Everything Sparks Joy

Description

As a songwriter, you are often prone to quot;idea clutterquot; – at least those of us who operate untethered out in the wide-open spaces of music. (Oh, to be locked in Abbey Road for six months within an infinite budget and access to the great musicians of the world!) Ideas can come at the most inappropriate times and theyre not always good ones, so the trick is to note them, develop them, keep them safe or ignore them for short while and then when youre ready, constantly tinker with them until you can tinker no more or it becomes apparent that you have created either a masterpiece or a dead duck. Nurture is my nature. If they continue to sound interesting, if they continue to spark joy then you can move to stage two and summon the courage to share them with other people and turn them into songs that youd be happy to share with the world. The nirvana as a songwriter is that everything you share sparks joy, but clearly thats unlikely and the key then becomes the confidence to throw out or ditch things that do not. Theres a book by Marie Kondo called Spark Joy and while I havent read it, I understand its principles and they make a lot of sense. Keep your life tidy, dont surround yourself with clutter, make sure that everything in your house has at least the potential to spark joy or bring a smile to your face. Dont be weighed down by objects and possession that add no value. If theyre not bringing anything to the party, get rid, throw out, eject, bin. You only have room for so much stuff in your life. I must do that with songs. I must listen and re-listen and ask and question and challenge and if Im left holding something that has even the slightest element of doubt surrounding it, I have to let go… So simply put, thats what weve done here. Weve reached a point where we can hold them in our hands and say as confidentially as we can that Everything Sparks Joy.