I hate to tell you, but nobody really reaches songwriting success. But you can experience it.
Sure, certain songwriters might get a song recorded. Maybe they even get a bunch of songs recorded. Maybe a few of them become hits. But do they ever reach “songwriting success?” I don’t think they do. I don’t think anybody does.
But this doesn’t mean you should quit writing. It means you should keep on writing!
If you want to be a happier, more successful songwriter, read on. ________________________________
To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success. Get it today!
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Here’s the deal. I don’t think songwriting success is a destination. I believe it’s the journey itself.
Here’s the thing about a journey: it has movement. You don’t sit still. You move. You make progress. Sure, sometimes you might slide back down the hill, get lost, or take the long way around. But that’s all part of the journey. And it’s okay.
Ever get stuck in bad traffic? I’m one of those guys that would rather take a detour that I KNOW is a few minutes or miles longer just because I’d rather be moving than sitting still. Why? Because…
The “success” we experience as part of the journey is just that- a part of the journey. It’s not a destination. Cuts, hits, whatever… they’re evidence of success, but they aren’t success all by themselves.
Writing better songs is success. Forging new, stronger relationships is success. Cuts and hits are outward signs that sometimes mark our journey, but they aren’t success. They are evidence of progress, and progress is success.
That is why the most successful writers keep working so hard. They don’t just get that first #1 hit and coast. Surely, they’ve reached success, right? If so, why do they keep working so hard, day in and day out? Because it’s progress (success) to write a new song that they love. It’s progress (success) to write a better song than the last one. It’s progress (success) to build their catalog and discography. It’s progress (success) to climb the cowriting ladder.
Humans are wired to be happier when we’re making progress.
True story: my 1st year in Nashville was probably happier than my 5th. Why? Because my 1st year was full of progress! When you start with almost nothing, almost everything is progress. Every song was a step forward. Every new cowriter was a big deal. Every time a publisher heard one of my songs, it was a huge win (even when they passed).
The first time a major artist (Tim McGraw) heard one of my songs, it was an amazing, fist-pumping, made-my-month event. And he passed on my song! So why was it such a big deal? Because it was progress. A major artist had NEVER heard one of my songs before. But that day, one did. That was unbelievably exciting.
By my 5th year in Nashville, a top 5 hit was behind me, and I was in my 3rd year of a publishing deal. I was trying to climb back up “Hit Mountain.” I was writing every day and not doing the day job I had in that 1st year. And my songs were better, no doubt. I was getting some holds, and a little activity. But was I happier? I don’t really think so.
Don’t get me wrong, it was still great. But I wasn’t making as much progress as I did that first year, and those smaller gains were harder to make, so it wasn’t quite as exciting.
Want to be happier with your songwriting? Make progress.
Learn some new chords. Learn a new songwriting technique. Reach out to a new cowriter. Dig deeper and write your best song yet. Develop a songwriting calendar where you set appointments with yourself and start to feel like a professional (even if you don’t have the awards yet).
Let yourself feel the excitement that comes with progress.
Don’t ignore it or feel that it’s beneath you. Don’t hold off celebrating until you get that #1 or whatever you’ve defined as success.
Keep making progress. That IS success.
Sometimes cuts and recognition flow from it. But sometimes, cuts don’t happen. You can’t really control that. But you can control whether or not you’re becoming a better songwriter. You CAN control whether or not you make progress.
I want YOU to experience a successful songwriting journey, so I want to help you make progress.
In the month of July, I’m hosting a transformative online songwriting event called, “Building A Hit: From Blank Page To Finished Lyric.” In this powerful 4-week online workshop, I reveal:
How to find great song ideas. Kill writers block and fill up that blank page again and again.
How to focus your ideas for maximum impact. Don’t waste any more great ideas by leaving them under-developed or confusing.
How to frame your idea for maximum commercial appeal. Having a great, compelling idea isn’t enough. You have to build your song in a way that an artist will want to sing it and an audience will want to hear it.
How to finish your song. Stop leaving your best ideas unfinished. Nobody loves a song they never hear, and a song that’s only 99% finished will never get recorded, never get on the radio, and never change your life.
If you want to join me on a journey that will help you think and write like a pro songwriter, click on the link below. Spots are limited for this event, and I only host it twice a year. Miss out, and it’s gone for another 6 months. Don’t delay. Transform your songwriting today..
DON’T MISS OUT- CLICK HERE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,
Brent Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US, a #1 in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.
