Where do song ideas come from? Years of disappointment in the human race, fail after fail, an ice cream that was out of this world, Girlfriend hates Slayer? I mean how to write a song and what to write about can be subjective. There's no right or wrong way, There's only your way. I've clocked in many years to find a perfect formula and just when I think I have it, a new way arrives. But that's the point I guess. We shouldn't be stuck in our ways. As musicians, it should be ever evolving and never 100 percent "The way." Once we get comfortable, the passion, fire, and spark can seemingly disappear. So, with that in mind, there are ways to at least have a foundation that'll keep you within seconds of getting that idea down. I'm going to share three ways that I like to be ready when that strange form of creative spark shows up unexpectedly.
3. Pen and notebook EVERYWHERE
This may sound very basic, old school, and kinda obvious but having a pen and paper around your normal spots within your day is key. I have a notebook in my bedroom, kitchen, living room, and car. and it doesn't hurt to have one in your bathroom either. There's just something about pen to paper that really gets my creative brain to go full force. Ideas are spontaneous and can disappear just as fast as they arrived. Being ready to jot down that perfect "play on words" that you've conjured up can really save you the hassle of self-hate and disappointment lol
2. Studio setup ready to go
Recording your music in a studio that you've booked time for usually involves predetermined songs that have been worked out prior to showing up. Generally, you are going there to setup, record, finish the songs as fast and productively as you can, and pay the engineer for their time. Unless, you have endless money and time, you aren't wanting to pay to create something new there. That can get very costly lol. My own home studio in my bedroom is my sanctuary to do the creating part. It's my decision how long I stay in there to work on a song and it's my time that I'm using. So with that in mind, I always make my creating space as convenient as possible. My desk has my monitors, computer, and audio interface plugged in and ready to go at all times. My guitars are hanging on my wall behind me within arms length. And I have every cable, pedal board, guitar pick, and microphone setup right next to me. Taking the time to setup your home studio is well worth it to diminish unnecessary frustration that'll possibly get in the way of your ideas.
1. Notes App front and center
This might be the antithesis to my first recommendation, but with an open mind, there's nothing wrong with mixing old ways with the new. Technology will never stop progressing and while there are a lot of things wrong with certain aspects of it, there are also amazing things that we can utilize for our benefit. I have an iPhone and it has a notes app that has really helped in keeping me organized over the years. Ideas that could have been lost within mounds of paper, I have now stored within my phone and the cloud. I keep it on my home page of my screen just a thumbs reach away. My process usually involves me writing ideas in my notebook and transferring those ideas to the notes app at least once a week. Doing this has been a fail-safe process that I use to never lose an idea.
This list is small, but is by no means the only tricks and methods I use when getting my ideas out. I'll list more later down the road and as they show up. I hope this helps someone who has been struggling to keep up with the brain overload of ideas us artist have. If any of you have your methods that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them! Thank you!!! Also, remember my single "Dead Leaves" will be released August 19th, so mark your calendars everyone!
🍂💨🍷
-Tommy