Monday 6th June – Songwriting day 4
Between all the writing there is this secret project I’m working on that will be due for completion next week. It will double as both a Happy Birthday and a declaration of Love interest.
Most of my best work has been songs I have written for others, some that may never be heard by anyone else but those they were written for. Somehow creating such sentimental tokens, stolen away from popularity or grandeur, gives me just as much fulfilment as performing one of my originals in front of a crowd of people. That’s because for me it’s about getting the message out to the people I meant it for. In some cases it’s just one person, in others it’s as many people as possible.
Part of giving myself the gift of the present moment, as Marcus Aurelius implores, is paying attention to those people who are impacted by my work. Their numbers are immaterial. The miracle of being able to touch even a single person on such a consequential level is everything. If I spent time trying to please everyone or fighting to make sure they remember me when I’m dead, I would miss the people who are the real success of what I do.
I do hope that my songs touch as many after I’m gone as they do when I’m around, but once the goal is posthumous fame or legend, I personally would have lost the plot.
I started writing for people like me who read between the bars and find meaning in the lyrics just as much as in the tune. I do it to make others feel what I feel when I hear a song that captivates me. So I will always do it for those few people who hear and relate to something more than I intended in a way I never would have imagined they would.
Rewatched “The Return of The King” yesterday? My only take away is that Elijah Wood is a strange little gap-toothed man. The most lovable kind. Otherwise Lord Of Tge Rings is a masterclass in turning excessive time consuming slow motion into great cinema. That last instalment is over 4 hours long. I’ve fallen asleep during less.
Monday. New week new challenges. Remember why it is you do what you do and you will remember to enjoy it right now, not simply for its results or an illusive future.
Still Water Reeds 