Songwriting: The Creative Process

For an artist the creative process can be hard. I find myself unmotivated several days out of the week but there are a few things I do to keep ideas flowing through my mind. These few things usually work for me although if they don't work for you some might need to find their own thing. Getting out of the house helps you dont need to go anywhere special going to a local gas station, library, or park might help one feel inspired to create. It might seem silly to some but the toilet is a good place to think where you have uninterrupted peace unless you have children. So surroundings are important when trying to get your vision.

Songwriting is a skill some either are born with or some take awhile to get the hang of. If writing isn't your strong suit and you're more of a melody person, start with the melody and the words will come later and look into rhyme related literature. Another idea if you're looking more into writing rap lyrics you should try listening to instrumentals and freestyle don't think too much it doesnt need to be your best work but that is where you can find your flow, practice your cadence and work on your delivery. When thoughts start flowing it's best to write your\lyrics down. Writing on paper is preferred to have better memory of your lyrics but digitally on an app on your phone like “Notes” it would work as well.

Getting in the mood is something that can't be forced, the emotion… it has to come naturally to you. I like to incorporate things about my life that could be struggles or hardships I've faced, which works if you want to make strong feeling music. If you want to make something more calm maybe just think of things you like, family, hobbies and other things you might enjoy could help. If you want to make something revolving around the theme of love you might think of a special someone and be poetic. One song I personally had to get in the mood to record was a song I called “18” where I explained how I feel about the point of my life I'm in being 18, and how I plan my future to turn out. The point of finding a mood is so you can clearly show whoever might be listening to your song how you see things and help them make a connection to your music.

When recording your music it's best to get good quality equipment that is reliable. I recommend the mic I personally use to record my music day to day, the Rode NT1 Signature Series Condenser Microphone. It's more on the cheap side for how much better it sounds than others I have used and how effective it is when recording clean vocals. I also use a stand which isolates my mic from its surroundings so it doesn't pick up background noise; some might even use foam panels to mute out the noise outside their recording space.

Mixing and mastering are the key to bringing your vision to life. If you dont know alot about mixing it's easy to learn once you get the hang of it. First, you need a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) which is what you would record your vocals on. The most popular DAWs used by musicians you listen to include FL Studios, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and Etc. These require you to pay for full access but there are free alternatives available. I personally use recording presets which engineers like the youtubers “Gunnrs” and “WavMonopoly” make to help artists save time without having to worry about the mixing process. Recording presets save the trouble of not knowing how to mix and help you experiment to figure out what works best for you. Mastering is the last part of the process that is the finishing touch to your music. This could give you music more high end, bass, or even make it sound wider.

After doing all of these you should get results. I find comfort in simplicity and this process makes creating music easier for me. Each song I make is a story I'm telling to the world so I encourage others to try this process to tell their stories.

***NOTE:  This blog was written by one of my digital marketing students for a project about affiliate marketing. He is a talented songwriter, and I loved learning about his process. Show him some love in the comments!
Listen to his music here.