Finding The Focus

07/24/2010

By Jeremy Dean

First of all, thank you to all of you who continue to read my articles and respond here on NashvilleEar.com. While I am not a giant in the area of music business knowledge, in comparison to some, I do seek to relay some experienced steps in these articles that will perhaps help you along your journey as a songwriter. I am hopeful that revealing the realities of this business will encourage you to find the doors and windows necessary to gain your access to a rewarding list of songwriter credits while, more-so, enjoying and maintaining the inner purpose that pointed you in this direction in your life to begin with.

I am a songwriter…say it with me…I am a songwriter. What does that mean to you when you hear yourself say that? Perhaps it sparks a feeling of accomplishment? Perhaps it challenges you, as a reminder that you’re not focusing very well lately on a songwriting gift you claim to have? But, for some, it brings a grunt of utter disgust and disappointment at where you are and where you feel you should be in the long line of credited songwriters…and that the exercise of hearing yourself say that is just plain stupid? Whatever the case, there is something you should know - you were not invited to Nashville to become a songwriter. You may have a treasure chest of great lyrics in that skull of yours, just waiting to be discovered by the right people. But, at the end of the day, when reality sets in, you are just another songwriter trying to get a foot in the door of a music business that did not invite you to the party. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you’ll start making the time to focus on what you can do for yourself, rather than what others are not doing for you. At that point you will discover that what is important to you may no longer be sticking your brown nose in somebody else’s plate all the time looking for crumbs, but rather, utilizing the arms and legs The Good Lord gave you to prepare your own plate. Faith and hope only get you so far…at some point your common sense just needs to be expanded. That’s why The Good Lord also gave you a brain. So, if you’re one of those disgruntled songwriters who feels short-changed at the hand-outs counter, read on.

First and foremost, there is no hand-outs counter. Say this with me: I am a songwriter. Say it again. Within that statement there is no question. There is no, “Who is going to do this for me?” or “Who can help me?” or “Why me?” or “Why NOT me?” There is only a stated recognition of who you are…say it again: I am a songwriter. This is not intended to be some mind-over-matter Dr. Phil pep-talk here…this is a reiteration of YOUR belief that you are what you keep trying to be. If you are truthful with yourself in stating this, you will feel one of two feelings in your core; 1) That you are truly pursuing a talent you have for crafting lyrics, or 2) That you are not sure you have what it takes to be a successful songwriter. Aside from what has or has not happened in your writing endeavors, as far as recognition or achieving credits, you must have the passion to write and you must believe that you have the passion to write. Trying to convince yourself that you are a songwriter is the first step to burn-out and abandonment. You either believe you are, or you know you’re not. Some of you are NOT going to be songwriters. Some of you are just trying something to see if you get lucky. Some of you are just ego-bots who want to write just to say you’ve written something, just so you can tell everyone how many so-called songs you’ve written. Some of you just think you’re writers, and that’s okay…an ounce of passion is worth more than a pile of ego. You may always seem to be one month’s rent from singing the blues and losing what’s left of your starving dog and the untrusty-rusty sitting outside in the parking lot, but if song lyric crafting is your passion and you truly believe you are a songwriter, then repeat again: I am a songwriter…and read on.

I do understand the frustrations facing songwriters and the best venues of trying to get the songs heard…the business aspect of songwriting is not fun, just as the business of an artist is no fun. Sure, it looks glamorous…sounds like a walk in the park…and appears to be unmatched fame…but no matter what aspect of the music business you are in…the BUSINESS sucks! We like to do what we like to do…we do not like to be told what to do…we do not like playing other people’s games to try and forge a working relationship…we do not like being strung up by an evil puppet master - the music business. Singers born to sing love to sing…just as writers born to write love to write. When the business portion shows up, the fun becomes work…the work becomes hard…the hard becomes harder…and harder, leaving us feeling a lack of control, which then causes stress. You never hear great songs about stress, do you? Nobody likes the reality that business sucks the life out of fun…it’s frustrating. So, how do we fit the puzzle together? How do we reveal our purpose to an ungrateful music business?

In my second article, “Songwriters Anonymous: Part ‘DO’,” I discussed the relevance of finding your focus. In this article, I am attempting to help you begin to understand the relevance of your focus as it applies to your purpose. Sound deep? It’s not. If your purpose in life is driven by a passion for songwriting, then the relevance of your focus is determined by believing, “I am a songwriter.” What makes your focus relevant is the inner belief that you are a songwriter. If you are one hundred percent honest with yourself right now, you know whether or not you are a songwriter. But let me say this, if you’re one of those people who just likes to write, and you’re not really doing it to be famous or have boat loads of money crammed into your mail box…then you already have a clearer focus (or maybe just a cleaner slate to work with), and the relevance for you is that you are doing what you love to create. What makes your gift relevant is that you have a broader focus of your gifts and can concentrate on writing, rather than trying to be someone else or do something to be something else. You were probably one of those who stated, “I am a songwriter” with me awhile ago, while you sheepishly bowed your head with a big country boy G-dubya style grin, but you truly feel you are a songwriter. And whether you really are or will ever be acknowledged as such, you believe that you are…you’re not spinning your wheels to appease a “system” of the music business (a “system” which you also will not find at the imaginary hand-out counter)…you are focused on doing what you feel your purpose is…writing great lyrics. Your relevance as a songwriter is not determined by what you get for doing it. Your self-discipline and passion have led you to be what you are today because you have continually done consistently focused writing.

Do you have that kind of focus with YOUR songwriting? What relevance does your songwriting have on the music business? And how do you combine the two? First, find your focus…the inner circle within yourself that is YOU. If songwriting is a true passion, then there can become relevance. Grand Ole Opry star, Mike Snider, doesn’t write like another Grand Ole Opry star, Bill Anderson, but both have relevance…because their focuses are similar…they are songwriters. YOUR relevance in the music business is going evolve from the focus with which you dedicate yourself to the passion of songwriting. But if you are one of those ego-bots discussed earlier, and success and fame must revolve around you at your pitiful imaginary hand-outs counter…do us all a favor and go back to wherever it was you were uninvited from in the first place. That would make it so much more fun for the rest of us who are focused and understand the truthful relevance of why “I am a songwriter.”