"The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it." –Steven Pressfield, War of Art.
I am so dang encouraged by the high level of participation happening inside the membership right now. We are on our seventh 100-day challenge since we started in the Spring of 2017. By day 60, the daily postings usually have waned, but we are still going strong! I am proud of everyone who is hanging in there.
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This month I am rolling out my first issue of Artist Highlights. I am basing my criteria for selecting members on their level of participation. It is not a talent contest or a production competition. It's about showing how diverse we are as a community, and that a small daily effort can make a significant change.
Kel and Mo have been participating like champs since March 7th. They are both new to the community, and it has been a joy getting to know both of them and watching their process develop over the last couple of months.
Meet Marena (Kel)
Marena, (also goes by Kel) is from London, UK.
100 Days of songwriting: What do you do during the day (job, student, etc.)?
Marena: I am an Artist and a Digital Content Specialist for a Rural Mutual Insurance Company designing and building their intranet.
100 Days of Songwriting: What is a favorite song that might surprise some people and make others laugh at you?
Marena: I honestly can't think of any song that fits this description. What might be surprising (unless you know me) is that I have an entire playlist dedicated to songs about coffee.
100 Days of Songwriting: What inspired you to want to write songs?
Marena: I've always loved music and I tried many times to write throughout my life, but I couldn't connect to anything I was creating. I told myself I was not a songwriter. Others did too. I just didn't have that skill. And then a few years ago I started writing again with a friend, this time, with the intention of just writing for myself, to keep it personal and to tell the truth. It inspired me to just start paying more attention, listening, digging into myself and then revealing whatever is already there. There's very little effort involved and I'm starting to love the songs I'm writing as well as freeing myself of all this stuff I've been stashing away behind closed doors. I discovered that this is what I was meant to be writing. I'm inspired to write because I now believe music gives people a way to work through emotions and experiences we might otherwise let build up. Music is a beautiful gift.
The following piece is from Day 10 of 100 (Spring 2020):
Marena: I wrote this song in response to the initial chaos and panic around Covid-19. I was observing how intense peoples reactions to this situation were, like the stockpiling, and started considering what I can control and how I can choose to be in this.
Lyrics:
Where Can We Go?
Can you feel it closing in? It's threatening, circling
Uncertainty and fear is spreading, unrelenting
Where can we go from here?
Do you see it? Hope is here
Be in it, act from it, guided by perfect love
It's comforting, it's willing, where can we go from here?
I have enough, I could share what I have with you
Notice how the shadows move, changing, rearranging
See the light shining through
It's easing, restoring
Where will we go from here? Where will we go from here?
Watch where we go
Where will we go from here?
Watch as we grow
Follow Marena on her Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/marenamusic/
Meet Mo
Mo is from Ottowa, Ontario, Canada.
100 Days of Songwriting: What do you do during the day (job, student, etc.)?
Mo: I am a student at the University of Ottawa.
100 Days of Songwriting: What is a favorite song that might surprise some people and make others laugh at you?
Mo: Not sure
100 Days of Songwriting: What inspired you to want to write songs?
Mo: The way you can create emotions out of vibrations
The following piece is from Day 53 of 100 (Spring 2020):
Mo: Everyday I make my new best song.
Songwriting Tip
"Don’t start your chorus melody on a note you’ve already sung in your verse. Either go one note higher than what you’ve already sung, or save a note that you haven’t sung." -Shane Adams, Berklee professor.
Shane, in addition to teaching at Berklee Online, is a producer, songwriter and president of Artist Accelerator in Nashville, Tennesee. He also authored the book, "The Singer-Songwriter's Guide to Recording in the Home Studio."
Keep writing!
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100 Days of Songwriting is a motivational and inspirational community that helps songwriters get into the habit of writing.