Cool interview with Vince Gill, who is one of my favorite musicians. One thing I’m always harping on is that the divide between artists is very small, perhaps non-existent. Doesn’t matter if you’re a songwriter, a dancer, a painter, a writer—you’re still creating something from a unique vision that comes from within.
“Hank Williams used to write songs that were simple. There was great beauty in their simpleness. And to me, great songwriters tell stories where you hear those words and you see the pictures. The songwriters are like painters. They paint pictures in their words and in their songs. And that’s generally what I think you’re trying to do as a songwriter, is paint pictures. Because I’ve always—you know, music’s in my ears, it’s not in my eyes. And so that’s what I’m always trying to accomplish, is to get you to close your eyes and see in your own mind and your own heart what these words mean to you. I think that’s the beauty of the written word. Everybody has their own interpretation of it. So I believe that there’s—as simplistic as songs are—sometimes there’s a great beauty in them. ”
Some interesting links:
A User’s Guide To Creative Tension
A Few Things the Salty Ones Taught Me
And then, this one by Bill Willingham, who wrote an excellent tutorial for comic book writers.