Ahoy, Mateys!

[Green Bat]

Greetings, all you wonderful crazy people. I suppose you do have to be crazy to do something as nonsensical as making art. I guess I'm here looking for advice on how to get back the artistic drive I had as a teenager when i was always making music. Maybe even someone to hold me accountable. I stayed busy back then, but i didn't know what i was doing, so what I made was not very good. Now at 31, with the experience, knowledge, tools and talent i have, I could make lots of awesome music, yet every day I choose not to because I rarely feel like it. What's up with that? If only I now had the drive I had as a teenager I'd be unstoppable.

 

I have ambitions to write and produce a rock opera album and to create an unrelated cartoon series, but when the weekend gets here I'm tired and I think "I could work on my music, but why put in so much effort to make new entertainment when more than enough wonderful old entertainment already exists?" I start projects, but rarely get back to them. I used to not have to force myself to do these things.

 

Some might say "If you don't want to do it, then maybe you're not meant to." If I'm not supposed to be a composer or an artist, then why am i overflowing with musical ideas? I've tried to quit music many times, but i always go back. I'm more creative now than ever before, but also lazier than ever. OK, you get the idea.

 

Also, if for whatever reason anyone thinks I can offer them advice on something, I'll be glad to give it. All the same, good day to you all.

[john]

Hi and welcome to Songstuff GB,good to meet you.

I think as we get older we need closer and more specific purpose. As a kid "to be a famous guitarist" or "to be a rock star" can seem purpose enough, we then stumble and fall our way through rehearsing, getting and playing gigs with only the vague purpose driving us.

However as we get older we realise just how unrealistic that is and just how large a gap there is between where we are and "being a star" add to that, for many, being a star is itself less appealing.

Nothing recovers drive like realistic, fixed goals. Even hard to do ones. So, set yourself goals, and give those goals time frames. Ideally set a bigger goal and then divide it into smaller steps, set time frames for the overall goal and the steps.

Then make step one a public goal.ie tell people that this is what will happen. That could be write 10 songs, it could be put together a band, it could be perform a solo gig depending on your current status and your individual goals.

Nothing boosts drive like the feeling of movement and the confidence of direction. Both increase with each goal you achieve.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

John

[Zed McJack]

Welcome Green Bat,

I had somewhat similar experience to yours. In my teens and early twenties I wrote songs, lyrics and played solo and with bands. Then I got married and got kids and I moved away from music. I played guitar, but didnt perform and songwriting was very rare.

Then after 20 years, now my daughters are almost grown up I have more time to dedicate to music.

I did that but wasnt happy how the things stood.

 

So I searched the internet and found a couple of places with suggestions about playing and songwriting, and I can tell you they work.

The saying goes something like "You dont write a song when you get inspired,but you become inspired by working - playing". And its truth.

I started with recording every new idea that floated in my head and worked on them. A year later I have 60-70 new ideas recorded, and some of them I expanded into songs.

So you have to work on it, and as John posted give yourself goals and work on them.

 

[MazingMaryRocks]

Hi and welcome!

You seem to be caught up in a dilemma! You have these music-related ideas but you don't feel like doing something out of it?

Sometimes life just takes us where it wants to and all we can do is to hang in there. What will happen if you give it a try?

No matter how much wonderful things that already exist, that should not stop anyone from being creative. That would be a shame.

 

//MMR

[Janeva]

Hi

 

Welcome to Songstuff 

 

Hope you enjoy being part of our community 

 

Jan

[justsoulin]

You need to float your boat and resist the urge to sink it before its maiden voyage