Happy Monday, friends!
As I’m thinking about the best way to encourage you today, two words come to mind.
Show up.
I can’t tell you the amount of days that I’ve come into the studio or to the writing room not having anything.
But when we leave, five hours later, we come out with something we’re really excited about… which never would have happened if we hadn’t done the hardest part, which is simply to show up.
In one of my favorite books, War of Art, the author Steven Pressfield says that for the pro writer, the writing is the easy part – it’s the sitting down to write that’s the hard part.
I think that’s so true.
It’s easy to make an excuse to not show up because we aren’t inspired or have too much going on.
But I can promise you this… if you don’t show up, you won’t get a cut.
I’m not saying that every song is about getting a cut, and obviously not every song does get cut. But I am saying that I can 100% guarantee that nothing is going to happen if you don’t show up.
Even when I was driving into work this morning, I was feeling kind of like I didn’t really have anything creative to give today, but eight hours later, I’m proud of the work that I put in even if it never sees the light of day.
Along those lines, I’ve been in sessions before where it’s been me and some other writers, and I’ve felt like I’m just sitting over on one side of the room, and the other writers are kind of just writing the song without me…
Those experiences can be pretty deflating. But in those moments, it’s good to remind ourselves that hey, we still did the hard work and showed up.
It doesn’t matter how other people are going to show up. It doesn’t matter how well they’re going to be willing to collaborate with you, and it doesn’t even really matter what the outcome is.
I want to encourage you that the the win is simply in showing up.
––> Some days it’s going to click, and some days it’s not.
––> Some pairings are going to work better than others.
––> Some days the creative juices are just going to be flowing, and those are the days that we live for…
But you got to show up 10 days to have one or two of those magic days.
That’s just how it is in the business of being a songwriter or musician or any type of creator.
I will say that if you’re stuck struggling with feeling unqualified or inadequate or you’re feeling burned out – it’s okay to take breaks from time to time.
In fact, as a believer in the Bible, I believe God created us to have a Sabbath, or a day of rest, every single week. So I do want to encourage you to build that into your schedule somehow, whatever that looks like, on a regular weekly basis.
But when it’s time to work and when you’ve got the writing session scheduled on your calendar, don’t make excuses to bail on it.
I find that showing up is easier when you do it regularly and consistently. For example, in my opinion, going to the gym once a week is way harder than going to the gym five times a week.
Why?
Because when you have a rhythm of showing up consistently, it becomes a part of your daily cycle and who you are
I find that the voice in my head that makes excuses gets way louder when I’m doing something less often like once a week.
And this doesn’t just go for going to the gym, but for any creative work like songwriting or practicing or anything that goes into pursuing your music career.
So I want to encourage you to create a calendar, to start scheduling those time blocks to create, and then to show up to them!
Many of you are already doing that, and co-writing is a really good way to keep yourself accountable to it because you’re not just accountable to yourself but also accountable to whoever you’re writing with. If you’re looking for co-writers, you can check out our online songwriting community here.
But even if you don’t have co-writers, make appointments with yourself and have somebody hold you accountable.
Did you show up?
Did you do what you said you were gonna do?
It isn’t even so much about the outcome as much as it’s about just holding yourself accountable.
I promise you that the more you show up, the quieter that voice in your head gets that wants to make excuses and have you push your snooze button and stay in bed.
So that’s my encouragement to you today. Wherever you are, whatever the work that you know you need to do, show up and do it.
I promise you you’re gonna feel good after doing it.
Write the song.
Read the content.
Play the show.
Practice your part.
Do whatever YOU need to do today.
My team and I at Full Circle are here to cheer you on!
We want to be your champion on your journey as a songwriter, artist, musician, producer or whatever it is you’re trying to pursue in the music industry.
You’ve got this!!