Welcome to day 2 of your Stay At Home Songwriting Retreat!
Day 2 is going to be all about something super scary - sharing our art.
Specifically, why sharing your art is so important and a necessary part of your responsibility as a creative.
Let me tell you a little story. You’re probably familiar with the painter van gogh. Just about everyone is. You can recognize Starry Night or his sunflower painting if you see it anywhere.
And boy is his work everywhere. He is one of the most well known artists of our time. And he was prolific. He completed thousands of works in oils, watercolor, and sketches. He died when he was 37, so he did all of that in the youth of his short life.
Here’s the kicker: Van Gogh was relatively unknown when he was alive and painting. He only became globally recognized after his death.
And you guys - Van Gogh’s work is iconic, but more importantly, his work has changed the lives of people who get to see it, and experience it, and have a connection with it.
That is a creative’s true calling - to share what we make so that the world can experience it and feel it and identify with it, see themselves in it, and ultimately make the world a better place.
Sharing your songs is no different. You will never know the good your songs can do for someone until you take that risk and share it.
What you have is a gift.
If you’re writing because you feel compelled to talk, to create, to express, to share what is inside of you...you, my friend, are an artist, and therefore I encourage to share your gift with the world. You can start small.
Throw a recording of your favorite song online. Share it with your family first. Email a song to someone you trust. Put together a small cd of your recordings and pass it out amongst friends. You never know who your art will impact.
And when you start seeing the impact of your art, it will compel you to continue writing.
PROMPT:
I want you to think of a song that changed your life. Think about how it inspired you - how you put it on repeat and sang along with it over and over again with the volume turned all the way up?
Think about why it impacted you. Did you feel like the artist was speaking directly to you?
Your song prompt for today is to write a response to that song that changed your life. You can continue the story of the song by writing a sequel, if you will.
Or simply write an homage to that song and why it means so much to you. You can touch on where you were in your life when you heard it, and shed some light on why it made such an impact.
Happy writing you guys, and I’ll see you tomorrow for day 3 of the retreat!