Writing music is hard. Writing lots of music is much harder. But between how insatiable audiences are for new music and the fact that the more often we write the better chance we have at creating great songs, it pays to be prolific as a songwriter. Making music takes hard and often thankless work, but it takes even more sacrifice, planning, and energy to commit to writing as often as possible. Here are three helpful tips for being prolific and productive as a songwriter: 

As much as you might want them to, loads of new listeners are probably not going to spontaneously flock to your next release and listen to it, especially if you’re a developing artist. Sometimes we get so caught up in the excitement of sharing new music that we forget that connecting with audiences is far from a predictable, sure thing. Music is not an “if you build it, they will come,” endeavor because when it comes to making and sharing music, the reality is that no one owes you anything whether it’s coming to your shows or streaming your songs.

Some of the best music in the world has come from collaboration, but creating with partners doesn’t come naturally to some songwriters. Every collaboration is a relationship, whether you’re writing with a partner or performing music as a six-piece band. When these relationships are built on trust, communication, and respect, creativity is allowed to thrive. If you’re looking to get the most out of collaborating with other music-makers, consider these tips:

If you’re a developing artist that wants to pursue music for the rest of your life either as a career or even just a hobby, there are huge obstacles that could stand in your way such as getting too busy to create or letting disappointment discourage you from creating. One of the biggest challenges every musician faces is grappling with their own ego. 

If you’re lucky, songwriting is something you naturally feel like doing whether it’s your career or something you do with every spare minute in this season of your life. But if you’re not so fortunate, writing songs might feel difficult to do or even impossible for you right now. The truth is that all music-makers go through periods where it can feel either effortless or endlessly challenging to create music. Going through a motivational rough patch with your musical career isn’t a reason to quit, but an opportunity to dig in deeper. Many musicians will tell you these boom and bust periods are natural in songwriting, and that there’s often a lot of inspiration to be found after going through a dry spell. Here are five strategies for fighting writer’s block:

A song is a song, but it becomes an entirely different thing once it’s shared with people. There’s nothing wrong with making music purely for your own enjoyment and never sharing it with another soul. In fact, without experiencing real passion and creative engagement during your songwriting process, you won’t be writing music for long. But taking the step of sharing your music with other people is a completely different game. Here are five big changes that happen when you decide to publicly share your music: