Craft

Are You Writing Songs For An Audience Of 1 Or 100 Million?

10 Comments

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Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers. Now, on to today’s post…

I’m sure we’ve all had this experience: we’re in the room with someone who’s on the phone and is really excited about something. She’s saying, “really?” and “that’s awesome!” But we have no idea what she’s talking about. Of course not- she’s speaking to an audience of one- the person on the other end of that call.

While the people on the phone are communicating, they’re not communicating to you. So you either get frustrated or you tune it out.

Sometimes, unfortunately, we write songs that way.

We write for an audience of one- either to one other person who already knows what’s going on, or to ourselves. Either way, the song may bore or frustrate other listeners- the people overhearing your “call.”

If your goal is to have millions of people hear your song, you need to include them in your conversation. Make sure your song includes all the information they need in order to understand it.

Don’t just talk… communicate.

After all, if you’re the only one who understands your song, you may be the only one who ever hears it.

What about you?  Have you made this mistake?  I have, and I’d like to know I’m not alone- so leave a comment!

God Bless,

Brent

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014). If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.” I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album. You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it. You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices). It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool. But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL. These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you. God Bless!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #47

17 Comments

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FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers. Now, on to today’s post…

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“You left my heart as __________ as ____________.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“You left my heart as empty as a Monday morning church.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Barney Coulter, Debbie, dju316, Jeff Green, Michael and Mikalyn Hay, Mae Young, Debbie Convoy, Janet Goodman, Matt Martoccio, Joseph Lekkas, Dan Retzlaff, Jerry Childers, Willa Thompson and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #46 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014). If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.” I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album. You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it. You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices). It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool. But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL. These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you. God Bless!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Facebook: www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Instagram: Razorbaxter75

God Bless,

Brent

Muse

Songwriting Success Is Like Buying On Layaway… Really.

13 Comments

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Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers. Now, on to today’s post…

Remember the days when people largely believed in paying for something BEFORE they walked out of the store with it? Back then, lot of stores like Wal-Mart and Sears used to offer something called layaway.

It works like this: My mom would pick out a big item like a bike or something and “put it on layaway.” The nice folks at Wal-Mart would put it in the back with Mom’s name on it. She would come in periodically and give them some money toward the bike. When she finally paid off the whole thing, she could take the bike home to me. Merry Christmas!

Funny as it sounds, success is a lot like buying something on layaway.

We pick out our “bike” – our desired success. But just choosing your success doesn’t mean you get to leave the store with it. You still have to pay for it before you can take that success home. Your success, whatever it might be, goes behind the counter. How soon you get to actually OWN that success largely depends on how often and how much you put down on it.

You can have an awesome goal in mind, but if you never come back to the store and put payment toward it, you’ll never get it.

Even little successes never happen if you forget about them.

You put down payments on your success with your time, your energy, your effort, and your wise decisions.

There is no credit card for success. You have to pay for it before you get it.

What about you?  Is there a success you achieved like layaway?  What success are you currently paying for, one payment at a time?  I’d love to hear from you- leave a comment!

God Bless,

Brent

MAN VS. ROW… LIVE!

I’m excited to be speaking on song idea discovery and development at the 2014 Songwriting And Music Business Conference in Nashville, TN! Click the image below to find out more. I’d love to see you there!

2014 Conference Conference and Song School and City image Logo Image

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014). If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.” I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album. You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it. You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices). It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool. But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL. These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you. God Bless!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #46

20 Comments

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FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers. Now, on to today’s post…

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“Her skirt was shorter than __________.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Her skirt was shorter than a toddler’s attention span.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Scott Clements, Matt Martoccio, Steve, Andrew Clayton, Debbie, Jessica Stewart, Jillian Silcox, Linda Mckenzie, Janet Goodman, Carrie Beck, Tommy Kib, Willa Thompson, Robert Sans, Ronnie Jones, Dan Retzlaff, Jerry Childers and Joseph Lekkas for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #45 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014). If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.” I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album. You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it. You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices). It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool. But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL. These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you. God Bless!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Facebook: www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Instagram: Razorbaxter75

God Bless,

Brent

Muse

Are Your Songs Contagious?

13 Comments

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Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers. Now, on to today’s post…

I read this quote (of a quote) in the book “If You Want To Write” by Brenda Ueland. I think it’s worth considering, so I thought I’d share.

“Tolstoi, in a famous essay called, ‘What Is Art?’ said something like this:

Art is infection. The artist has a feeling and he expresses it and at once this feeling infects other people and they have it, too. And the infection must be immediate or it isn’t art. If you have to puzzle timidly over a picture or book and try, try to like it and read many erudite critics on the subject so that you can say at last, ‘Yes, I think I really do begin to understand it and see that it is just splendid! Real art!’ then it is not art.”

Are your songs contagious? Do they infect the listener immediately with the feeling you put into the song?

God Bless,

Brent

MAN VS. ROW… LIVE!

I’m excited to be speaking on song idea discovery and development at the 2014 Songwriting And Music Business Conference in Nashville, TN! Click the image below to find out more. I’d love to see you there!

2014 Conference Conference and Song School and City image Logo Image

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014). If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.” I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album. You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it. You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices). It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool. But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL. These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you. God Bless!

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

Biz

5 Things Songwriters Shouldn’t Do In A Mentoring Session

8 Comments

Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

I’ve published a series of posts about how to maximize a songwriter mentoring session (you can read part 1 HERE). Now, I’d like to share some things you SHOULDN’T do in a mentoring session.

1.  Don’t ask your mentor to rate you on a scale of one to ten.

One to ten based on what criteria? It puts too much weight on the opinion of one person. What really matters is trend. Are you better than you were a year ago? Are you working to be better next year?

2.  Don’t ask for a cowrite.

It’s awkward and unprofessional. Believe me, if your mentor wants to write with you, he or she will ask you to write. If he doesn’t want to write, it can make things uncomfortable for the mentor and possibly make him or her less likely to schedule another appointment with you in the future.

3.  Don’t ask your mentor to get your song to an artist or producer.

The answer is probably, “No. I have a hard time getting so-and-so to listen to MY songs, much less someone else’s.” Or the answer might be, “Yes, I can get it to them, but your song isn’t good enough and now I have to find a nice way to tell you that.” Besides, if your mentor does have an open door to an artist or producer, you’d be asking him to NOT pitch one of his own songs so he can pitch one of yours instead- with no benefit to him.

4.  Don’t bad mouth other songs or songwriters.

Nashville is a small town, and there’s a decent chance that your mentor knows someone involved with that song or artist. Heck, your mentor may have even written that song! It’s okay to state that certain things aren’t your cup of tea, but running a song, songwriter, or artist through the mud won’t be helpful. The point is how YOU get better, not how you wish someone else were better.

5.  Respect your mentor’s time.

Whether you’ve scheduled a 30 minute coffee or a 2-hour sit-down with your mentor, stick to the agreed upon timeframe. It’s uncomfortable and rude to overstay your welcome. Believe me, there’s probably nothing your mentor can tell you in that 20 minutes of overtime (“Just one more thing…” “Just one more song…) that is worth being annoying and inconsiderate.

I hope that helps.  Remember, your focus should be on getting better, not on getting discovered.  The rest will take care of itself.

You can check out these related posts here:

“4 Ways Songwriters Benefit From Mentoring”

“7 Qualities To Look For In A Songwriting Mentor”

If you’d like to discover much more about how to find a songwriting coach- and get the most out of that relationship- check out my Amazon bestselling ebook, “Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success.” It will help you prepare for the coaching session- what to do before, during, and after the session- and more! CLICK HERE TO FAST TRACK YOUR SUCCESS.

YOU VS.

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #45

31 Comments

cropped-music_row_signs322.jpg

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers. Now, on to today’s post…

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“James is as subtle as __________.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“James is as subtle as a 12 gauge shotgun.”

-or-

“James is as subtle as a butterfly whisper.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Steve, Barney Coulter, Michael Flanigan, Robert Sans, Mark Lambert, Mat Martoccio, Jeff Green, Janet Goodman, Mae Young, Ronnie Jones, and Jerry Childers for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #44 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014). If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.” I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album. You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it. You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices). It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool. But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL. These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you. God Bless!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Facebook: www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Instagram: Razorbaxter75

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Mini, Muse

Set Your Goals Like Dominos

1 Comment

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Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers.  Now, on to today’s post…

Per Michael Hyatt, prioritize your goals like you’re setting up dominos. Which of your goals, when you accomplish it, will make it easier to accomplish your OTHER goals? Like toppling dominos, which goal, when met, will help to knock over your next goal, then the next, then the next?

Look at your goals and how they interrelate. Pick the goal which can really kickstart the others, and go after that goal FIRST.

I thought it was a cool idea, and I wanted to share it with you.

God Bless,

Brent

MAN VS. ROW… LIVE!

I’m excited to be speaking on song idea discovery and development at the 2014 Songwriting And Music Business Conference in Nashville, TN! Click the image below to find out more. I’d love to see you there!

2014 Conference Conference and Song School and City image Logo Image

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014).  If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.”  I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album.  You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it.  You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices).  It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool.  But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL.  These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you.  God Bless!

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #44

25 Comments

cropped-music_row_signs322.jpg

FREE GIFT

Hey, ya’ll! At the bottom of today’s post, I’m going to let you know about some free stuff I’m giving away to all of you great Man vs. Row subscribers. Now, on to today’s post…

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“Grandma gives hugs like __________ gives ____________.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Grandma gives hugs like the sun giveswarmth.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to kelder54, Gary Snead, Elizabeth Calderon, Scott Clements, Barney Coulter, Janet Goodman, Mae Young, Mark Westerdorf, Rachel, Debra Meyer and Jerry Childers for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #43 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE GIFT

As a way to say “thank you” to all of you who subscribe to Man vs. Row by email, I’m going to give away some cool stuff in July (2014). If you subscribe to MvR, I’ll send you a free report, “10 Things The Pro Knows.” I’ll also send you the guitar/vocal of “Crickets,” which is the title track of Joe Nichols’ current album. You’ll get to hear the song as Joe heard it when he decided to record it. You’ll also receive the lyric file of the song- and this lyric file includes “Baxter’s Boneyard” – all the lines that DIDN’T make it into the song (see if you agree with our choices). It’s something nobody else has seen, and I think it’s pretty cool. But, again, this gift is only for those who subscribe to Man vs. Row by E-MAIL. These gifts will be sent by email, so if I don’t have your email address, I can’t send it to you. God Bless!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

Hey, ya’ll. If you like this blog, then make sure you don’t miss a single post. Subscribe by entering your email address in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” box either in the top righthand corner or down below. And I love it when you share this blog through facebook, Twitter, and wherever! Thanks!

Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Facebook: www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Instagram: Razorbaxter75

God Bless,

Brent

Muse, MvR Community

Songwriting: My Highest Self?

43 Comments

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Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Songwriting is, without a doubt, my sweet spot. It’s that incredible place where my passion meets my talent and my ambition. It’s where I feel like I’m my truest, best version of myself. It’s the hard work that usually gives me more energy than it takes. When I’m in the zone, writing with people I enjoy, it’s a great feeling. It never gets old.

Unfortunately, I’m not able to write full-time right now. I have a day job that I’m thankful for, but I don’t love it. I work hard, and it definitely takes more energy than it gives. (After years of being a full-time songwriter, I’m relearning what it means to look forward to the weekend.) The job doesn’t need me to use my “best” skills- skills I’ve spent years developing. In short, it doesn’t allow me to be my highest self.

Maybe you feel that way, too. Yes, your job gives you a paycheck, but you feel like you’re wearing a mask every day at work- that the real you is hidden at home inside your guitar case or notebook. It’s the feeling of, “yeah, but a lot of people can do this job. I have this songwriting thing where I’m SPECIAL.” Man, I get that in a big way, and I struggle with it sometimes.

But maybe, just maybe… I’ve had the wrong definition of my “highest self.” Where I tend to think of my highest self as being the guy that can turn an idea into a song that makes you laugh or cry – the guy that hears his words sung back to him over the radio- the guy with a platinum album on the wall… what if my true highest self is the guy that puts his dreams into a corner of his life and gets up every day to go to a day job so that his wife can live her dream of being a stay-at-home mom? What if my highest self is the guy who turns down most cowrite opportunities so his son has someone to wrestle with after dinner? What if THAT guy is my highest self?

What about you? I’m not saying to give up your songwriting dream, but what if your highest self is when you are… selfless?

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

Also, if you want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro, too. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

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Helping songwriters turn pro.