Songwriting

How to find songwriting inspiration when you have absolutely none!

Do you ever feel so uninspired to write a song that it hurts? You might really want to write a good song, but you feel absolutely nothing and wonder how to move forward.

Being in such “creative blocks” form time to time is absolutely normal! Inspiration comes and goes.  It´s a cycle. Phases of high inspiration are followed by phases of blank mindedness.  How to break the cycle and move back into the creative mindset, you might wonder?

Here´s 5 tips on how to get fired up again!

1)  Listen to new music

Listening to new music that might resonate with you, is a sure way to get you “excited”. Being excited is related to a rush of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter, that is linked to creativity. Finding something new, may make you “hungry” for more and this applies both to “consuming” and “creating” something new. You might like a certain line of lyric in a song you recently discovered or a melodic hook, that makes you want to write something similar! Mind this: It´s not about copying other artists, but about tapping into new ideas and finding a way to translate those into songs in your own style.

Also, be aware, that not even your most original ideas are every truly yours. We are social beings, constantly triggered by our surroundings and by other people and that means our ideas are never solely ours. They are gifts we receive. So, with that in mind, “stealing” other people´s ideas might seem less of a crime! Go, do it! 😉 

2) Browse through Amazon 

An old trick to finding new song ideas is finding titles you might find interesting and one way to find cool titles is to browse through Amazon or other online bookstores. Just go searching for recent bestsellers or fantasy books and write down any title that might trigger something! You might start doing mindmaps with associations based around the title´s main words. A lot of times such mindmaps are incredibly helpful when writing a verse or chorus. I will tell you more about that in a soon to launch lyric writing Masterclass! 

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3) Re-write your favorite song 

Pablo Picasso said: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.

It´s about doing the work regardless of whether or not you feel inspired in a certain moment so that once inspiration strikes, you´re prepared and in the mode to make something good out of it. 

With that in mind, I have a great excercise that might result in new inspirations. Think of one of your favorite songs (one you wish you´d written) and re-write it, applying certain rules: 

E.g. try to re-write the story without using certain words (like”I”, or “love” or whichever buzzwords there might be in the song). Or write it from a different angle. Changing perspective. Or tell yourself you need to use at least three metaphors. This excersice is great for finding ways to say things differently and once you´ve strated, you might never stop! 

Hope these three tips help you reconnect with your inner muse! Also check out our post about The Walt Disney Formula for Songwriters  as well as Writing songs with intention. We hope that those tips were helpful!

Best,

Katie

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