Annie Dillard on the Daily Schedule

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The Rest

The best jazz soloists know how to utilize the power of space. The notes they play are enhanced by the space that surrounds them.

In the same way, I believe it's important to take time to rest in the rhythm of work. Here are some ways I try to incorporate rest into a busy work schedule:

Daily - take time to read or take a walk outside
Weekly - set aside one day to
Monthly - take one weekend to get out of town
Yearly - step away from creating for at least two consecutive weeks twice a year

With consistent rest comes a renewed enjoyment of creating.

Keep writing (and resting),
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!

Writing Tools - Yerba Maté

Those who have written with me know that it's a given that I will be drinking Yerba Maté (a South American green tea that arguably tastes like wet hay) when we write. This may sound silly to include this as a writing tool, but I believe it is essential. When writing every day in a different environment with a different person, there has to be some constant involved. For some people it's having their laptop open in front of them. For others it's their favorite guitar in their hand or having a beautiful, inspiring view out the window.

Maybe it's the same reason a little kid carries his blankie to a slumber party - a comfort of home in a foreign place. So I guess I'm saying that my Thermos of hot tea is my grown-up blankie, and I'm OK with that. It keeps me just as warm.

Scheduled Inspiration

“How is it possible mark your calendar to be inspired?” I often get asked this question when I tell people what I do four, and sometimes five, days a week.

There's nothing more draining than showing up somewhere like a co-write and feeling like you've somehow failed because you don't feel inspired or creative. I've been there. And I learned something very important as a result.

At first I thought the key was coming up with some profound musical or lyrical idea to bring to every co-write. But I quickly ended up with more co-writes than "profound" ideas.

Thankfully, one of the days that I was short on ideas was a day where my co-writer and I ended up writing one of my favorite songs to this day, "Bare Feet" (track #2 on my EP, The Way I See Her). What I came to realize was that, instead of my initial song idea delegating the direction, in this situation the song grew organically as a truer collaboration.

I've actually erred on the opposite side of the spectrum, showing up to co-writes more often than not without any song title or lyric idea. But I've also realized there's a certain level of creative accountability that comes with taking ideas to co-writes. If I know I want to take an idea, then I'll keep my antennae up for things that inspire. And as John Wooden said, “Failing to prepare meant preparing to fail.”

So to answer the original question about marking my calendar for inspiration, I do it by showing up ready to be inspired rather than showing up pre-inspired. And that mindset keeps the anxiety levels way down.

Keep writing (and preparing),

Ben

The Four Seasons - Winter

Like a lot of days, yesterday I found myself listening to NPR's Tom Ashbrook as I drove to my co-write (catch the audio from the On Point show here). The conversation was about how our emotions are affected by the changing of seasons. Being winter, I began to consider the things that pop into my head when thinking about this season:

Snowy.
Cold.
Grey.
White.
New Year.
Resolutions.
Lack of green plant life.
Fireplace.
Cozy.
Book.
Cancellations.
Home.

To me, winter is an opportunity to begin a new rhythm in life. Gained a few pounds over the holidays? Get a Y membership. Been wanting to read more? Go to the library. Hoping to wake up earlier? Get out of bed without hitting the snooze button.

New rhythm begins with the excitement of a fresh start, and is sustained by the fruit of the rhythm itself. We continue going to the Y if we are diligent and work out enough to see a change in physique. We can't help but discover a new favorite author, and we read the rest of their work. We make waking up on time easier by going to bed at a decent hour.

So I encourage you, when looking for a new rhythm, to trust in the process. Sometimes progress isn't seen immediately, but one day you can look back and see something beautiful: growth.

Keep writing (and finding rhythm),

Ben

A Week on the Links of Utopia

The truth about pursuing a craft like songwriting or a game like golf is that inevitably there will be days that you feel like you come up short. But our identity as creators is not in the quality of our most recent song (whether good or bad) or how long it’s been since we’ve even finished one. We use the energy of our artistic potential to pursue the craft rather than an individual song. As a result, we can enjoy the process without becoming victims of the foul advice of our own “shoulder devils.”

That’s what I liked about reading Dr. David L. Cook’s book (not a cookbook), Golf’s Sacred Journey – Seven Days at the Links of Utopia. It’s written in novel form, and is currently slated to come out as a feature film in 2011 (starring Robert Duvall and Lucas Black). I highly recommend this book to anyone who:

a) loves golf,
b) loves Texas, or
c) struggles with finding their identity in significant and fulfilling places (all of us).

The book emphasizes the importance of stripping away interference in our lives so that we can learn how to trust and rely on our instinct. There’s so much noise in the world around us that we often don’t take any time to thoroughly reflect on life. Gandhi is quoted as saying, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Very true.

As in songwriting, Cook emphasizes the importance of a golfer swinging with rhythm, freedom, balance and patience. We create the best art when we are drawing from our most natural place. The goal of this book is to help the reader break out of the box of fears and doubts that restrict us from being who and what God creates us to be. And there is nothing more exciting than signing off on a song that truly feels like it came from a natural place of integrity. Those are the successful songs, whether or not they ever hit the Billboard charts.

Keep writing,

Ben