1. The Lie: You think you have nothing to say.
You’re telling yourself that your perspective on anything isn’t interesting enough to even be said.
You feel like maybe your life is too “good” or “normal” or “average” for you to ever have anything worthwhile to write about. Or the opposite, that you’re too much to unload onto people.
You feel like it’s all been written already, and that you don’t have anything to contribute with your music.
The Truth: Your perspective is uncommon, new, rare and particular, simply because you are you. There is no one else out there with your mind, your attitude, or your life experiences.
The fact is, you can tell a story that’s been told a thousand times, but it’s going to be different simply because it’s told through the lens of your perspective, and you are the only person who can do that.
2. The Lie: You think no one will listen.
You’re convinced that you are nobody and no one will ever want to listen to the dinky little songs
That you write in your bedroom.
Alone.
The truth: Ok, you need to stop putting yourself down, girl! Let’s start being a little nicer to ourselves, ok? Promise?
The real truth about making art is that you never know how it’s going to be received until you put it out there into the world. A song could be unpopular among your family and friends. Or…They could love it.
The thing is, when you start releasing your songs for other people to listen to and experience, you’re opening yourself up for success. Success happens! Of course there will always be critics, but there also always be fans. And you never get to meet them until you put your music out there.
3. The Lie: You feel selfish.
You feel like your creative urge to write songs is selfish. You feel like it keeps you from meeting all the realistic, practical expectations of you. When you go to write a song, you feel incredibly guilty, like you are indulging in a self-absorbed habit and neglecting the responsibilities and people in your life.
The truth: You are an artist. You make art. That art is songs. It’s how you’re made. You’re not selfish for being made that way.
Once more:
You’re not selfish for wanting to write songs.
Selfish would be putting your art above everything and everyone else in your life and completely steamrolling the people that love you. If you’re finding it difficult to write in your home because you feel guilty about stepping away from your family, I’d suggest just talking to them about it.
Tell them this is your passion or your hobby or your career and you’d like to spend time writing. Ask them “How can we schedule this time into our lives?” They’ll appreciate the effort you’re making to keep them in your life.
Why do you need to know these truths and lies?
Because if you believe the lies, then you’re wrong. Plain and simple. Someone had to tell you, hun!
You deserve to write songs if it makes you happy. So go out, and do what makes you happy – write that song.
Want to ditch the lies and make some great new habits around your songwriting? Check out my online course, Living an Inspired Life. This course is designed to:
- Help you change your mindset around inspiration
- Guide you with small video lessons and exercises
- Show you how to see song ideas everywhere
Following through with the exercises in this course will help you establish lifelong creative habits. Check it out here! More details and a sneak peek on this page. See you inside the course!
Join Song Club and never miss another day to write.
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