Write, write a song - don't worry that it's not good enough...
During the 70's, "The Carpenters" were riding high on the 'soft pop' world, and one of their
hits was "Sing". The lyrics started off "Sing, Sing a song. Sing out loud. Sing out strong. ....don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a song".
While the tune might be a bit 'schmaltzy' (however that is defined), the idea really is very valid. Music is a very personal thing, and making music should be something that comes from the heart. How it sounds to others is far less important than how it feels to make it.
We can apply that same concept to songwriting. Many would-be songwriters are 'frustrated perfectionists'. Because they feel they aren't getting it 'perfect', they often give up on a song. Their wastebaskets are full of songs that were begun but never finished. But the fact is, we are flawed people. What makes us each unique to some degree is our imperfections, and those are reflected in our songs as well.
One of my favorite lines from John Legend's song 'All of Me' is "All of me loves all of you,
love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections". It's the imperfections that make you perfect! It's the 'flaws' in a diamond that give it it's character. If we all wrote 'perfect' songs, they would tend to all sound alike, and what we DON'T need is a bunch of clones of one another. Be YOU. Write YOU. Let your imperfections shine perfectly!
While I apply this to songwriting, it really could apply to anyone who is a creator of anything. Whatever you create, let your personality shine through it. Don't try to be some version of 'perfection' that you think you should be - be the you that you are - and THAT is perfection!
For songwriters, I wrote a little booklet awhile back about getting motivated and sitting down and writing a song - not worry about perfection; just getting it done. You can check that out on Amazon. Don't keep saying you are GOING to write a song. WRITE a song. NOW.
-M-