ZachTrandum.com: creativity

Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts

Monday, May 11, 2015

Set the Atmosphere for Creativity

Being that I just love creativity, and knowing that you need the right atmosphere to get creative, here is an awesome set of tunes, probably geared toward my fellow nerds, that should help.
I grew up playing video games and fell in love with the RPG genre. The character and story development always captured me. This music is taken from one of the most successful RPG sagas in history, Final Fantasy. If you're an RPG fan you've more than likely at least heard of this series and if you haven't played it yet, you NEED to make it a thing.
I know, most of the time I'm writing about worship, and leading, and stuff..... Today seemed like a great day to just have some fun! Make sure you get some time to kick back and relax for a bit folks! Break out your oldschool gaming system and lay in to some bad guys!!!

I aspire to one day write a mind blowingly amazing adventure novel. I've developed some character ideas already but haven't really fleshed anything out. Sometimes I'll sit down with my sketch pad and just scribble out some ideas of how these characters could look. Other times I write their back story and imagine myself as that character. But every time i sit down to write like this, even as I'm writing to you now, I need some atmosphere, so I put on something that will stir up my brains creativity and these songs work amazingly well. You can also find these with full orchestra, and they are EPIC!

So my bottom line here is this:
1. Take time to refresh. Relax and do the things you enjoy! I read a ton, and love the occasional old school video game.
2. When you're recharged and feeling that creative urge, make sure you have a space that holds the atmosphere you need to cultivate those creative ideas.

Who knew that such incredible music could come out of video games.
This particular song set is taken from one of the video game industry's top ranked game of all time, Final Fantasy VII.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Perspective: Creative Greatness

What does it really take to be a great songwriter? Not just a good one, but a GREAT one. I don't think the answer is the same for every songwriter. Each of us has our own unique sounds and lyrical ideas, so it would be impossible for all of us to share the same idea of "greatness". And let me be clear about the term "greatness". I'm not looking at this through a "I wanna be gloriously famous and in the lime light for all of eternity" lens. Greatness is not always seen by the public eye.
For me, being a great songwriter means looking through the eyes of someone else. It means empathizing with what they might be feeling in their circumstances. If it's pain, trying to understand it, crafting those emotions in to lyrics. If it's joy, grabbing on to that, forming it in to a melody.

Much of the time we can become locked in to our own life experiences. We forget that there is an entire world of creative inspiration right in front of us just waiting to be tapped in to. So plug in! Create a story line in your head, maybe even write it out, and then try to transfer it in to a song. Use your creative muscles to break out of your usual box and try something different.

Here is a song I wrote back in 2009. While the song sounds as though I'm singing from my own perspective, I actually wrote it with a dear friend in mind. They were in the midst of a battle with their self image and the truth of who God created them to be. I walked with them as a support beam, but it was hard to see them experiencing so much pain. I imagined myself in their shoes, and composed this song. Fast forward to today and I've found that this song rings truer now in my own heart than when I originally wrote it.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Seasons of Songs: It's Not Time Yet

Ecclesiastes 3:1

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..."

I recently came across one of my old lyric books (I've got a pile of them boxed up...It can drive my wife crazy lol). Not to toot my own horn, but I was rather blown away at some of the lyrics I've written just a few short years ago. There was incredible insight and metaphorical poetry taking place that I didnt realize I had in me at the time. Needless to say, I had to jump on those papers immediately and start crafting the words in to songs.

Like a swordsmith preparing a new blade, I unsheathed my Ipad and went to work on the words, lines, and phrases contained in one of my notebooks. I would love to tell you that one of the most amazing musical works I've ever created came out of that time but I would be lying. A big, fat, nothing came out of it. As hard as I tried, as much thought as I put in to it, I just couldn't come up with anything that felt right and I was frustrated as to why I couldn't put the pieces together. Why wasnt this working?

Well, I've developed a theory (though I'm not usually one to theorize anything at all).

Just as we go through seasons in life, I believe certain worship songs can be marked for a specific season. It may remain locked to you until that season starts. Even as I'm writing this to you I can recall moments in my own life where I've poured back over old lyrics that had frustrated me before and suddenly sprung to life in that moment.

My point in all of this is to encourage you to not become discouraged. The lyrics you write are important and may not show fruit for a while. Continue to create! When the right season comes and the door is opened that song will bust open from the depths of your chest like a wild river.

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
― Albert Camus

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

What You Can Do: Breaking the Creative Box

Being a student of vocal jazz, I was exposed to one of the more creative sides of the genre. I can't put a label on exactly what drew me to vocal improv (or "scat"). I fell in love with jazz at an early age and have been border line obsessed with it since then. As I began developing my abilities as a vocalist I started listening to artists like Kurt Elling and Mark Murphy, who are known for their incredible scat skills.

One of the reasons I love vocal improvisation is the fact that it is insanely creative. What would happen if we included aspects like this in to worship music!? Awesome is what would happen. If anything it would be a venture outside the normal box that so much of worship music is stuck in right now. I'm not dissing on what the current popular sound is, I'm just saying that we weren't created to be creatively limited. So how can we bust out off the box?

Here is a cover I did of an oldy that I'm sure you'll recognize. I put my own spin on it.

But Seriously, what are your thoughts on creative worship music? What aspects and cross genre sounds could you incorporate to usher in a new sound?

The bible tells us that we are created in His image. This means that God, being the ultimate creative being, made us with the ability to be hugely creative. But how do we get those creative juices flowing? How do we take old songs and make them feel new? Here are a few thoughts I have on this subject:

1. Listen like crazy. Not just to the stuff you usually stick to. Venture away from your DC Talk CD's and branch out. Charge your creative batteries by listening to other creative people. David Crowder is a great example of a massively creative writer.

2. Play with what you're playing. Try taking the worship tunes you're used to playing one way and take them in a different direction with a different feel. Who knows, maybe Mighty To Save would sound awesome as a Ska song.

3. If you're a songwriter, get together with other songwriters and bounce ideas off each other. Let creativity inspire creativity!

4. Make time for yourself to sit down and create. Even if nothing of real substance comes out of the time spent, you're still working those muscles. Creativity takes practice!

Friday, March 20, 2015

In Their Shoes: the Hurricane Demo

I'm re-posting this today because I truly am excited about it.
I believe that the ability to imagine oneself in the shoes of another, writing from that perspective, is a gift that can make you an incredible force to be reckoned with in the music industry. To empathize with the person you're picturing, what they're feeling, emoting that in to your music and lyrics. It's one of my greatest challenges but also one of the most rewarding.

I wrote "Hurricane" in this manner. I've had only a small handful of relationships, leading up to meeting my incredible wife, Sarah, and none of those were anything like what the song describes. Because of this I had to sit back, close my eyes, and imagine what a man in those shoes may be feeling. I actually would listen to other songs that talked about similar subject matter, and even tuned in to some movie clips that showed the pain and frustration of a failing relationship.

All of that to say that I am excited about the tune and will, at some point in the near future, be releasing an official version. This current recording is a demo for all y'all to sample (is it weird for a guy born and raised in Washington state to use "y'all?)

Stank Face: Snarky Puppy

So these guys deserve one big, giant, scrunchy, stank face.

Now let me clarify. The "stank face", however unattractive, is not only a compliment given by listeners, but often a reflex that musicians cannot fully control. Guitarists will sink their fingertips in to the neck, bending those strings, and BAM. Stank face. If you're a musician you know exactly what I'm talking about and DON'T even try to deny it. Like I said, it's a reflex. Just revel in the stanky goodness.

There are rare moments throughout my life where I've come across collaborative music that's as truly great as Snarky Puppy. There sound is one that is rich, and chewy, and will constantly cause you to turn and say "Oh! Whats that!?"
It's creativity blended with GREAT writing, and musicianship that's ventured far beyond talent. These folks have sharpened whatever talent they were blessed with in to true skill. My friends, if you have not yet dipped your ears in to the sounds of Snarky Puppy you simply NEED to take a coffee break and dive on in.

Here's "Free Your Dreams", featuring Chantae Cann.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Creative Constipation

If you're a creative person you probably, literally, have creative cravings that come on out of nowhere. Sometimes they are triggered by something you see or hear, but other times (for me its usually the most inopportune time of my day...Like the toilet) it just hits you!

You're going about your day, minding your own business, and WHAM. Suddenly you absolutely have to create something. Its like getting hit in the face by Hulk Hogan, if he was cupid, and cupid gave out creativity instead of a crush...

But what happens when you hit a block? I suppose sometimes it is just a block you bump in to or smack your head on and something great may be on the other side (darn you Mario!).

But what do you do when you REALLY get stuck? Like, "holy crud I have no idea where to go with this lyric. NOTHING rhymes with orange!"

Without going in to a bunch of details you probably wont need, here are a few little tips to help get the juices flowing again.

1. Know what you want to say.
Think about the story or the message of your song. Whats the basic idea?

2. Think about your audience.
If you're a blogger this is VERY important. Who are you writing too?

3. Go back and read or listen to some of your old work.
This is actually a huge one for me. Its encouraging to hear some of the things I've already created and helps get my brain working again.

4. Focus on whats in front of you.
I suffer from ADHD (although I think it only aids in making life more entertaining at times) and can easily become distracted. When I write I have to find a space that will help foster the creative process. Right now, living with my lovely wife and our 2 year old in rather cramped quarters, this "creative space" is the back seat of my car. Find a spot that works for you!

Monday, December 8, 2014

I totes did this song one time, on video, for that show with the germaphobic bald guy

So I did an audition video a number of years back for America's Got Talent. I love how the video turned out, but never actually got around to submitting the video. *virtual facepalm*

This is an original song that I actually got to record during my time with Sweatshop Studios, but never officially released the tune in the end. I do plan on revamping this in the near future, but for now please enjoy the remnant of "Sanctuary".

Saturday, November 29, 2014

I'll Be Your Friend

As a songwriter, I think many of us pull from our own experiences and emotions. But I also believe that many songwriters have developed the ability to put themselves in the shoes of another and write from a totally different perspective.

While I was waiting for the train, headed to the airport in New York from Sweatshop Studios, I started a conversation with a young Hip-Hop artist who really had some great creativity going! He threw down a few lines of his most recent song right there. The song was written from the perspective of the hat, tie, and shoes, of the aspiring, hard working, starving artist as they observed him pouring his blood sweat and tears in to his dreams. Loved it!

Well, this song, I'll Be Your Friend, has absolutely nothing to do with hats, ties, or even shoes, but I did write it from the perspective of one reaching out to a friend in the midst of extreme pain, though I wasn't experiencing anything like that at the time.

I hope you enjoy the tune!

Always For Me

A budget can sometimes make you feel limited with what capabilities you have, like recording, but don't let that stop your creativity! God built the desire to create and craft inside you so use what you have now and watch as God expands it from there!
I recorded this song on my bed, in my room, with a wiener dog barking in the background (debuted at the end of the track). My hope is that you still enjoy the tune even with its flaws. This one will be re-released in the future so stay tuned!