Creativity
I was thinking on my drive in to work this morning (after I was done with my morning prayers) about creativity and my song writing, and how I haven't really written any songs in awhile now. Bits and pieces here and there, but no full songs.
I do sing songs that I create 'on the fly' while I'm driving in the car, but by the time I get to a place where I can write down the words, I've almost always forgotten it, or forgotten the tune, or both. I can use my phone to record myself, but even then, by the time I get it set to record, it makes my mind go blank. It sucks. But I digress.
The thought that popped into my head regarding my song wring is this: Negativity breeds creativity. 99% of my songs are 'negative' in some way -- they're about sadness, they're about loss, they're about betrayal, they're about suffering, pain, death, suicide, etc. The 'positive' ones have been far and few between, and much more of a struggle to write. Hence, negativity breeds creativity.
But today, for the first time, when I thought of that phrase, the next thought I had was: bullshit.
Who says it has to be that way? I've made it that way, but it doesn't have to be that way. I can write songs that are positive. I can write songs that are uplifting, that focus on the good and not the bad.
Other people can. Hell, I was listening to Natalie Merchant this morning and thinking of her positive songs, and it's like... what, I'm not as good a songwriter as her? Bull! I can do this.
Really, I've always been drawn to that kind of song, though, the 'negative' ones. Not just since I got into grunge back in the 90s (where depressing is almost synonymous with grunge), but even when I was a kid and listening to 60s music. The Beach Boys are pretty darn positive and upbeat, but I'd focus on songs like 'God Only Knows' and 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' and 'Help Me, Rhonda'.
Well, I've lost my train of thought now.
Comments
Think about it like this. You might love your wife and be really happy when you see her walk in the door but it may not hit you with as much force as hearing that a loved one just died or the anger you feel about something. We don't always experience positive things in the same way. I definitely feel negativity stronger. I don't know why but sometimes I feel like I (as well as many other people) have a block on feeling happy. It doesn't mean I don't love my family or don't enjoy watching TV but it doesn't have the same strength as the bad things and we start to focus on that.
I have this "oh please, gag me" attitude about some sweet/sappy/happy things and I think that must be learned by society. I don't know. Your post got me on a tangent now.....
But I'm also able to take someone else's hurt/anger/sadness/negativity and turn it into a song. So I think there's another element there, too.... I dunno.