Blog
Expressing from a Deep Personal Experience
A popular misconception about Christian songwriting is that by simply acquiring a sufficient amount of advice, shortcuts, and techniques, one can conveniently avoid the diligent process of mastering the art of creating impactful songs that resonate with people.
In my opinion, relying solely on tips and tricks is not enough for a dedicated Christian songwriter. It is important to have a deep connection with God and a rich inner life to draw inspiration from. With a strong connection to God and proficient songwriting skills, there is no need to search for shortcuts. The ability to write well with clarity and confidence is always within reach, especially when you feel the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
Image credit: Laura E. Partain
The fast-paced nature of our digital society has influenced us to adopt a mentality similar to microwaves. It makes us believe that we can become as efficient as CHATGPT or AI. We have this notion that we should be capable of generating a song in less than three seconds simply by inputting a few prompts, and that it will instantly amaze everyone.
However, based on my personal experience, the songs that have a lasting impact on the world are not created by writers who rely on shortcuts or tricks. Instead, these songs are the result of dedicated Christian songwriters who have honed their craft and are able to effectively communicate through their art. They didn't simply attempt to write a song one day and accidentally create a masterpiece like "Amazing Grace," "In Christ Alone," or "10,000 Reasons."
Before the arrival of the more experienced individuals, they were already dedicating themselves to studying and striving for greatness in their craft. They were consistently learning how to create impactful lyrics and harmonies that could captivate the audience both emotionally and intellectually, leaving a profound impact. This unexplainable, yet recognizable, factor that evokes a sense of awe and admiration is what they aimed to achieve.
Professional golfer Gary Player once said that the harder he works and puts time into practicing, the more fortunate he appears to be on the golf course. He believes that dedicated practice increases his chances of achieving success and positive outcomes.
These individuals are not searching for free Christian songwriting workshops or giveaways. They are dedicated songwriters who are already actively engaged in their craft, constantly improving their poetic and lyrical skills. These are the hardworking individuals who are investing their time and effort to create music at a much higher standard compared to most aspiring writers.
We hold great admiration for individuals such as Matt Redman, Matt Maher, Lauren Daigle, and the Gettys due to their remarkable impact on Christian worship songwriting. It is difficult to imagine where we would be without Chris Tomlin's powerful rendition of "Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone." However, we tend to overlook the fact that these songwriters have dedicated years to perfecting their skills and have faced numerous challenges in order to enhance their songs and ministries.
No one becomes skilled at creating catchy song titles or hooks overnight, and this applies to Katy Nichole as well. Even though she gained popularity with her hit song "In Jesus' Name (God of Possible)," it wasn't just a stroke of luck. Katy has been posting songs since she was fourteen years old, putting in years of effort and dedication. We applaud her for her hard work and perseverance.
Tips for Cultivating a More Fulfilling Inner World
As a Christian songwriter, there are numerous avenues to explore in order to nurture and enhance your inner life. Consider these three factors while striving to expand your spirituality and convey your beliefs through your music.
Make soul care a priority. In today's fast-paced world, we often find ourselves caught up in the busyness of life, leaving little room for taking care of our own souls. While it is important to care for and serve others, neglecting our own need for rest and rejuvenation can lead to burnout. Taking care of ourselves is crucial for maintaining our inner well-being, which is intricately connected to our overall health and physical bodies.
Nourish your intellect. Many Christian songwriters tend to disregard the importance of engaging their minds and mistakenly believe that Bible study, prayer, and singing worship songs are the only essential aspects of a holy life. However, the most talented songwriters understand the significance of delving into deep reading. They recognize that they cannot produce remarkable lyrics unless they are first filled with a wealth of knowledge and ideas. Simply relying on the information provided by network or cable news, which often feeds into your fears and cultural biases, is not sufficient. If you desire to create something impactful that will have a lasting legacy, it is essential to enrich your mind by immersing yourself in exceptional literature, poetry, and other sources of inspiration.
Disconnect from negativity. Cable news focuses on instilling fear in viewers in order to boost ratings. Even channels with a religious affiliation aim to provoke anger in order to maintain viewership and support their advertisers. Talk radio, shock jocks, and conservative pundits also rely on high ratings and sponsorships to keep their jobs. However, the constant stream of negativity they promote can harm your spirit and hinder your creativity. Take a break from consuming any type of news for a few weeks and use that time to reflect quietly on the love and goodness of God. You might find that your positive outlook begins to overflow into your creative endeavors. Negativity steals your joy and increases feelings of fear and anxiety. Take a pause and replenish your heart and mind with the spirit of Jesus once again.
Christian artists and songwriters such as Nichole, Tomlin, Redman, Maher, and many others, derive their inspiration from their deep connection with God. However, their achievements can also be attributed, at least to some extent, to their talent and proficiency in crafting Christian music. A quote by Australian golfer Gary Player comes to mind, where he famously stated, "The more I dedicate myself to practice, the more I seem to be fortunate."
While you are working on cultivating your skills in Christian songwriting, it is important to also focus on nurturing a deep and fulfilling spiritual life. It is essential to offer something fresh, daring, courageous, and freeing to the world through your music, rather than simply repeating the same phrases and ideas that have been heard over and over again for many years.
Feel free to share this article with your friends. If you have any thoughts or comments, please leave a reply. You can also save your personal information, such as your name, email, and website, for future commenting convenience.
In this code snippet, the getElementById method is used to select an element with the id "ak_js_1". The setAttribute method is then used to set the value attribute of this element to the current time in milliseconds obtained
Categories:
– Filed Under
– Follow us
– Browse More Posts
– Popular Posts
Tags:
– Get Started
– Popular Podcasts
– Features
– About
– YOUR COURSEs
Sign Up Today For Our Free Pro Songwriters Top 10 Tip Sheet.