Past The Finish Line! Onto The Next!

  July's Mission "31 Songs in 31 Days" ACCOMPLISHED!!!! 

It was fun, challenging and mind expanding. I wanted to prove to myself, that I can focus two hours a day on writing a song start to finish with lyrics, without feeling "Writers Block". It was not about the full production but the fact that if I was to walk into a studio tomorrow to record an album, walk into a writing session or have a library request, I now have 31 songs to choose from. It was about being creative, in the moment and trusting that I can do it. About collaborating, enjoying teamwork and effort. Growing and expanding as a writer. Thank you to those who were part of it. This is just the beginning ;)

So what's next? AUGUST MISSION!

Step 1: I will finish one song a week for 31 weeks, (every single song from 31SI31D challenge). I plan on pulling a collaborator in for every song because 1) it will be faster and 2) another persons skill and talent will make it even better and after all, it's about making a good song GREAT. Knowing that people may flake, get busy...collaborator or not, one song a week to be released every Monday on soundcloud as well as some video clips.

Step 2:  I'll write one song a day but this time, instrumentals only, no longer than 3 minutes. Since I don't have to record vocals and write lyrics, I can do the full production in three hours easily, keeping the track focused, clean and simple.

Ready to bust ass for what I want! Willing to put in the work,  even if it means getting up a little earlier. Think for many of us the challenge is to be productive rather than busy! I know this will not be easy but I know it's do-able and I'm super excited.  PS: I'll let you know how happy or cranky I will be in a few days!

Let's get this party started! Happy August!
;)
JVB

DAY SEVEN

It's been pretty fun so far.The biggest challenge has been to not write about the same old things and to use different approaches, let's say, one song starts with a vocal melody, another get's inspired by a drumbeat, guitar riff or synth sound. Yesterday was my first Collaboration on this project, felt good to only come up with lyrics and melody. I did feel a little resistance at first but once I let go of the "inner judge" allowing myself to just dive in, it became effortless.

I don't always have a concept when I write, some writers do. I usually let the music take me, picking a theme has been another one of my challenges. The beauty in writing is, it doesn't matter how you start the journey, as long as you end up with a completed song that resonates with you. A song that captures a feeling, a vibe, a mood. And of course if I was writing for a specific project, a music library, I'd have more of an outline and theme, most likely writing a sound alike. What's fun about this project is that I can write whatever I want without having to fit a format. It's fun to express myself any way I want, goofy, serious, off beat. No RULES! Of course in the back of my mind I am thinking about where that track could be placed and ultimately, I want to find those 31 babies a good home but as of right now. All I need to do is give birth to another creation. ;)

I've been pretty good as far as only spending a couple of hours on writing,  not all in one sitting, I work for 30 min, get the idea down, take a quick walk with the dog or do my workout  than come back with a clear head and fresh perspective. It's working really well.

The frustrating part is that I can hear some of the songs fully produced and want to do it right than and there (yes, I've spend several hours on a couple of songs I felt strongly about). I have to remember to just WRITE the song first, start to finish, THAN focus on production, although in some cases tweaking the sounds along the way is extremely inspiring, as long as I don't get caught up in "tweaking" that sound forever.

What I did notice is that I am more creative, ideas keep popping up consistently, I've recorded some ideas right after writing a track or while waiting for a student. The fossett is open and little symphonies keeps flowing, effortlessly. Day Seven accomplished. (Just realized, I spent so much time on this Blog it's already day Eight, hahaha.

Starting tomorrow,  I will post snippets of the tracks, I don't know if it would be a good idea to post the entire songs. (copyright, quality and time wise)

My goal is to do at least 10 Collabs on this project.
Stay tuned the fun is just about to start!
xoxo
JVB