The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 13 with Singer-Songwriter-Musician Blake Stratton

Blake Stratton (@BlakeStratton) is a Nashville-based musician and songwriter. In his twenties he was a touring musician living the Nashville lifestyle. Lately, he’s switched toward collaborating and composing, as well as seeking to connect independent creatives through his blog and podcast, Life in The Woods. With Prescott, he discusses the virtues of waking up early, the struggle for continued creative success, and the strangeness of the music profession.
 
Show Notes & Links

Musicians, and their nocturnal schedules
“I do my best creative work in the morning time.”
Will Power, and its finite nature
Teenage physiology, and wake-up time
Before-school programs at work, to accommodate working parents
Blake is an introvert. He creates where no one else does.
Rush hour in New York is (at least) 2.5 hours
Blake’s podcast, Life in The Woods, catered toward “independent creatives”
Blake was, until very recently, a “working musician”
Prescott has “no idea what it’s like to be a musician”
Studio-style production of music, which we might call “staff writers”, as opposed to “independent artists”
Writing season, recording season, touring season
Ben Rector, independent artist
“The best songs happen in, like, an hour.”
Art is like mining. You have to extract it all without breaking it.
Where 90% of Great Writing Happens, a podcast episode by Blake
Todd Henry, who encourages us to “maximize the number of creative accidents”
Jonathan Coulton‘s project, Thing A Week
Music in the Classical sense. But not “Classical”. I just mean old-fashioned. Written.
Blake studied upright bass in the European classical orchestral tradition.
The Nashville Number System, how musician do it down there
Joaquin Cotler, also a musician
David Wood, podcaster
Killing It or Crushing It — positive terms, in fact
Getting Things Done by David Allen
lifeinthewoodspodcast.com/rate, direct link to rate Blake’s podcast
The Bellevue EP on iTunes, Spotify, and Band-camp

Tools

Evernote
Google Drive and Dropbox
Day One, journal app for iOS
DoIt.im, app for GTD

Techniques

No two songwriters have the same process
Allow yourself to have “seasons”, where you push hard for a while, and then relax.
Go on a “Songwriter Retreat” to purposefully (and forcefully) disconnect
Use Evernote to keep journals, song lyrics, etc.
Use a “Trigger” when you start a habit. Ask “what’s the domino effect?”

Habits

Waking up early. Something Prescott and Blake both do.
Create a “Gratitude Habit”, write down things you’ve done well.
High-Low, name one “high” and one “low” of the day. Do this before you go to sleep.