The Real Life of a Songwriter

If you are or have been a songwriter, especially if you have only written a few songs, or are just beginning, you may wonder what it’s like to live each day as a songwriter.

Well, if you write songs, it’s not much different than how you live now, with the exception that you are actively doing something about your songwriting development or career every day that you can.

The Compound Effect

I was recently reading the book “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy. His book applies to anything you want to do or be, but the point is daily, incremental changes or work can lead to any dividend or result you want.

Want to be a great songwriter? Want to LIVE as a songwriter? Then you need to do it daily.

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ― Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect

If you want to be a songwriter, you need to write, or think about songs, or study songwriting, or read about what other songwriters are doing in the music business especially, or make relationships with other songwriters or artists or publishers...You see where this is going?

You have to make songwriting part of your every day. Each day, each song, each idea, makes you a better writer and keeps you growing.

You Have the Power

It may seem like every minute of every day is filled, but it is not. There is always something you can steal time from: the TV, reading the (mostly bad) news, the times when you mindlessly play that video game. And yes, I know you need it. But you also are reading this because you want to be a songwriter.

“Since your outcomes are all a result of your moment-to-moment choices, you have incredible power to change your life by changing those choices. Step by step, day by day, your choices will shape your actions until they become habits, where practice makes them permanent.” ― Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect

You can daily do one thing towards your songwriting, Whether if it’s a fix to a chorus, or an email to a publisher or music company. Do something. Every day.

Be in Motion. Always Move Forward.

Walt Disney has a great quote we use often in our house.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney

You have to keep motion going. Dieting? Every day there must be a change to your eating and/or exercise. Money issues? Every day there should be a plan to spend less and save more. Want to write songs? Every day you should moving forward with something related to your writing.

“Newton’s First Law, also known as the Law of Inertia: Objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted on by an outside force. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, unless something stops their momentum. Put another way, couch potatoes tend to stay couch potatoes. Achievers—people who get into a successful rhythm—continue busting their butts and end up achieving more and more.” ― Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect

The Real Secret

Okay, so here is the real secret to living as a songwriter. Write songs. Then find outlets for your songs. The end. See that wasn’t so hard was it?

Seriously, living as a songwriter means finding a way to involve songwriting in the way you live, make a living, or go about your day. Be a songwriter, even if it brings you NO money, NO fame, NO attention whatsoever. If you can’t be a songwriter under those conditions, then it was never about writing anyway. It was about money, fame, or attention.

Living as a songwriter means working it, getting better at it, and dreaming new ways to do it and find success. Just like you would with anything else.

Sure, Nashville, recording, web sites, social media, mentors, blah, blah, blah. They all may figure in. But the reality is you will be alone back at your home, and have to know how to live daily as a songwriter. And the only one who will do it, and make sure you do it...is you.

Have a great week!

EC

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John Eric Copeland is a composer and songwriter (they are kind of different) who when he isn’t composing, helps songwriters, artists, and all creatives be more successful at what they want to do. Find out more at cre8iv.com

Want to take a bold step towards being a songwriter? Check out our new opportunity “Life of a Songwriter IV” at http://www.CreativeSoulOnline.com