No Fear in the Mirror

There are two ways we can miss the songwriting target.

First, we can think too highly of our abilities. Consequences of this kind of thinking are:

• Feeling discouraged because you aren't writing with any big-name, hit writers
• Feeling angry because other people (less-qualified songwriters) are having success that you deserve
• Feeling desperation because you don't have enough irons in the fire

Second, we can think too lowly of our abilities. Consequences of this kind of thinking are:

• Avoiding opportunities to write with people we look up to
• Not enjoying the fruit of our labor because of a focus on what was done wrong or could have been done better
• Not taking creative chances, risking that what we do could be seen as silly or irrelevant

Having an honest community of people (not just songwriters) will give you a healthy and honest understanding of where you stand.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Co-writer Characteristic #1 of 10: Humility

This is the first in a series of ten posts about the characteristics of a good co-writer. Though things like humility, discipline and joyfulness may seem to have little to do with creating music, they has everything to do with working well with others. The first characteristic of a successful co-writer is humility.

A practiced songwriter is a humble songwriter.

The reality is that 95% of a professional writer's work usually has the lifetime of a helium balloon. It may stay afloat for a few days, but it gradually loses its air. Most of the time we don't get much recognition for the hard work we do. That's humbling.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Odie Blackmon - Humility Into Growth

Odie Blackmon - Having Humility from Music Starts Here on Vimeo.