How a Music Retreat Can Kickstart Your Songwriting Process

Songwriting inspiration can be hard to come by, even if you’re a seasoned writer who’s been in the game for a long time.

If you’ve ever had the feeling of sitting down to write new music and getting hit with waves of dread, distraction, or boredom, you can relate.

Some musicians get cases of writer’s block so severe that they have to upend their processes and start over again, but many just need a push in the right direction to get things going again.

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If you’re in search of creative inspiration or a distraction-free space to write songs, a music trip could be exactly what you need.

How travel powerfully inspires musicians

Musicians throughout history have found powerful inspiration by shaking up their environment.

In 1976, David Bowie was looking for a change. After confessing that he had no memory of recording Station to Station due to increasing substance abuse issues, Bowie moved first to Sweden before eventually relocating to Berlin to get clean.

What began as a trip to escape addiction and the culture he’d been immersed in turned into one of the most innovative and creative periods of Bowie’s career.

Changing your surroundings can get you thinking about your work in a new way, even if your music-making process mainly stays the same.

Known as the “Berlin Trilogy,” the albums Low, “Heroes”, and Lodger were written during his time in Berlin. The trio of albums were so important to Bowie that he referred to them as his “DNA.”

When The Beatles traveled to India to receive Transcendental Meditation training, the trip informed a lot about their sound and legacy.

With 18 songs written that later were featured on The Beatles (“the White Album”) and two on Abbey Road, the India trip wasn’t very long, but it shaped their musical identity in a huge way.

Both The Beatles and Bowie’s excursions were dramatic, but countless musicians have found inspiration for their music through more modest trips.

How a music trip can help your career

If you’re banging your head against the wall trying to find the motivation or time needed to finish recording an album or write new music, a music trip can help.

Humans are habit-driven creatures. The way we create music in the spaces we’re used to are destined to become predictable after awhile.

Changing your surroundings can get you thinking about your work in a new way, even if your music-making process mainly stays the same.

Some musicians find inspiration and resources in the music scenes they visit, and others benefit from creating music out in nature.

Some musicians find inspiration and resources in the music scenes they visit, and others benefit from creating music out in nature.

But no matter what kind of a music trip you plan, one of the biggest things you’ll get out of it is a distraction-free place to create in.

Think about what keeps you from making music in the spaces you’re used to. It could be that you can’t write as much as you want because of a roommate or because your young kids are in the habit of interrupting you in your home studio.

Music-centered trips are one of the best ways for artists to focus purely on their work.

Depending on your unique situation as a musician, you might not have the luxury of creating distraction-free spaces to make music in.

Traveling somewhere else specifically to make music can help you do it.

Creating a music trip that accommodates your goals and resources

Most musicians can’t afford overseas trips to work on music, but there are plenty of affordable options to consider.

Instead of mixing an album in a chic New York City hotel room, renting a small cabin in the woods for a week is more realistic for many musicians.

No matter what sort of music trip you plan, it’s going to cost money. If you’re a broke musician, how do you pull it off? By prioritizing it.

In 2020, the absolute best thing musicians can do for their careers is to create and release as much great music as they can.

In 2020, the absolute best thing musicians can do for their careers is to create and release as much great music as they can.

If you think taking a trip to work on music will help you do this, then you should make sacrifices to make it happen.

Consider this. Many new artists end up losing money on tour and not making new fans.

Instead of touring, you may be better off devoting the money you would’ve spent on the road on a trip focused on writing or recording.

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The same goes for bands thinking about spending money on music promotion. To make a productive music trip happen, you may need to turn down things that could help your career.

The importance of creating inspirational, distraction free spaces for making music at home

Most musicians can’t, and shouldn’t, rely on trips for their everyday music-making processes.

While trips can be hugely helpful for kickstarting new projects and wrapping up unfinished ones, the spaces you carve out in your daily life will end up having the most impact on your process.

If the average conditions in your normal life are keeping you from reaching your potential, music-centered trips aren’t going to be any help in the long-run.

By focusing on being able to create freely at home, you’ll get the most out of the times you choose to travel to make music.

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Patrick McGuire is a musician, writer, and educator. He creates music under the name Straight White Teeth and has a great affinity for dogs and putting his hands in his pockets.

@Patrick McGuire