An approach and structure to the craft

As I have been submerged in the world of the next Foundry record, i have been obsessing with the ideas of approach and structure in regards to song. however all of this could apply to a variety of crafts (painting, poetry, sculpting, etc.) since most of my friends are fellow songsmiths (yes, songsmiths) and artists it has been really helpful to bounce ideas off of each other without ego or pretension.

recently i talked with greg roberts and jamie levinson from white rabbits regarding pop structure. the interest of most people now a days seems to be a much darker path as far as feel of song and lyrics go, while trying to avoid the verse, verse, chorus structure. when greg gets time to sit down again to write, he wants to move that direction. eric enger from gentleman auction house seconded the motion when he and i talked about getting out of a certain comfort zone in writing. currently he has a batch of songs that are already recorded and will need to be played for the next year or so, but that hasn't stopped him from writing new material that may in fact be a departure from GAH.

typically my approach is to write by myself. acoustic guitar and vocals. create the structure and the parts, and bring in the troops to fill out the rest. so far the approach has worked fairly well, however with my current batch of songs finished, i would like to experiment more and start from a different point. perhaps collaborate and create something totally different. but i know that my time is limited and i need to focus on building up a road team, saving money, getting a van, creating tour merch, and finishing the album.

but this conversation has drifted to my friend caleb johnson, who is a filmmaker based in new york (well to be honest he lives in jersey, but i think he can claim nyc) anyway, we were recently discussing bon iver's album and the idea of environment effecting the art. the story goes that justin vernon spent four months in a cabin and came back with "For Emma, Forever Ago". this album sounds exactly like the feel and mood you would get from a cabin in wisconsin in the winter. strong vocal presentation over sparse whatever-was-available instrumentation, beautiful/haunting.

so what happens when you hit a creative block? for me the answer is change your environment. at every place i have lived over the past six years, i have found a writing spot. not a set up with a desk and computer. i mean like a physical spot where i play. typically its my bedroom, but there will actually be a specific spot that i will stand or sit and write. call it OCD, call it fucking weird, regardless its a place where i go to write. though it wasn't until recently that i started adding to my work. i was really stuck for awhile, with the transition of becky, daniel, and benjamin (my loves) moving on, it took me awhile to reset. i think i have found my spot again, but we'll see where the next batch goes.