laced in here and there, but I have a goal this year to get over the feeling I don’t have the goods for the indie music mix and do much more to develop and promote my work.
This past week was interesting in a variety of ways. I’ve been reviewing and editing my “day job” scenario, hence my LinkedIn profile, which I’ve drastically changed to a more “corporate” view [without totally losing my identity], I’ve also found some really cool groups that mix technology and music/art mindsets.
I try to read through discussions at least once daily, and I was going through a rather long thread last Sunday about some conference I know nothing about and the last comment was from Paul Cullen — the name caused me to pause and jog my memory. I checked out his LinkedIn profile and sure enough it turns out Paul and I knew each other back in the early ‘80 in Ft. Myers, FL while attending Edison Community College. We are both bassists/guitarists, roughly the same age, and working at being indie artists. While my career has some pretty cool bright spots (like performing with Marian McPartland in college and a 90 minute set with Branford Marsalis at a Blues club in Ft. Myers), Paul spent a couple of years with Bad Co. in the early ’90’s. We’ve exchanged several emails and contact information. Paul travels to Charlotte a couple of times a year, so I hope to see him soon.
I’ve recently established a great co-writing relationship with a writer (Allen Szyrwiel) that’s just on fire and way talented. He’s inspiring me to step up my game, and we get along like kid brothers which makes it all that much more fun. We’ve finished one song, have a 2nd in the hopper, and hope to crank out a few more in ‘09.
NSAI Charlotte is as busy than ever! I spent a few hours this week updating/maintaining our website (Wordpress blog) with information on upcoming Q1 workshops (Hugh Prestwood and Craig Bickhardt), adjusting to the new version of WP, and some general housekeeping. It feels really good to give something back to the songwriting community, I know I’ve been blessed by past coordinators and all the great members of our chapter.
The one thing I haven’t done near enough this week is write or practice. But I’ve set my goals, already attended one SongU feedback session and selecting my self-paced course for this month, as well I’m cleaning clutter in my studio over the next 7 days to ensure my creative environment is ready for work.
The ingredients are in the pot, time to add water, stir and make “stew“.
Tags: Nashville, NSAI, Paul Cullen, songwriting
Weeds
Nov 25, 2008 sojourn
I haven’t had a day like today in some time. My wife had a partial knee replacement in the morning, painful, exhausting and totally uncomfortable for her… nerve-racking for me because all I could do was wait. During which time I worked (till the battery on my laptop ran out of juice — yep, I left the power supply at home), started reading “The Last Lecture”, surfed the net on my iPod Touch, and read some more.
The hospital we were at is fairly small, well run, and very accommodating. I spent time in the waiting room, lobby, cafeteria, etc., and overheard some very interesting topics of conversation, from the current mainstay theme of economy to the ongoing deer hunting season. We got to the hospital around 8:30, by about 1:30 I was done. Information overload. So I grabbed lunch in the cafeteria and pulled out the November/December issue of American Songwriter.
I skimmed several articles and ads until I got to an interview with Rodney Crowell. I need to re-read the content over coffee and digest more of the tone and mindset, but it was really cool to learn more about this veteran of Music Row and beyond. One piece of the interview that blew me away is Rodney’s account of how he wrote, tracked, and produced what was to be his most current record, then scrapped it because it wasn’t worthy of release.
He (Rodney) determined he had to let go of playing and producing in order to make his next record real to him, stating “… self consciousness is the enemy of art”. Great article, definitely worth checking out, but the point I’m getting to is that Rodney talked of his early days in Nashville, about cutting songs with live vocals to capture raw emotion, and about not settling for a lyric that’s only puddle deep.
There are so many distractions these days, it’s hard [for me] to unplug often enough to squeeze the creative fruit in my being and write meaningful songs. There’s no excuse, and this ramble is meant to be a reminder that writing for any other reason than to reveal what’s important to me is meaningful as watering a rock garden.
Newsflash — Life isn’t likely to get easier anytime soon.
My wife is tough, seeing her down today wasn’t easy, tomorrow [Lord willing] we’ll get to bring her home. In 3-4 months she has to do it all again, her other knee needs the same operation. I’ll need to keep it simple, be patient, and just be there as she gets her wheels back under her.
Tomorrow’s also another opportunity be a better writer. I can use my day job (as I’ve done in the past) as a smoke screen for not digging deep, but the truth is I need to spend more time in the weeds with my own pain and disappointments, relishing dreams fulfilled, pondering hopes that faith keep alive, and love that couldn’t be budged by a tornado… even the most simple song should take the listener somewhere, provoke, inspire.
Tags: crowell, songwriting, weeds
Inside the Circle
Nov 16, 2008 songwriting
Last night I got off my lazy gluteus maximus and made the trek down to the home of good friend Steve Simpson for one of his always enjoyable song circles. Steve is not only a wonderful songwriter and performer, but a true gentleman and consummate host.
There were about 12 writers/pickers there (plus a few spouses/friends) so we all got to do more listening than playing, which makes the time together even more enjoyable. Getting to hear and know more about these writers and their songs is what it’s all about. It’s a place to come and play our songs for what they are, and express what they say, from the heart. There’s no judgment, just listening and enjoyment.
The drive home is about 40 minutes, and as I reviewed the session, I thought of how I often neglect the importance of the story behind songs I write. Not necessarily intentionally, but maybe because I haven’t spent enough time contemplating the “why” behind each song AFTER it’s written. Craig Bickhardt recently posted a great blog on the “vital vision” behind the songs we write, a sobering perspective.
So last night I played songs I felt like singing, those that make me feel like I have something to say. In turn, I was treated to a wide range of music and song that inspired me, made me laugh, and reminded me of why I love to play music and write songs.
I didn’t know everyone at Steve’s last night, but we were all in the circle together. No need for names, the songs helped us see inside each other, and learn a little more about ourselves as writers and individuals. I’m thankful my wife gets it, and pushes me out the door to go and hang out with these folks, even when she can’t make it with me. I’m grateful that Steve is the genuine, humble giver he is… and the chance for a few hours inside the circle.
Tags: bickhardt, simpson, song circle, songwriting
Road-ie
Mar 28, 2008 sojourn, songwriting
The drive from Charlotte-Nashville went well, especially once I realized I was getting to town in Central Time. The best part about getting there “early” was I got to see Jane Godfrey, who was in town to record a podcast that never happened due to technical difficulties. We hadn’t seen each other for some time, so though ever so brief, we had an enjoyable chat. As she departed, I realized I need to eat, and made a beeline for the local Food Lion, in the rain, Friday rush hour, interesting to say the least.
As my frozen dinner microwaved into existence, I booted up and got surfing. Couldn’t get the schedule for the Write About Jesus workshops to save on my PC so I went retro with pencil and paper and wrote it out. For the best, at least this way I’ll actually look at it and make some choices. Pretty amazing lineup of sessions, it’s going to be hard to choose, for sure.
To say I’m weary is kidding myself, I’m beat. My grandiose notion of making it out are all but extinguished, not even a quick jaunt up the street to watch the Davidson-Wisconsin game, which I’ll surely kick myself for in the morning. The trick now is to stay awake long enough to a reasonable hour in high hopes of a solid 7-8 hours of sleep… OK, do I hear 6-hours?
7:00 AM is the target for getting around and heading out for some semblance of breakfast, surely a good cup of coffee. According to the schedule, we jump with both feet into the teaching at 9:00. There are open critique sessions every hour, I’ve got 2-3 songs, but will likely keep it to two because there are some really good, and unique, sessions I want to take. I think I’ll go for Belinda Smith’s, “Finding Creativity When You Don’t Feel Creative” session first, because this is definitely an area where I struggle. At times the wear and tear of corporate jousting is a valid excuse, but it comes down to being able to get over the hump because the day job has no end in sight. 10:00 is going to be tough because there are two sessions of interest, neither repeats. One a Co-Writing Secrets panel, the other titled “His Words, Your Words”… I’ll have to play this hour by ear.
This list goes on, I’m thinking I’ll most likely hold off till the afternoon on a critique, but ultimately, I want the day to be low key for me. I just want to soak up all I can enjoy… wow, Davidson is doing a number on Wisconsin, could it be?
Over the next couple of days I’ll scribe out thoughts on what I learned and impressions of the one day event in Hendersonville. Can’t wait to see and hear what God has in store for everyone that attends. I pray a special blessing for all those traveling distances, and for the instructors as they impart their God given wisdom to make us better writers and artists, not for the sake of music or the industry, but for the sake of the Gospel.
Tags: Gospel, Nashville, songwriting, write about Jesus