Three Ways to Silence Your Inner Critics Through Songwriting

One of the most challenging aspects of creativity, especially for those of us who have achieved a degree of success in our careers, is enjoying the process without defaulting to criticizing our own work. While it is human nature to aspire to a high level of work, this is only a healthy aspiration if we're able to enjoy ourselves along the way to achieving that kind of quality. The problem is that we become impatient and critical early on, which can derail not only the enjoyment of our work but also our creativity altogether. The good news is that learning to write songs gives us the means to silence our inner critics. The key is an open mind and a willingness to learn. Below are a few of the ways we can silence our inner critics and build our creative confidence at the same time.

Writing Songs Promotes Expressive Risk-Taking

As adults, we have a tendency to avoid expressing ourselves without worrying about how we will be perceived. The power of songwriting and its use of metaphor is that it provides a way for us to communicate using a new set of expressive tools that, because of its newness, won't lend itself to over analysis. The key is to tell a story using images and the cognitive shortcuts of metaphors. To the newcomer, this can feel a bit risky but by relying on the established structure of lyric writing, it's a safer way to begin to explore our emotions and ideas.

Writing Songs Builds Resilience Through Repetition

While there are schools and courses that teach songwriting, I'm convinced that by far the best way to learn to write songs is to write songs… a lot of them. One of the many benefits of writing a growing number of songs is that along the way we begin to normalize the imperfections that are a necessary part of the road to expertise. The confidence we can develop by simply repeating our process is invaluable. And, more importantly, one of the most powerful outgrowths of increased confidence is resilience. Facing challenges, while never easy or pleasant, won't seem as daunting if we prove to ourselves over and over that we're capable of carrying on in spite of the obstacles in our paths.

Writing Songs Rewires Fear of Judgment

The very act of sharing our creative work opens us up to the opinions of others. This is unfortunately inevitable. What isn't inevitable, however, is whether we choose to fear that judgment. Early on in our creative lives, our work is so fragile and precious to us that, of course, it's scary to show it to others. But the more we learn to share our work, the more desensitized we become to the vulnerability and possible rejection of others. For example, the songwriting world is full of stories of songwriters who were told their songs weren't any good only to have those same songs go on to become enormous hits. The key is to keep putting ourselves out there and to worry less about the opinions of others.

Conclusion

Leaving our comfort zones is, you guessed it, uncomfortable. It's difficult enough to do something new but being hard on ourselves as well can discourage us from even trying. The beauty of doing something new and honoring our beginner's mind is that a host of other benefits accrue. Being brave is great but being kind to ourselves along the way is even better.

Bio
Cliff Goldmacher is a GRAMMY-recognized, #1 hit songwriter, music producer and author with recording studios in Nashville, TN and Middle River, MD. Through his studios, Cliff provides songwriters outside of Nashville with virtual, live access to Nashville's best session musicians and studio vocalists for their songwriting demos. Find out more. download Cliff's FREE tip sheet "A Dozen Quick Fixes To Instantly Improve Your Songs."