Music is the regular man’s magic wand, the fairy dust of commoners, the heart surgeon for the broken masses. One minute you can be gray and lost, covered up in a thin film of your own questions and worries and self-focused mess. And then you turn on the music and all the world springs to life, anxieties crumble small to the ground, worry hangs his head in the presence of whimsy. (Those two can never hang out together.) When I’m writing and find myself in a dark, colorless corner of non-ideas, the right music can paint the world with hope.
In the acknowledgements section of my book, the last two people I thanked are two people I’ve never met. They have no idea who I am and honestly I’m not sure I could pick them out of a line up. But their voices? I’d know them anywhere. Ingrid Michaleson and Jon Foreman got me out of many a writing slump. I think I listened to the songs on Everybody at least 457 times while writing that book.
I was a piano major in college. Yes, I loved piano. No, I wasn’t that good. Which is why I dropped out and switched my major to the exact opposite of music – sign language interpreting. Maybe not the opposite, but isn’t that kind of funny? Still. Music more often than not is what unlocks inspiration. It lifts, moves, changes things.
Earlier this week when I was feeling uncreative in a dramatic sort of way, I started a conversation on Facebook about it. (Not something recommended by experts to get the the creativity moving – Facebook is where art goes to die, I’m sure.) But this time it worked out for me, as many of you asked some great questions that got me thinking. My friend Alisa emailed me and asked about music so I thought I’d share a bit of that here.
When I am working on something new to write, the music that inspires me most is music that, when I hear it, is orange-yellow in my mind. Yes, I see color in things that shouldn’t have color. We’ve talked about this before. Music like the Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack. Stunning. Calming. Nearly every song on this album is yellow-orange, with the occasional deep green-blue undertone. Track 16, Mrs. Darcy, is especially yellow. Another is Let Me Down by Kim Taylor – a bright, cheerful song that never fails to get my writing moving. I’ve also been known to do a little bouncing in my seat at Panera on this one.
Another particular color I mean sound I am drawn to when I write is anything with rich, jeweled undertones. Music that has some weight to it like Come Away With Me by Nora Jones. I know, it’s old school but the whole album is calming and dreamy. When the twins were babies and I was having a particularly rough time of it, I would put them in their car seats for their nap, go through the drive thru at Starbucks (the most brilliant invention for moms with babies) and drive around town listening to Nora Jones.
Another rich song is Hometown Glory by Adele. Really anything by Adele. I know that is so obvious. Her voice needs no explanation or summary. I mean, really. Upward Over the Mountain by Iron & Wine may cause you to want to gather up all those whom you love and stow away quick to the nearest field of trees, make a home beneath her branches, live in harmony with the land, and never let your son grow up. “So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten/Sons are like birds, flying always over the mountain.” Good stuff.
There are so very many more. But right now one of my favorite songs to inspire is Turn to Stone by Ingrid Michaelson. Seriously? Musically this is one of my favorite songs ever. Lyrics are good too, but the composition is simply magical. And then when Melanie and Marko danced to it last year on So You Think You Can Dance? That dance was pure worship. Those two brought to life fear and love and story. Why not just take a minute and fifty seven seconds and let this video move you to create something magical today?
What about you? Do you use music to inspire your creativity? What are some of your favorites?
This is just such a brilliant post today. I hope it is okay with you if I link to your words in my own blog. I write a blog called Treasures Found::Inspiration Is Everywhere and I throw out a quarterly challenge to my blog readers to design an accessory based on a theme. This month the theme is the Challenge of Music. I have 45 participants from around the world working on taking their favorite song and translating it into an accessory of their choice. I think that music is so very powerful and really runs throughout our lives. It evokes emotion and passion. It can transport you to a place or time. I love that it presents itself as a color to you! Thank you for your inspiring words today. Enjoy the day!
Erin
Erin Prais-Hintz´s last [type] ..Last Day to Sign Up for the Challenge!
Thank you, Erin. And of course it’s always okay for you to link. Thanks for that!
Hello Miss Emily! I wrote a post today that was inspired by yours about the inspiration of music. Here is the link in case you would like to check it out.
http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2012/02/music-paints-world-with-hope.html
Enjoy the day!
Erin
Well, you know how much I love this. So you see music as colors, huh? I see mine as weather. Or maybe feel is a better word. Anyway, I’m saving this post for later. One of my favorites.
I don’t know if I’ve always realized I see music as color until I really started thinking about it for this post. I mean, I’ve always known I see names and letters as color – obviously. But as I thought about the songs that inspire, I kept seeing the same color theme weave its way through. It encouraged me, actually. I’m not sure why.
Yes, music stirs my heart the way nothing else can. Creativity, worship, inspiration–all is heightened by the presence of music! I so wish I could play the piano, so maybe I will one of these days! I do love to sing, however!
suzanne´s last [type] ..Perspective……a gift you can give yourself!
I used to play on the kitchen table. As in, pretended like the table was a piano. Needless to say, my parents finally got me lessons in the 4th grade. I’m so glad they did.
Music gives me inspiration when nothing else can. It has a way of settling my mind & heart & opening the pathways from my mind to my keyboard or pen. Wonderful post!
Mary@The Calm of His Presence´s last [type] ..Marriage Monday ~ Bucket of Hope
Me too, Mary. So much.
oh emily! as profound as the comment that I made last night might, not, have been, I was actually listening to this CD a friend sent to me through a package in the mail! It’s not often, enough, that I calm down (this is what normally happens when I listen to music) while listening to music, but when I do, my creativity seems to tingle, simply overflow, with new-found life….your posts are actually started send shivers down my spine (not to mention how the dance video, too, worked for that!) as I see God work/speak through your words so much…for now, i’ll just keep spinning with joy! thank you for writing, emily.
jasper´s last [type] ..could this be why my hands are STILL orange?!
Thanks Jasper. You are always so kind. And also kinda quirky, which I dig.
aww shucks
you know Emily, I do struggle with getting so excited that I am not able to reign in all of my thoughts — enough to even compose, most, anything so coherent as a blog comment :/ people find themselves, often, having to address just one of my many random thoughts…perhaps one of my life’s greatest triumphs will be trying to find a balance of being quirky me and actually being understandable to others…I appreciate your embracing me for…well, all of me
Jasper @ crunchylittlebites´s last [type] ..discovering new facts about ourselves…discovering new facts about…ME
How cool!
I will have to check out this music! Wonderful post. When I write, I find that I cannot listen to music with words. I adore turning up orchestral music or the Ahn Trio when I write. I’m a cellist myself, so I find that despite the fact I am swept away by Bach’s cello suites when Yo-Yo Ma plays them, I’m way too distracted from my writing when listening, thinking about playing my cello. So I stick with piano music most of time when writing. During medical school, I listened to Chopan’s etudes so much while studying the first two years, I can’t listen them now without recalling memories of my massive physiology syllabus! It when cooking I pull out my favorite word singers–Sara Groves, Jon Foreman, and Mumford and Sons ; )
I go back and forth on that, Sarah. Many times when I’m starting out, it can’t have words. But if I’ve been working for a few hours and I’m in the groove, I tend to really like having words in the background. Funny how that works.
I love this. Glad to hear I’m not the only one inspired by Jon’s ballads. Love all his solo stuff, especially off of “Fall” and “Winter.”
Jeff Goins´s last [type] ..What Writers Can Learn from Chefs about Cooking Up Good Design
Thanks Jeff. Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer were on repeat for me the entire summer of 2009.
Absolutely! Music always inspires my writing. It’s funny though, the music that inspires me is almost the polar opposite of the music that seems to inspire you… It’s dark, mysterious, and heady. Songs like The Ghost of Seaside by Falling Up, music by Delerium, and seemingly anything that’s been modified by dubstep. To be clear, I’m not even really sure what dubstep is, but it moves me. I’d love to know what color my music is…
Jennifer Dawn McLucas´s last [type] ..Glory to God
That’s funny, Jennifer. I will say when it comes to music in the winter or Christmas music? I totally prefer dark and heady. Weird. Is there such a thing as dark and heady Christmas music? Yes there is. It’s called Sarah Mclachlan’s Wintersong. Love it.
I am so totally fascinated by this! I have a really complex relationship with music, one that stems from growing up in a family where no one played an instrument and the only music that occasionally played in our home was church worship music (and not even the good kind). Secular music was out of the question until I was in my teens, and even then it was frowned on. I feel like I have so much to explore and experience, and I’m thirty six years old! As I learn more about musicians and their experience with music, I feel inspired to give it a try myself:) I’ve always wanted to play the piano.
Kimberly´s last [type] ..Snow ribbons, a bus and a brown eyed girl
Absolutely! I listen to in-your-face artists like Third Day that inspire me to dig into the gritty, tough stuff of life, and it gets me going on blogs or a chapter for my book. And just generally, when I’m feeling uninspired in life, I like to listen to one song in particular: The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns. Goosebumps every time from that one. And a nice big dose of reality/hope!
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As musician and a writer in the same body, the two are inseparable for me. My favorites artists for writing overlap with yours…Adele, Ingrid Michaelson, Missy Higgins, Rosie Thomas, Amos Lee, The Civil Wars, Jon Foreman, Gungor, Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons…etcetera, etcetera.
I equate music with colors, too. Makes me happy to know I’m not the only one!
Oh such good names you list here.
I just heard about synesthesia this year and suddenly it pops up everywhere. I think it’s fascinating.
You may like the band Dawes. Start with their first, then with the second (the one that was on every critic’s “top 10 albums of the year” list). Americana, blues, rock, musicality, sweet and homey lyrics…I love them! My husband’s best friend invited us to one of their shows a couple of years ago in Vancouver, in a bar, and after one song we looked at each other and said, “whoa. Where did that come from?” Fast forward a year and they’re on all the late shows and touring the world.
Sarah M
Sarah M´s last [type] ..Usborne Spotlight: See Inside Your Body
I love listening to music especially when I’m “stuck” in writing. It is a great source of inspiration.
Dionna´s last [type] ..The Art of Borrowing
Music inspires me to get up and clean house! That’s a good thing, believe me.
I had to laugh when you said Norah Jones was “old school” because my daughter used to listen to her all the time when she was around 13 and 14. Now she is 23, expecting baby number 2 and named her firstborn Nora. My son is a huge Jon Foreman fan. And Pride and Prejudice soundtrack is one of my all time favorites. I love your color descriptions. Now I’ll have to listen to it with your colors in mind. (I have to tell you my daughter wanted to walk down the aisle on her wedding day to “Liz on Top of the World”, but we couldn’t find the music for the musicians in time. She settled for beautiful cello music instead.)
Southern Gal´s last [type] ..Happy Birthday, Mama!
John, Ingrid, & Adele Pandora stations are for sure my top three most-listened to – especially when doing art. And I am kind of in love with that Norah Jones CD, too. Her voice is just… amazing.
Love,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth´s last [type] ..Satan is a big, fat liar {part one}
first, the color thing totally makes sense to me too. In fact, my family and I do it with people too…just describes so much. Also, I wept when I watched Melanie and Marko. From my exercise bike. in the middle of the afternoon {thanks tvo}. to the baffled faces of my children.
tara pohlkotte´s last [type] ..This River of Life
I’ve always wanted to ask you if you still play the piano. In my dotage I took piano lessons. I had to give them up this year, but really it was time. After eight years, I really am not very good. But I so enjoy being able to sit and play even a little bit. So…I guess I want you to still play
And yes, yes, yes to all of this Emily.
Linda´s last [type] ..Sixty-Six Years
Music inspires me as much as it relaxes and calms me down or cheer me up or bring me to tears. Music brings out many different emotions in me . And yes somehow it does find its way in my writing as well… Blessings!
Charina @ Pondered Thoughts´s last [type] ..what’s up with the No?…..
I love Ingrid Michaleson and the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack too, for writing and photograph processing. I also really love The Civil Wars. Have you heard them? Awesome. Another soundtrack I really love is The Piano. It’s haunting and bit melancholy, but I save it for rainy days.
Danielle´s last [type] ..A Fresh Start
I love the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack, too! It grabs my soul!
Isn’t it amazing how music changes us? God has given such a gift in music.
Katie´s last [type] ..Hide and Seek
Fascinating. If you see colors in music, very visual, I don’t see it as opposite at all that you switched to sign language. You are turning sound, words, into a visual interpretation. Not a stretch at all.
I wouldn’t say I see a specific color in music, but light and shadows. Bright, or dark.
Very interesting, thought provoking post.
Maureen´s last [type] ..Understanding
Good point, Maureen! Not so opposite after all.
emily freeman´s last [type] ..using music to inspire your writing
A line from a song comes to my head, “The day the music died. And they were singing “Bye, Bye…” Your post is like a wake from the dead for me as I realize what is missing from my life- MUSIC!
I used to love music and listened to it all the time, but aside from worship at church and putting up with whatever is on the radio in the car, I simply don’t listen to music much at all. And now I’m sad about that.
Honestly, when I think the cute and catchy “Red Solo Cup” by Toby Keith is real music, it’s definitely time to step up my game!
Thanks, Emily! I’m going to work on fixing this problem in my life. I think it will do much to increase creativity, productivity, and general enjoyment of life.
Bonita´s last [type] ..Your Archenemies
Emily – Your posts are always very familiar to me, but I never thought we’d have the same music taste as well! All of those songs are my favorites, too- and Ingrid Michaelson songs seem to be the background music of my life. Great post!
Love this…I am so inspired by music…your art is incredible! Love Ingrid Michaelson…
Loving Kristene DiMarco right now…sounds like you might, too…
Thank you for sharing your gifts with us…in your desires to be solitary, you’ve created a community that is vast and far-reaching…and that provides a healing some of us so desperately need.
So thankful…
I came across you via a Twitter link from Jeff Goins. Beautiful post…and I love So You Think You can Dance & when that episode aired, I watched the “Turn to Stone” routine at least a dozen times. Gorgeous stuff. I also am a writer who plays the piano, and music means so much to me. I know exactly what you mean–the right music can indeed change everything. Thank you for this.
Jess Morrow´s last [type] ..the truth is we write for love
Oh Emily, I LOVE this post. Music inspires me as well. When I find myself searching for the words I take a walk with music and the lyrics often take me to a new place and my fingers tap wild on the keyboard again. Thanks for sharing all the music that inspires you. There are a few I am unfamiliar with, can’t wait to check them out.
Shelly Miller´s last [type] ..Clinging to Trust
Music is a wonderful thing! I like listening to music while I paint, or even just working around the house. I also have said that playing piano is therapy for me. When I feel stressed or upset, or happy…I can lay those feelings out on the keys and listen to the emotions sing through the room. Just deciding which song to play allows me to feel…
(I like Fernando Ortega, Chris Rice, Third Day, Casting Crowns, and so many more…the words are important to me, but the music is beautiful too!)
Although I don’t see colors in music, numbers, letters, etc., my daughter does. The name for this is synesthesia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia What a gift this “neurologically based condition” is! : )
I’ve written on synesthesia a few times, Laura. It was a relief when I discovered there was a name for it! Means I wasn’t slightly crazy. Or maybe I am, but not because of that
emily freeman´s last [type] ..using music to inspire your writing
Emily, would I find those in the archives? Would love to read about it from a grown ups point of view.
I love how my daughter had no idea that not everyone sees the world the way she does! She might just think the rest of us are the crazy ones! : ) This God-given gift has blessed her with phenomenal math skills and her art (mostly drawing and painting) has just a different feel to it. I can’t really explain it any other way.
I think those of you with synesthesia have such a gift-I think you get to see the world a little bit more like He does. : )
Thanks, Emily for encouraging those of us who don’t feel like “artists” that we truly are. I can’t write a mean story, but I sure can read one to a group of preschoolers!
Laura
Awesome! I love Jon Foreman, with Switchfoot and solo. He has such a unique, raspy voice. Music really can be balm for the soul and really does help my creativity as well. I will have to check out Ingrid.
Christina´s last [type] ..My first linky party ever! 25 Random Things
I can’t listen to music while writing, unless I’m somewhere like a coffee shop, where I’m not in control. One year my shop was stuck on Norah Jones — mood + heft = pure loveliness. But mainly I get distracted by music. As I’m easily distracted, it’s the last thing I need.
There’s a song I’d only heard once (and not even in its entirety) that kept me motivated and writing for years. I heard about it in 2003 on NPR during an interview with the singer/songwriter, Adrienne Young. The song is called Plow to the End of the Row and speaks to the artist’s own struggles with creativity and hard work. I heard all this while driving to a critique group. I’d been writing with an eye toward publication for five years at that point, and that interview stayed with me for years.
When I finally sold a book in 2010, I looked up the interview online and listened in. It spoke as deeply to me as it had seven years before. I now have Plow to the End of the Row on my iPod. It is sacred to me.
Caroline Starr Rose´s last [type] ..1,662 Postcards: Marketing Mania!
Thanks for sharing that with us, Caroline. I know sometimes people are hesitant to share their personal sacred finds with the masses. I appreciate your willingness to share your inspiration with us!
emily freeman´s last [type] ..using music to inspire your writing
We have such similar musical tastes, Emily.
I would love to meet you in RL. Thank you for your inspirational blog!!! I just love reading it.
Laura´s last [type] ..Heart-Shaped {Vegetarian} Meatloaf
I am so inspired by you dear sister. Bless you.
Jennifer Wagenmaker´s last [type] ..For the one that I honor
Emily..thank you for this..I remember that dance so well..you are so right that it is pure worship..
and now that you mention it. I used to see things as color but it has gone away..maybe that is a signal for me to slow down and focus again..and enjoy… this is a wonderful reminder…keep on writing as you do it so well..
Mona
mona´s last [type] ..Biding my time…
Thanks much for this poke! I KNOW this, but lately forgetting to put on music (muse-ic!!) when I feel stuck or …creatively. You inspired me to listen to Ingrid Michaelson, who I discovered I know well ’cause my college daughter played her alot!!–and I created my own pandora station to play while I sew, iron or cut!!!
Oh my goodness. Yes, yes, yes music inspires me. This was a very dangerous post as I’ve spent hours looking over music and all the songs everyone mentioned and then buying! While my funds are down, my spirits are high to have new songs to breathe live into me! Great post. Blessings!
Alene Snodgrass´s last [type] ..sing because you have a song.
I know you posted this last week, but I’m just getting around to catching up on my “blog life”. You say that you switched from a piano major to a sign language major and you say it’s opposite and funny that you switched to something so different…I see music and sign language very much the same. Like you talk about music can sweep you away. There is a special language with music- that only some people can get. Yes, everyone loves music, but in the same breathe not everyone can understand an artist and be captured by the same song in the same way. I think that is what is similar to sign language it is it’s own way of music. Special and breathe taking. There is something uniquely different yet similar in music and sign language. I don’t think I did it justice in trying to explain myself…but just the same, they’re beautiful, and an escape from the hardness of life.
I know you posted this last week, but I’m just getting around to catching up on my “blog life”. You say that you switched from a piano major to a sign language major and you say it’s opposite and funny that you switched to something so different…I see music and sign language very much the same. Like you talk about music can sweep you away. There is a special language with music- that only some people can get. Yes, everyone loves music, but in the same breathe not everyone can understand an artist and be captured by the same song in the same way. I think that is what is similar to sign language it is it’s own way of music. Special and breathe taking. There is something uniquely different yet similar in music and sign language. I don’t think I did it justice in trying to explain myself…but just the same, they’re beautiful, and an escape from the hardness of life!
Ally´s last [type] ..Sanctify of Life Sunday
http://abc.go.com/site/music-lounge/Greys-featured?ThemeGallery=928359
This is the Ingrid song that has been on repeat on my laptop and in my mind for the last week or so – Ghost. (Specifically this acoustic version ABC posted recently). She is my favorite. ever.
I’m a music teacher, and I loved this post! Thanks for writing. It crossed my mind when reading that seeing color when you hear music is sometimes a sign of perfect pitch… Have you ever thought you might have it?
I need music, too.
I just discovered that Paul McCartney has a new album of old standards: Kisses on the Bottom. My eMusic monthly subscription was at rock bottom, so I only got 2 songs until it rolls over to a new month. I’m enjoying these, though!
Dawn Camp´s last [type] ..The Good and Good for You Challenge: Week 3
I love listening to Atonement’s soundtrack when I write, especially with the sound of the typewriter as an instrument. Loved this post! Also, I could not get the phrase “facebook is where art goes to die” out of my head all day. I know it was probably a clever comment spoken on a whim by you, but I’d love to know hear more.:)
(First-time comment here! =) )
Emily, I absolutely loved this post! I’ve always been amazed at how radically music can transform a mood — is it any wonder that perhaps the most emotional and personal sections of the Bible, the Psalms, were meant to be enjoyed with music? I firmly believe that music is a gift from God, and is therefore something to be treasured and used for His glory in our lives. I love how you illustrate so beautifully the ways that music can provide inspiration for a writer, and really for any artist.
Following your “yellow-gold” scheme of music, you would probably enjoy the soundtrack from the BBC show “Downton Abbey”, composed by John Lunn. It has been on repeat as my background music lately — truly gorgeous. The first track on the CD, “The Suite”, is a fabulous taste of the full album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ULKKJ5UpI
Hi Emily! I end up to this post while looking for the kind of music that will soothe the ambiance of my surroundings while writing. It’s really difficult to write when you encounter slumps and blocked thoughts and what more difficult is to get back to the pacing you once had. This post is outstanding. The perfect content I was looking for with the perfect music that soothes my type.
I’m always listening to music while writing but I always end up distracted instead of becoming inspired. The music you shared on this post is what I am looking for for years. The arrangement was just soothing and magical which will inspire you in a manner that you cannot explain. It made me think of how to visualize colors while listening to music. I usually get pictures of wonderful landscapes and natural images while listening to this kind of music. Basically, a lovely garden. I love it when you try to add the sound of wind chime while playing these songs. You might also want to listen to “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri and the version of it arranged by The Piano Guys. The song is also soothing in my opinion.
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