RSS
Home
Songwriting: calling vs. career
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Janis Joplin
Some professions seem more like callings than careers: clergy, medicine, art, law, and perhaps songwriting. People who don’t write songs are amazed by those who do. But, those who do, for the most part, find it incredibly easy. Natural, organic, magical.
I’ve always said that writing songs is one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. It’s also one of the most satisfying, which goes against the adage, “no pain, no gain.” On the contrary, sometimes pleasure, honesty, and authenticity are what lead to "gain." As a songwriter, the key is to be open and available when the universe calls, or better yet, to be actively seeking musical gems eternally floating in the ether.
Janis Joplin once said, "I always wanted to be an artist, whatever that was, like other chicks want to be stewardesses... Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers. You can fill your life up with ideas and still go home lonely. All you really have that really matters are feelings. That's what music is to me."
I think that’s the definition of “a calling” – always wanting to do something or be something not because it’s “logical,” but because it’s a deep-seeded, passionate expression of your soul. Songwriters are indeed called to write songs. And those of us who are captured by their musical spells remain forever in their debt.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
