Songwriters have a certain dialogue with themselves and the world around them—the ability to have perspective on situations and feel emotions intensely. Sometimes songs can act as a commentary on your own life. The people around you are happening in the broader community or globally.

When you write, it’s a distilled version of all the things you’ve experienced up to that moment.

We view this through the headspace you’re in at the time. I find more clarity when I write regularly, and it helps me understand myself better.

It’s so interesting listening to all the songs created by the weekly I Heart Songwriting Club members. The different ways we interpret Themes and the similarities. Sometimes similar interpretations and shared understandings of the Themes feel like we are part of collective consciousness. I guess we only have so many emotions we experience as humans, which helps us connect and empathize with one another.

While working towards finishing the recording of my EP, I was writing regularly.

I ended up including songs I’d written between recording sessions. They felt fresh and relevant socially and personally.

Three of the four songs on my EP ‘Scrapbook’ came from one-hour songs. The title track ‘The Scrapbook Song’ from the Theme “Scrapbook”, Lost from the Theme “Fractals” – that one came out as a love song about connecting on multiple levels with someone. Back to Zero was from “Social Media”, a reflection on how disconnected with ourselves, each other and the present moment social media encourages us to be. I reshaped them a little but essentially wrote over 90% of each song within the hour designated for IHSC.

It’s crazy to think I wouldn’t have these songs I love so much now if I hadn’t had that Theme in that week and been in that headspace. It’s exciting not knowing what I will come up with each time, and that’s what I love most!