Lesson on Writer's Block: Go to Italy

I couldn't be more excited right now. In two hours I'll be leaving for Italy, which means I'm about to partake in two weeks of memorable experiences. Considering that I'm leaving so soon, I should probably finish up the rest of the packing I still have to do, but I couldn't fight the urge to write this little blog post.

I have a very funny feeling that this trip to Italy might be the cure for my writer's block. The thing is, being a songwriter is much more complicated than just being a musician (not to say it's better or worse - it's just different). Classical and jazz musicians need to practice for hours a day to keep up with their instruments, and this kind of dedication sometimes requires a bit of isolation from the outside world. Unfortunately, the ability to write usually competes with this necessary isolation, because staying locked in a room all day doesn't inspire someone to write anything meaningful. A huge part of being a songwriter is living life so that you can write about it, and that's exactly what I'm about to do. I'm taking a step back from the piano, and going out to live life for a little while. The truth is, most inspiration comes from the outside world, not the practice room. So maybe I'll find it in Italy. 

Who knows? Maybe when I come back I won't be able to stop writing.

Ecstatic beyond belief,

Leila

Negative Inspiration = Creativity x 100

I have to admit, sometimes it is much easier to write a song when bad things happen. I suppose this means I'll be writing a song soon. This week is full of negative inspiration and I'm hoping this negative will spiral into a few great songs in the process. At the end of it all, I try to tell myself one thing: Even if an experience was completely horrible, the best way to make light of it is to write a song about it. If I can do that, then no experience is ever a waste. I'll also know that when I look back at the negative experience I'll always be able to see at least one positive thing about it: that I was creative.

I hope you guys forgive me for this melancholic post of mine, and I'll definitely be posting again later on this week. Hopefully by then, I'll have a new song to tell you about.

Wishing you all a better week than I'm having,

Leila