Even if you don’t observe Christmas, you can give yourself a gift as a songwriter. And that gift is something you never would have expected – Garbage!
One Songwriter’s Garbage, is Another Songwriter’s… Garbage?
Okay, I won’t suggest that one writer’s garbage is another writer’s gold, or anything like that. What I’m really talking about here is pure garbage. More importantly, the permission to write something that is pure garbage.
When you give yourself permission to write garbage, to write a song that would never pass your usual filters, something wonderful happens: you find the freedom to write anything, and ultimately you come across some great ideas that would have otherwise remained out of reach. When you allow yourself to write absolutely anything, without regard to “quality”, or adherence to the “rules of songwriting”, THAT is when you can tap into your creativity and write freely.
My favourite songwriting teacher, Pat Pattison, has a saying: “Give yourself permission to write crap. Because crap is the best fertilizer”. It’s true. Allow yourself to write freely, and you will be surprised at what magic you will unleash.
So, please, go now and write something really awful. Merry Christmas!
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