A Hopeful Start, and a Way Forward...

You hit the bottom after a flurry of activity. What to do? Get all 3 of your guitars, (1 electric, 2 acoustic), out of their cases and do a few minor set-up adjustments. Open up your little box of guitar picks, and try out a few neglected ones. Start strumming a guitar, explore the fret-board, put your fingers in unique configurations, see if you come up with anything interesting. Have a white sheet of paper and a pen handy, and maybe toy with that phrase you came up with when you misheard a Jeff Tweedy lyric listening to Wilco's great album "Summerteeth." (1999). Sometimes that is a way towards a new lyric, mishearing someone else's clever lyrics, it's a way to come up with your own clever little lyric, something you never previously had in your head. Oh yeah, don't forget to have that little digital recorder handy, just in case something starts to flow. You may think you will remember what you come up with, but often, it's the unique rhythm and phrasing that is everything, the heart and soul of a new song. So yeah, the lyrics spill out onto the page. A couple hours playing the tune, with a few new parts, singing these homemade lyrics, and it all starts sounding like something. Wonder if this one  will see the light of day, will it fly with my songwriting partner? And what about our band? Does this one have what it takes to make it?  Who knows? It's all a process. Sometimes the new thing flies, sometimes not. Suddenly, not at the bottom anymore, a glimmer of a hope of a new song, you know, who knows? Maybe? Sometimes the inspiration comes from the lack of inspiration. Filling the black void with new vibrations.  It's a hopeful start and a way forward.