Writers have penned elaborately regarding the sway of music in art.
Songs have a tendency to dredge up inspiration from the depths and drag it
screaming and kicking to the surface of the conscious mind; they can shoot the
artist in a heartbeat, straight up into the zone. I’m not going to dwell much on
that even though it’s right up my alley.
I’d like to tell you the idea for this article came whole and intact
but it did not. If I hadn’t been dragging my heels, what you are reading would be
in a slightly different shape than what obtains. I guess it worked out for the
best. I’ve had time to figure out there are several lists kicking around on the
internet with reference to songs that boost creativity.
So I backpedaled and decided instead to talk about how music can
actually stall the creative process.
“Crank up the Volume”
How far should a writer take the advice, “crank up the volume” during writing sessions? Besides the fact that
sometimes you need the music turned down so the mind can better express itself
in the comparative silence, working in a relatively noisy environment can make
a naturally pleasant sound unbearably raucous and harsh like the situation in a
henhouse.
Obeying the
age-old advice may mean not getting any meaningful work done at all. Sometimes,
plugging in earphones might help otherwise, it only makes it worse cause it
brings the cacophony home to your eardrums and you’re the worse for it.
“I Like that Sound”
Remember the time you had your head buried deep in something and
some tune came up on the radio and you just had to put the business on hold
until the song played itself out? Have you had that happen to you while writing?
It’s okay to listen to songs that call up memories. Those probably help you
write better or to discover something to write about. But if all they do is
make you stop and listen until the tune fades out, you’ll be better off saving
those soundtracks for when the writings done. Singing along for a while might
release the tension and nobody’s against that.
“Don’t Play that Song”
Some
songs turn you on and some major in the opposite. It’s not wise to seek
inspiration in the latter. You might spend the whole day in your writing room scowling
at your sound system and that really ain’t going to get you any closer to your
daily word quota. The moment you feel you have to tolerate the music; you ain’t vibin’ any longer and that’s when the
muse takes his leave. You might as well call the whole deal off. If a tune plunges
you down in the dumps, gives your flow the hiccups or creates the impression of
a car engine making a squeaking noise then your inspiration wouldn’t jive with
it, either. Whack the deadbeat.
There
are several ways music ushers an artist into the presence of the muse but you
must watch out for these three cause they can reverse the outcome of the influence
and plug the creative flow, instead.
Keep
your pen bleeding!
Akpan
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