SONGWRITING
DRY SPELLS : SURVIVING SONGWRITER ’ S BLOCK | Kevin MacDougall
It sure would be nice if songwriting was a consistent and dependable thing - if you could write a song to your highest standard whenever you set out to do so .
I guess there are some people who always seem to be prolific and in-tune like that , but I ’ ve never been that sort of writer . In fact , I often say that my songs come in “ batches .” Rather than being a steady writer , I tend to have seasons of numerous ideas and significant output , followed by seasons of stagnancy and idleness . It is as though I move between two worlds , sometimes playing a wide-eyed , energized composer with insatiable vision , and other times a listless , tragic artist whose craft is dormant .
Maybe you ’ re more like me .
The dreaded “ writer ’ s block ” is common to most writers , and songwriters are no exception . But the experience of dry spells and songwriter ’ s block over the years has taught me that creativity is a very holistic thing . It ’ s a deeply integrated part of all that I am , and it should not be compartmentalized . There are many things which contribute to my creative energies , just as there are many things which draw from them . And when I find myself in a season where those creative energies have been drained more so than fed and nurtured , then it ’ s pretty certain a dry spell is on the way .
CULTIVATING PATIENCE
When I find myself in such a season , the first thing I try to remember is to be at peace with the block .
I think that “ not forcing it when you have nothing to say ” is a good ethic for life in general , not to mention a good ethic for songwriting with the participation of a sacred community in mind . There ’ s wisdom in not faking it when you seek to express the infinite . When I was in the pastorate , I learned to do this same thing when it came to my sermons . When I had nothing to say , I simply didn ’ t spend a bunch of time saying things . I was honest with those gathered , and we would shift our attention to other things for that week or season . And we always benefitted from those shifts . They helped me learn to value my own needs for creative rest .
Of course , you could always force some work to get done ( and some do ), but treating songwriting like that sort of lifeless labor - as though you need to hit a quota - strikes me as very much at odds with artistry and what it has the power to be . Sometimes , the inspiration just isn ’ t there . When I lack inspiration , I lack a compass for determining what resonates or stirs passion . And if I can ’ t determine those things for myself , it ’ s presumptuous and crass to assume I should be making that determination for others .
So , when the block comes , I recognize that I should accept it for what it is . I should be at peace and cultivate patience . When it comes to my craft , it is better to wait on something real than to force something fake . There is too much consumer-driven , quantity-over-quality thinking in our culture as it is , and the church is not exempt from that .
CARING FOR YOURSELF
This is a simple point , but it ’ s worth making . In a dry spell , it ’ s a good time to assess how you treat your body . Your body is kind of essential to everything you do . If you find some aspect of who you are isn ’ t functioning as you ’ d like it to , it ’ s a good time to ask some simple