It doesn’t have to hurt.
Suffer Not Ye Musicians
I’ve been fortunate to pitch in to music from all over the world. I have managed to work with more folks than I can count. One of my favorite conversations with them is about processes because Keri and I enjoy trying different ones out to see to what happens. Keeps it interesting. Unless it involves suffering.
I’ve talked with many musicians and other kinds of artists who are convinced their best stuff involves an element of suffering. I don’t know if this comes from religion, but I can make a connection. Suffering for servitude or sins is considered good in many churches. It’s not a stretch to see how it could be incorporated into a creative process by someone distorting what suffering is if they have a religious background.
Suffering isn’t noble. Suffering isn’t kind. Suffering isn’t showing off. Suffering isn’t healthy. Suffering isn’t even necessary. Suffering is a condition that should be minimized in anyone no matter who you are at all costs. This includes in writing songs.
Keri and I are fond of Creative Writing exercises. They are not the creating itself. They are the mental equivalent of stretching before exercise. Very helpful. The one we like right now is writing letters. Can be to anyone, or even a group of folks, living or dead, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the writing. I try to include smells, inside jokes, clothing, anything I can conjure from memory. I am not writing a song at this point, merely writing a letter to stretch before writing a song. Once the letter is done, not only is my mind right for writing lyrics, I got this letter that I can mine for ideas.
No suffering at all is required to look up Creative Writing exercises and find one that gets your brain going. Yours might be different than mine. Fortunately there’s a bunch.
However you create is your thing. But stretching the brain before you do it avoids traps like needing to suffer to make the good stuff. Don’t fall for it. Suffering makes scars, not art.
One of many lists of Creative Writing Exercises that come up on a search: https://thejohnfox.com/2016/05/creative-writing-exercises/
A song we wrote using the letters exercise I mentioned above: Live a River – Bandcamp
Leave a reply, thanks!