My father, Bill Tozier, has a remarkable ability: he can work on songs with other people around. With the whole family living and breathing around him, he can sit down at the kitchen table, feel out some chords, scratch out some lyric ideas, and search for a melody using his voice.
If you too have this ability to work around others–if you can write on a tour bus or in close quarters with your roommates, kids, etc.– I envy and admire you for it. I beg you to teach me how to achieve such courage and mental serenity. If I’m aware of any living being within earshot, be it a friend or a family member or a slow loris or anything else, I really hold back because in my mind that slow loris is judging every line, judging every melody, judging me.
Many of my fellow songwriters who’re reading this blog have year-round roommates and families. Here’s my question to those of you working under such conditions:
Do you find it difficult to write songs while your housemates are around? And if so, do you have to claim time and space to yourself? How do you go about that?
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I do. I find it difficult to write when family’s around. Even though I have a studio. We are close, talky, everybody sings, everyone has needs, I feel like I’m spread thin…and I do get distracted by the usual electronic distractions. For me there are seasons of writing; feels like I’m moving into another one.
Truth is, when I had all day to write, I didn’t write as much as I could have.
Whenever I’m in the chair, and guitar’s in my arms I can write, but it’s hard to stay with it, and stay in the space of the song as I could do when I’d spend a whole week in Nashville doing nothing but song.
It feels like the answer has little to do with songwriting, but more to do with whatever I need to do to keep focus. Currently, I’m reading “Talent is Overrated” and it is totally kicking my butt with the truth about success, artistic success as well as the glittery kind. I wish I’d read it at 15 or earlier.
Hi there Ruth!
I keep seeing that book’s name everywhere lately so I will have to check it out!
Hmm… maybe a series of articles about focus are in order. It’s always been the hardest aspect of songwriting for me.
@Ruth – great book (and better in my opinion the the similar Outliers)
I don’t have a room mate but I have a wife and 4 kids 6-14. I have a studio away from the house and I go there to write. I’ve had it for about 6 months and it’s been brilliant. I only write there (other than a little bit of teaching) and it’s a great psychological trick for making me write. Once I haul my butt over there I’m writing – whether I feel like it or not.
Before I got the room I’d even contemplated crazy things like having a writing hat. Once I have the hat on – I’m writing!
Obviously I shouldn’t be answering blog comments so late at night, because the first thing that came to my mind in response to this was:
“Your studio’s like a giant writing hat that you stand inside of!”
Yeah. Sharp stuff, right there. I can only imagine how it is for you and Ruth; I don’t have kids and I still find it incredibly hard to focus. If I could, I’d follow your example and rent out a dedicated studio space. One day…
Nicholas, love the new blog name. Good call. As for writing, I need to be alone, holed up, quiet everywhere, with plenty of water and access to coffee, all of which explains why I’ve barely written a note since my kids were born in December of 2010. Next year…
Hi Jeff! While I do hope you find time to write sometime in the near future, I gotta say–you’re making the right choice. Those little girls won’t be little for long.
Hope you’re getting enough sleep, man. Thanks for stopping in!
“Your studio’s like a giant writing hat that you stand inside of!”
Haha!!! Hilarious. I’m gonna say that to myself whenever I go there!
Yeah you gotta read that book – it’s great – written from a business pov but lots of great lessons to take away
That’s no problem with me; I probably should read a few business books anyway.
Too weird–I just came from talking on line with someone named Bill Tozier to this page, which started “My father, Bill Tozier…” That isn’t the B.T. from Ann Arbor, by any chance?
Hi Rod!
No, different Bill Tozier. Unusual name, but apparently there are a few around!
Aw, too bad, that would have been quite the internet coincidence. Still is, actually!