How to Live the Art Life & Catch Ideas

Writer/Director David Lynch famously encourages creatives to live what he calls the 'art life'. His description essentially boils down to an artist who is alert to new ideas and keeps a creative routine to record and develop them. These ideas, as they accumulate, eventually reach a critical mass whereby a piece of art is ready to be produced with the minimum of creative fuss. Applied to music, this concept leads us to some simple habits to help keep your head in the game and let your subconscious do the heavy lifting.

man waearing heaphones and writing in a notepad

Gotta Catch 'em All

For this theory to function, you need to actively collect ideas. Get yourself a notebook, app, or voice recorder, and carry it with you wherever you go. Take note of anything you find interesting. It doesn't need to relate directly to your project or even to music, assume that most of what you collect will never be used 'as is'.

Of course, you'll find plenty of ideas by listening to and reading about recorded music. Note down things that you enjoy, keep up to date with your favourite radio or DJ playlists, and read music press, blogs, and websites to discover what other people think of the writing, instrumentation, and production of these songs.

Play Out, Play Often

An extension of this is to watch (and ultimately play) live music. Like the old 'literary cafes' of Paris, live venues are a place for the community to share ideas and display their works. Go to enough gigs, and you'll begin to develop a network of like-minded people with whom to discuss musical thoughts, tasks, and projects.

When you play live, treat every gig as a chance to grow as an artist. Be conscious of how emotion is driving your thought processes, take time to reflect on what worked and what didn't, and humbly accept criticism to save for later analysis. There will no doubt be plenty of interesting things that happen - note them down like anything else.

candid photo of a man playing a keyboard

Get in the Routine

This raw material should then be developed within your creative routine. This is a time in which you can write, practise, and/or produce music without distraction. The amount of time isn't as important as the routine itself. Even if you only have 15 minutes per day, it's a moment for you to focus purely on your craft.

Compile your collected ideas and use them as the basis for new material. A misheard phrase might become an interesting lyric, a live 'mistake' may suggest a new rhythm/melody, or a weird object might outline an unusual song structure. Keep combining and developing your ideas until you have a patchwork of songs ready to be refined.

iPhone showing music on screen with hand writing in notebook

Never Stop Learning

The most important part of this process is to keep learning. The ideas you collect will inform the songs you write, which will in turn highlight gaps in your knowledge and inspire you to seek out fresh ideas. This persistent, intentional development is what separates 'living the art life' from 'posing as an artist'.

The beauty of Lynch's idea resides in this organic growth. You don't need to have sold work to call yourself an artist, you simply need to make conscious and constant effort to improve. Nor do you need fancy equipment to get started (though it helps), you just need to open your mind to the constant stream of ideas that are around us every day.

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