How Do You Get Inspired?

[LemonCrush]

Most forms of art inspire me.

Oddly enough, I often look to visual arts too. For example, on of my favorite visual art pieces is "Pieta" by Michelangelo. When I see it, or other art by masters, I just get motivated, and I apply their work ethic and ideas to my music. Or when I read a really intense comic book, or watch a really good show.,,somehow, and I can't explain how...I apply many of those ideas to my music..

Also, video games, believe it or not. In fact, these days, I look to video games (older ones anyway) for inspiration. Old video games are a marriage of visuals, sound, and atmosphere...the way the game designers put it all together so perfectly is an artform. And I try to bring that to my music as well. The art of combining atmosphere and different palettes and styles to make something unique. Video game designers, because of the interactive nature of their art, have to do many things, and convey certain atmosphere and feelings through their art. I try to do the same thing.

I use visual artists views, at least, as influences.

When I mention these things, people give me "how can video games influence music"....it's hard to explain and I suppose I'd need to go really in depth to explain it. But yeah.

Edited January 3, 2013 by LemonCrush

[Wil]

I totally agree, Lemon. Some of my favorite music EVER has come from games like Zelda (try the song of healing)

Anyone who thinks that a video games aren't an art form needs to play Final Fantasy 6.

[LemonCrush]

I totally agree, Lemon. Some of my favorite music EVER has come from games like Zelda (try the song of healing)

Anyone who thinks that a video games aren't an art form needs to play Final Fantasy 6.

Yes, Koji Kondo is a genius. In fact, I find most Japanese musicians are really spectacular.

But I'm not just influenced by the music of old games, but just the art form of their visuals and atmosphere in general. Like I said, I can't really explain how I apply the lessons I learn from games to my music...it's just like...I play Majora's Mask or something, and I get little visual cues and atmospheric ideas from it...somehow. I can't explain it haha

[Wil]

Yeah, trying to solve a dungeon with a giant face-moon falling on the earth isn't the most subtle thing!

Also, Nobuo Uematsu all the way.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Wil

[LemonCrush]

Yeah, trying to solve a dungeon with a giant face-moon falling on the earth isn't the most subtle thing!

Also, Nobuo Uematsu all the way.

I can totally respect Uematsu, and his abilities, and his obvious status...

But it doesn't do much for me...

[petewentzsgirl7913]

Life inspires me.

I write what I feel what I think.. I write to feel like I'm still human.

I gather inspiration from the music around me.

Sometimes I sit on a swing set and think about anything. Songwriting is everything to me (:

[writeandwrong]

Great topic! What inspires me? Hmm...

Relationships (mine and others), fantasies (mine and others), life, people-watching, Mad Man came from reading a news headline, looking at the photo of the man, and writing about my first impression of him without reading the story itself. My lyric was more interesting than the story because the guy was found to be innocent in the real story lol. Sometimes I ride my exercise bike and crank up music on my silencing headphones to escape life and clear my head.

Meditation can also clear my head...finding a nice quiet part overlooking a river or ocean or something, just going somewhere and being out in nature alone...just me and my laptop...phone off...where nobody I know can find me...and in winter when it's too cold to go out and everything is iced over anyway, sometimes just sitting and listening to Pandora or something will set off a moment. All my other moments come to me while I'm sleeping...wake up in the night and it's like someone is poking me until I get up and write it down. I'm glad whoever it is is patient with me :-)

[Hannah7]

It seems I get inspired the most by my moods. They way heavily on my writing. Listening to other well written songs also inspire me.

[Bang1]

Lyrics comes to me out of the blue. .. everything that goes on in my life..it can be a conversation , singing n making up lyrics while driving...

[Bang1]

Listening to all type of genre music keeps me versatile.. n inspire me

[skylimit]

What really inspires me are people. I think one of the most important attribute a songwriter must have is empathy. To feel what others feel and put him or herself somebody else's shoes. When I write a song, I always try to listen to it through someone else's ears.

[realfanback]

If something which i make or produce is appreciated by people this is what inspires me

[Rudi]

The latest thing to inspire me to write a lyric was the response to the last lyric I posted (nobody understood it).

 

Other stuff includes

 

refraction,

things on the ceiling,

the equinoxes,

symmetry in syntax.

experiencing time as now

pastures after rain

[wtf audio]

Mainly my own experiences and observations mixed with my mundane day job :-)

[fanal]

when you are sleeping then you come up with the greatest ideas

[PattyBWS]

New to your forum... I don't know if I am supposed to introduce myself in previous posts (?).. but saw this topic and jumped in.

 

The common denominator for many writers is strongly "life events" or a life event of someone else. 

Not always a happy one as we all know but if you can touch another person with your song ..  especially having been there.   Your audience will have your attention.

Always have a way to write down that one thought... maybe not even a song... just a title.   There is something in you that is ready to create!

 

 

eg

children

prison

patriotic

love or not being loved

 

May seem corny but the song has to speak to someone for them to like it.   It validates that the song and many times the person listening... can identify themselves.

 

We are a recording studio but cater to songwriters .. many who cannot play music or sing..  Just incredible writers who need to get there song heard. 

 

If I am allowed ..  here is a link to our "Songwriters" page - tips and info for any level in the writing music industry.  http://www.backwoodsrecordingstudio.com/songwriter-services

 

We encourage and support writers and also offer a  "FREE" eBook you can download called: "Your Song"  Yes it is FREE .

Feel free to visit and take a tour. 

 

Looking forward to maybe hearing, learning & understanding the needs of musicians and writers! 

 

Patty

Backwoods Recording Studio, Nashville TN.

[KateSmith]

Sometimes I'm inspired by weather or nature. I also like staying alone somewhere out of the city

[macmanmatty]

I get inspired by anything everything from the weather, my mood, drunks who screw up ECT. . Like  the great Phil Ochs once said there is a song everywhere you just have to find it.

[gradual]

I really wish I could get inspired more often. Or at least know how to get it when I can most use it. Often, the thought of writing a song inspires me, but when I actually have time to do it, I'm just tired, or not in the mood.

 

So really the key for me has been to learn to keep at it in the absence of inspiration. Just go over to my keyboard, or get out my pad and pen and do it, whether I feel like it or not. I get inspired once I hear it start coming together.

 

So I guess my answer would be I get inspired by actually doing it. But I have to rely on things other than inspiration to get me to do it.   

 

 

[White Soul Black Heart]

Musically, I'm inspired by the artist's whose music I consideration exceptional/transformative, and I cross-reference the music to what is being delivered emotionally and conceptually to the lyrics. But rarely do I try to imitate subject matters or themes. They are and always will be different people than me, who have lived vastly different lives.

 

Far often than not, If I write a tune the inspiration for the music itself comes from conceptuals riffs, (does the riff suggest despair, drama, intensity, felicity etc.) and I'll work from there and my lyrics will be non-existent or minimal. Sometimes I'll work from a title, that comes to mind, and see what kind of story the title alone can tell and obviously add to it. I've had the least fun writing lyrics that I need to find music for but it has happened. But I love nothing more than to tell a kind of short story, and if the gist of the story is in my head the lyrics seem to come most easily. One of my more favorite songs that I like lyrically is a sort of dystopian or rather historical retelling based on a famous speech by Otto von Bismarck. The story was there, it did take place, but its reality and potential implications I took liberty with.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't had as many fruitful or bad relationships to base a story on just a lot of pining...but if you can learn anything from pop music, love and relationships are a hell of a bag to pull from.