The Role of Improvisation in an Artistic Mentality

Episode 12 When was the last time you improvised? Improvisation is crucial to the creative process. Whether you're jamming with a band, noodling around on your instrument, playing with new words and phrases, experimenting with new recording techniques, or even just having an honest conversation with your audience in a live setting, the ability to improvise is one that every songwriter, composer, performer, engineer, musician, etc. needs have in their tool belt. Even though these examples are all musical (just pulling examples from my own experiences) improvisation skills can help artists in any medium or genre. In Episode 12 of The Honest Songwriter Podcast we talk about the role of improvisation in an artistic mindset. We discuss why I think improvisation is an important tool for all artists, and I talk about the two main ways I've seen improvisation help me in my songwriting: 1. Idea Generation, 2. Improvisation as Form. I use examples from my own songwriting to illustrate how I use improvisation on a regular basis in songwriting. Even if you are not a songwriter or a musician, there are some good ideas in there for how you can apply improvisation to your own artistic endeavors! The Honest Songwriter Podcast is 15-20 minutes of regular, open conversation about songwriting, what it's like to be a songwriter, and how to keep improving at the craft of songwriting. New episodes every three weeks! Sign up to stay up-to-date on new music and podcast episodes here: http://bit.ly/sign_up_kedwardsmith By signing up for the email list you'll get early access to new music, exclusive behind the scenes looks at writing process, and stay in the loop on new videos and podcast episodes. You can hear the latest songs released as part of my year-long songwriting challenge at this link: http://bit.ly/kedwardsmith_indie_releases