Co-writer Characteristic #2 of 10: Servant Attitude

Congratulations, David & Laura!

It's hard to serve someone or something other than myself, but I believe it's essential for a songwriter's growth. Serve the song first, then the collaborator/publisher/label/fans/spouse second.

Serving the song involves a willingness to get rid of your favorite line if it's for the good of the entire song. Serving the co-writer involves a willingness to follow them down a path you may have never gone down before. Interestingly enough, it can also mean a willingness to lead the other writer down a path they have never been down. It is possible to serve and lead at the same time.

In serving others, we are actually serving ourselves. And this isn't necessarily selfishness. By focusing on others first we are no longer holding so tightly to what we think to be right and true that we miss what is actually right and true.

Keep writing (and serving),

Ben