There’s the pie in the sky and there’s the one that’s on TV — Your inner radio The music business is really weird. It’s bound to the notion that you need to produce something completely original and get famous for it. It’s as if the creator needs to be blessed by some muse from another world who gave them the keys for achieving “success.” Inspiration falls from…

Expanding your range of listening — The new frontier Before the pandemic, I made a point to catch at least three live indie music acts a month. Much of the time, I was not too familiar with the bands I was going to hear. It’s an experiment of sorts to give myself the opportunity of a direct experience without…

Anti-Artist Rebel Are your songs starting to sound the same? Do you find yourself covering similar ground, reinforcing old tactics in your creative process? We’re habitual creatures. It feels safe to tread on familiar ground. I’ve often thought of going to the same vacation spot every year. Although repeat visits could deepen…

Confronting Writer’s Block Head On — The Monster in a Box Stagnation is an annoying obstacle that keeps you from getting your work done. This is also known as writer’s block. Writer’s block can occur at any point in your project. Initially, you might begin with a clear idea of what you want to do. The problem is, you can’t bring…

Creativity Diver Creativity can be dangerous. It is fraught with anxiety, peril, isolation, displacement, boredom, dread, pain, and damnation. At the same time, the desire to create things seems to come from a joyful place. It’s the joy we experience when we accomplish the goal of finishing our work. Of course, there…