The Creative Process
I’ve been asked about the creative process lately, and while there are some general aspects to it I am sure the creative process varies for each person. It must. Every person approaches a project with different experiences, different giftings, and different skill sets to where they will bring something unique to the process. At least, that’s what we hope for, so that we will get to see something unique in the art produced. We all know “art” that is the result of some formulaic process. I’m thinking about boy bands here. Just get the right looking group of kids together that can carry a tune (most of them anyway), teach them some dance moves, and a few songs written and produced by some pros and boom! Success!...at least commercially. If you want a great parody of this go watch Rock of Ages featuring the likes of Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, and Alec Baldwin.
Still, even as I poo poo boy bands they have managed to produce real talent at times, thank you Justin Timberlake!, and there is always someone in the background flexing their creative and artistic muscles to make said boy band work. Outside of the Pharisees in the Bible, self-righteousness is arguably most present in the art world. Just think of Kurt Cobain dismissing Pearl Jam as not really alternative enough in the early days of grunge simply because they liked to include some guitar solos in their songs. But when you understand Pearl Jam’s guitarists Gossard and McCready were heavily influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend it all makes sense. Solos rock! AND their particular solos are great! Still, Eddie Vedder had a near complex for a while because of Cobain’s criticism. While I love Nirvana, I think Kurt Cobain just wasn’t as good at lead guitar. Sacrilege, I know.
SO, apologies to boy bands everywhere, or at least to Justin Timberlake (I am a true fan!).
I’ll tell you a bit about my creative process with music. It is hard to nail down really. Many of my songs happen just because I feel like writing something. I get tired of trying to write sermons or blog posts or form some kind of consistent argument (all a part of another creative process that I’ll talk about some other time), and I just want to express my emotions. I want to capture and share where I am in the moment. So, I sit down with my laptop, open a doc and often say a little prayer for help to be able to express myself (this is not the result of piety, but rather desperation, usually). Then I often ask myself a question or two. What am I thinking about right now? What am I feeling? What’s bothering me? And I begin to type whatever comes to me.
To be very clear, this does not always pan out. My folder of potential lyrics is chock-full of incomplete verses, songs that never were and never will be because they’re just crap, frankly. But there are times when something clicks and the lyrics just work. And a melody is not far behind. (Sometimes the melody comes first.) These are sweet moments when a song seems to simply pop out and feel like it was always there. It was just waiting to be written down and played. But very often, I like a part of the lyric and a lot of work still needs to be done. Editing.
Mini-Axl
Editing can be never ending. I once spent all day in the studio recording tracks only to re-write an entire part of a song before bed that night, and then had to re-do it the next day. For many songs, there comes a time when I just have to walk away and say that one is done even though more could be done, more tweaks could be made. I’ve talked to a couple other artist friends about this delicate dance. You can vacillate between feeling like a song is not really finished (like 75% done) and a song being completely over-done. Too much production. When it feels somewhat unfinished there are times when I’ve had to just move on so that I don’t die in the details. AND because studio time costs money. Consider Axl Rose, who took two decades to produce the Guns N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy, and it really didn’t compare to earlier GNR albums. There I go again criticizing. I’m sure Axl wouldn’t care because he doesn’t even know I exist. Point is, I can get lost pursuing a vision or idea. I’ve had to learn my breaking point and work back a few steps to know when a song is done enough. I can always go back and release another version on my greatest hits album in 10 years anyhow, right?
As my brilliant wife would say about the editing process, there’s always death and resurrection involved. I’ll let her elaborate on that at some point.
There’s more to be said about the process, which I’ll take up in another post at another time, but for now I want to leave you with this. For me the song is not done until it is shared. This is true of all art, I believe. It exists to be shared. It is for others, even if it begins as a need to connect with myself. The fact that it brings me joy is great, but it’s incomplete. Whenever I write a new song, I need to share it. Usually, my first audience is Kate and our girls, but no matter who it is…whether it be at an open mic night or a church congregation or in front of a stadium full of people (some day, maybeJ). It needs to be shared. It needs to be engaged with, heard, felt. It is one of the most vulnerable parts of the creative process because what if they don’t like it?! And at the same time, it can also be one of the most fulfilling parts of creating, to see others enjoy it. It magnifies the whole experience.
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