One Secret To Not Getting Stuck in Creative Projects

In college, I took a songwriting class where we had to write 5 original songs in a semester.

My biggest blocker was feeling original. I would sit down at the piano and play around with chords until I found something that sounded good. Inevitably, I’d discover it was from another song.

In my attempts, I remember accidentally writing “Imagine” or “mmmBop”. And I’d throw the song away and start over.

These last few months, I’m getting back into songwriting. And I have a new approach: steal. I’m leaning into the influence.

I’ll borrow a song structure from Bob Dylan, chord progression for the verse from Coldplay and for the chorus, it’s Prince. I’ll take an line from the Zadie Smith book I’m reading. And rather than think that I’m unoriginal, I’m reframing this:

I’m collaborating with those people.

I’m not writing songs to be famous or rich. I’m writing them for fun and to make art. And what better way to make something I’m proud of than to collaborate with some of the great influences of my life?

One of my favorite examples of this is this interview with Paul Simon talking about writing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” where he talks about each part. “This is from a Bach concerto and this is from a gospel song and this is from…” It’s so good.

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