The Importance of a Calm Mind to Creation

You’re probably thinking, “but artists are emotional.”  You’re right, we are.  We often feel things that others don’t feel, or maybe more accurately, we feel things in a way that others don’t feel.  My feelings are strong, it’s why I cry so easily, but I don’t sob unless there’s been a death in the family or something.  Because, while my feelings are strong, I’m still in control.

You cannot create out of chaos, only out of order. 

You might have been inspired by times you were “so in love” or “so depressed” but you didn’t create in those states.  You reflected back on them from a calmer place.  See, if nothing makes sense, then nothing makes sense.  You can’t focus on the craft of songwriting, much less making a coherent point lyrically.

Our culture actively attacks mental tranquility.  There’s more content to consume, every cultural issue is made to be an emergency, the media is designed to keep you anxious, depressed or angry at every moment and even the most popular preachers teach lies that tell you if you don’t have a mansion and a jet, it’s because you just don’t have enough faith in God. 

There’s never been a greater need for good art, but there’s never been a worse time for artists.  If we want to make great art, we have to have the power to step away from it all, at least for periods of time. 

You can criticize me if you want (I don’t care, so don’t waste your time to write me), but I barely pay attention to politics anymore.  Yes, I see the headlines, they’re unavoidable, but I rarely read an article unless I have some particular interest in it.  And even then, I accept what I cannot control and I move on.  Only fools think they can change human nature, which is what it would take to “save the world.”  I’ve had people tell me some of my music has a political bent, but it’s not political.  What interests me is not what people believe so much as why they believe it and how they act because of it.  If the cause they’re fighting for is so righteous, why do they act with such vitriol towards anyone who opposes them?  Why are the folks with the “Love > Hate” bumper stickers so full of hate? 

These are the type of things I ponder, but they don’t keep me up at night. 

When storms come my way personally, and it’s not if storms come, but when, I’m not saying I am without a care in the world, I am simply saying I’m in control of my emotions, they’re not controlling me.  When I sit down with a guitar, or at the piano (which is usually where it starts before the lyrics come), I’m putting my concerns in a subconscious place.  They’re still there, most likely influencing the sounds that are appealing to me, or the decisions I make for changes and chord voicings, but they’re out of mind.  I’m working things out to make peace with things.  I’m consuming my emotions and channeling them into producing music, rather than letting my emotions consume me. 

Unfortunately, I cannot give anyone any instructions on how to do this.  My faith keeps me calm because I trust God; not as completely as I should or I’d have no worries at all, but enough to keep me from spinning out.  If this is not something you believe in, you will need to find your own way to these ends.  Order does not come from chaos, it’s impossible.  And art, while emotionally expressive, has parameters that have to be worked through if you expect people to respond to it.