2013 Is Here And I’m Already Hittin’ The Wall!

Pressure. Doesn’t matter if you turn up the heat on your own or you have

help, the new year can really bring it on. Clean slate, blank canvas
and…you got…nothin’.

Telling people you’re a songwriter is always entertaining. Doesn’t
matter if you’ve had zero success (check out this past blog) or a house
full of awards, people always have one of three comments when you open
that door:

“Have you written anything I know”?
“I’ve always had this title that I know could be a hit”
“What I wouldn’t give to have your job, no pressure, regular hours…go
to work in my sweats”…. lots of variations of this one.

You know songwriting IS a great job or “calling” but it carries the same
pressure as any other one. Get better, more productive, have some
measurable success and the new year is always a tempting time to raise
the bar. The problem is songwriting is such a different job and progress
is so hard to measure by the world’s standards that you can easily
stress yourself out of any creative space you’ve earned.

Over the years I’ve learned to try and avoid the songwriter’s version of
a New Year’s resolution in favor of staying the course. Keep doing what
you’ve been doing and remember the simple things you can do to ease the
pressure you might be feeling.

Find ways to affirm your path, different ways to be creative, bring that
energy back to your writing and take a break when you hit the wall. Do
something else!! Read, walk, watch a movie, anything but stare at a
blank page titled “2013″.

What do you do when you’re geared up to start  and you hit the wall
at the first turn?

Photo: Google Images