January 30, 2018

How Your Hobby Can Help You Write Better Songs

For many singer/songwriters, music is a hobby more than a career. This is totally fine and understandable, but it can be hard to find new things to write about when your only hobby is writing. However, very few of us only have one hobby. Even if your hobby is “doing nothing,” (no judgment here), I’m going to show you how to use any hobby to write great songs!

How Animal Rescue Helps Me Write Songs

My hobby is animal rescue, and I cannot tell you how many songs were inspired by my work in rescue or a specific animal. My song Find Me from Zebra Stone is all about my two dogs:

A song I’m currently working on is about a turtle I tried (unsuccessfully) to save from the road. Animal rescue is full of heartbreak, joy and love, and it’s great songwriting material. Whether I’m writing for myself or a client, I can always tap into the emotions from that hobby for any type of song. Even if you don’t work in rescue, your pet can be a great source of writing inspiration! But let’s look at exactly how to tap into your hobbies for better ideas:

1). Focus on the Hobby’s Emotion

Let’s say your hobby is skydiving. Tell us what it’s like to be shooting toward the earth, or the few seconds right before you jump out of the plane. You’ll be sharing your experience with those of us (like me) who have never skydived. For listeners who do enjoy skydiving, you’ll be able to connect with them through that experience. If your hobby is knitting, how does it feel when you’re starting a project and you don’t know what it will be yet? What is the look on your sister’s face when she sees the hat you made her? Give us some insight into the emotions of what you’re doing. At no point do you even have to mention “this is a song about skydiving,” just let the words be what they are.

2). Focus on the Hobby’s Sound

If you’re a producer or instrumentalist, what is the sound of the air when you jump out of the plane, or the knitting needles clicking together? These might give you some sonic ideas for your song. If your hobby is “doing nothing,” where can you insert careful pauses of silence into your music?

3). Tell the Hobby’s Story

If you want to actually write a song about knitting, go for it! There are a few songs about knitting already (if you can believe that), but it’s a pretty small niche. If your hobby is going to the club, that’s perfect! You’re already doing something that a lot of songs are about. If your hobby is crying into your empty whiskey bottle (again, no judgment), that sounds like a country song to me!

Still Stuck For Ideas?

Here are some quick writing prompts based on popular hobbies:

Skiing – How does it feel to go soaring down the side of a mountain? Why do you love skiing? How did you get started?

Crossword Puzzles – How do you make sense of all the jumbled thoughts and ideas? Or, choose a word and write about it.

Painting – How do you decide which colors to use? How do you find inspiration? How much have you improved over time?

Hopefully these make sense, but let’s say you truly have no hobbies. Do you watch TV? Your favorite shows can be an inspiration. Do you work full time and don’t have time for hobbies? You can write about your job or how you’re grasping for free time and can’t get any.

If you have a hobby you want to write about but need help with the songwriting, feel free to contact us at Brain Stamp! We love creating songs about unique topics and we can help bring your story to life.

What is one of your favorite hobbies? Have you used it in a song? Let me know in the comments!