January 22, 2015 What I Learned from Writing One Song a Week
In addition to the monthly music videos that I have been releasing since June of 2013, I recently challenged myself to write a song a week for ten weeks based on the Torah portion from the Book of Genesis.
This was hard. And it took a lot of time.
And it was completely awesome.
Here’s what I learned:
1. It’s Good to Experiment With Writing in Different Ways
I usually play with an idea in my head for days, weeks or months before I begin to put it to music. I didn’t have the luxury of doing that when I was writing a song a week. I would sit down in my studio and know that, within and hour, I would have to emerge with a song. It’s a different way of writing. It’s good to keep yourself on your toes and try new things. Now I have a new trick in my songwriter’s bag: writing quickly.
2. Perfection is Overrated
This is all about not being perfect and being comfortable with that. I’m never a perfectionist but it came out every more so on this project. By definition, with a project like this you are creating things that, like you and me, are not perfect. Embrace it. Who cares what people think of what you made? Seriously. NO, SERIOUSLY.
3. This is All About Getting the Creative Juices Flowing
Some of the songs I wrote are more like drafts. For example, I’m going back now to re-explore the song Put Down Your Guns Cause We Got Music. I loved the idea of that song but I didn’t really have a chance to write the lyrics the way I wanted to write them. I’ve now changed some of the lyrics and moved some things around. What I put out there initially wasn’t perfect but it got the germ of this song written and that’s the whole point. Now I’ve got some sketches that I can turn into full songs if I decide to do so later. Creativity begets creativity, so keep those creative juices flowing.
4. Honor Your Commitments
Don’t make too many commitments but, when you do, honor them. Almost every week something came up that made it difficult to complete my song. So, I worked late at night or started at 5AM. So, I filmed a video at 6AM in my pajamas. The point is, commit to something a bit out of your comfort zone and see it through. That’s a great way to grow and expand the boundaries of what you think you can do.
5. Keep Your Eye on the Prize
No, the prize is not fame or fortune. It’s getting to practice your craft as much as possible. And, it doesn’t even matter what people think of what you create because you and I both know that the joy is in the creation itself.
6. Always Improve
My chops really improved during this process. I got to play with instrumentation every week and I grew a lot from that process. My confidence in my ability to write quickly also improved. Always strive to get better at doing whatever it is that you do.
7. Pushing Yourself Inspires Others to Do the Same
My talented and fearless artist friend Lauren joined me for this whole journey, creating something beautiful and moving every week. Another friend of mine was so inspired by this idea that she decided to set her own ten-week goal. When you challenge yourself, you give others permission to pursue their own dreams as well.
Did I miss anything? Do you have anything to add? Please leave a comment below.
Julie Geller is a singer/songwriter who is saving the world one song at a time by writing original, uplifting music. She has been releasing one music video a month since of 2013. Find her on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for free monthly music at www.JulieGeller.com.
Reader Comments (3)
Thanks for this post Julie. I've always wanted to do one of these challenges, I notice the more I write the easier it gets. Also, I think it tunes you up so that when divine inspiration hits you can capture it skillfully rather than fumbling around. I'm going to keep my eyes open and make the commitment.
This is a great post, I've learned a whole lot from this article and videos. I like to send some love, and encourage you to keep making great music.Peace and love and thank you for this article.
I really admire people who can write. I have huge problems with this. I had to write an essay, but nothing worked for me. After a fantastic read, I picked a good service for my essay. It was difficult for me to arrange the story in a logical chain. But essay is prose. And it takes talent to write a song. I definitely don't have it.