I’ve been thinking a lot about the art and craft of songwriting (as usual) and I keep circling back to a couple of obvious facts:
- Every song begins with an idea in your mind.
- Every song takes shape because something in you propels it forward, adding to it, sculpting it, changing, strengthening, and polishing it as it moves along.
It struck me that this process is something like the workings of a machine, a Machine for Making Beautiful Things. And like any machine, it needs a “User Manual.” So here’s my idea of what you might find in…
A MANUAL FOR THE PROPER USE AND CARE OF A MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAUTIFUL THINGS
Congratulations on being the owner of a marvelous Machine. You are in possession of something that is both universal (a creative mind) and yet totally unique to you. With proper care, it will give you a lifetime of remarkable service.
GET TO KNOW YOUR MACHINE
Your Machine for Making Beautiful Things is made of countless shining parts whose angles and planes reflect the world like mirrors in the moonlight. It has conveyor belts and cogs that make unexpected connections between ideas and images. Everyday objects, events, and words become intriguing, alluring, strange, or compelling when the Machine goes to work on them.