Some people think that writer's block is the most difficult part of writing a song, but I beg to differ.  From what I understand, writer's block is when you have an idea about what you want to write about and you can't get started.  I think the most difficult part comes a little earlier.

The most difficult part for me comes when I can't conceive something worth writing about, or when I don't care enough about what I will write.  So, for me, the most difficult part comes when I lack the motivation to feel strongly enough to write.  It's more apathy and lack of inspiration than not knowing where to start.

I think this is why I enjoy writing songs for other people so much.  I can read a few lines someone writes to me in an e-mail and get a world of empathy going for that person.  Then I can channel my own imagined picture of that person's life into a song, because I truly believe the person is interesting and worthy.  When I look at my own life, I have trouble glamorizing it to the point where a song flows out of me.

I don't think songs need to be written about ourselves all the time, and I like change of perspective in songwriting.  For example, Mark Knopfler wrote a song called, "Boom Like That," which tells the story of Ray Kroc who got McDonald's restaurants to become an establishment of fast food.  For Knopfler to do that, he had to empathize with Kroc, know the historical context, and understand Kroc's nature.

So, instead of writing selfish poems about myself my whole life, I want to branch out and write about other people.  My writer's block is inspiration and motivation, and the rest comes natural.  So, do you have some inspiration to tell me?

Where Are My Clients?
There's a really cool thing you can use to track your website's statistics.  It's called Google Analytics.  I looked at some stats for this website trying to find out what parts of the world are viewing my content here.  Here's what the map looks like.

The things that I notice:

1. First of all, I don't have much traffic yet, which is to be expected from a baby site like this.  Four months is nothing yet, and the search engines haven't picked me up on their radar yet.
   
2. Most of my traffic is from countries where English is spoken fluently.
3. The only client I have had since May when I created the site is from South Africa, and she had a song made for someone in Australia, so that explains those two countries.
   
4. That leaves India, the Philippines, England, New Zealand, and Canada fairly unexplained.  I even see Egypt on the map.
   

What this means is that I will possibly get to learn some new cultural stuff about each person I write for in the future. 

I learned a lot from my last client, Liat, who told me that I basically use the word "awesome" in the wrong context and way too much, which is awesome to hear.  She was an awesome client, by the way.

I also had to look up words and pronunciations of words as we corresponded, especially if I  wanted to use the word in the song.  Luckily, Liat was o.k. with my "foreign" use of the English language and my American dialect.

So far, if you count clients and those who they give their song to, I have written for people in four different countries.  That's awesome, swell, neat, good, or whatever you like to say in your English speaking country.  I have the people to thank who allowed me the pleasure.  I look forward to being pen pals with more AWESOME people from other countries.

Writing Custom Gift Songs: My Adventure
You don't just wake up and decide you want to write custom songs for other people. It's a progression of steps, but I want to mention what I have learned from writing songs for people I know and people halfway around the world.  And I want to share how someone like me could get to the point where they want to do what I want to do, write custom gift songs and custom music.

Here are 5 things I have found to be true about writing songs for other people:

1. Everyone has a story worth telling, but most people don't get to have their own song written about/for them.
2. Even if you think your life is boring, it probably isn't if you really think about it.  And I love making people think about their own lives.
3. Sometimes you might have a feeling that a couple doesn't have much of a chance to stay together based on what they tell you for their song, but you go ahead an write it anyway.  Then you hear months later that they broke up.  Then you're glad it wasn't a wedding song.  True story, believe it or not!
4. Some people want to know all the details of how the song is written/produced, and others could care less. Some people are extremely grateful and helpful for the work you do, writing lengthy emails and giving you awesome feedback and suggestions. Then others just want to get something for free, never look back, and never give any real feedback.
5. Words can describe a person at least as well as a picture, and music makes the description more emotional.  You can feel like you have met someone when you get to interview them in a personal way.

My  Journey to Custom Songwriting
When you write your first song, and it all works together well, you feel like you have become a magician and that you now have a new superpower.  You write another few songs and read a few spell books (songwriting books) to hone your skills. 

That magic feeling begins to go away as you write another and yet another song.  Then you realize that your newer songs are, for the most part, better than the first bunch you wrote, and so on. You write about personal experiences which relate to you, but find that these songs don't necessarily relate well to everyone around you. Some do and some don't.

At some point you start to want to write songs that are entertaining for others.  It's like having your magic wand and playing with it for a while and realizing it's a lot more fun to share than to use only for yourself.  Plus you believe that if you write a song for someone else, it might be a more awesome thing for them to experience first hand, since they may have never had a custom song written about them.

So, you survey your friends and family, and see if anyone wants a song written for their wedding or other special occasion, but you don't want to hard sell people to get some practice on them and you know it might be a little awkward to get personal with someone when you solicited them to write the song in the first place.

Finally, you turn to the internet to get clients, and you learn to get a picture of what someone is like without ever meeting them.  This is a new skill and goes beyond the songwriting skill in itself.  It's a human connection.  This is what I am learning the most.  I am a student of human behavior and spirit, and I am eager to learn.  That, is what songwriting and art is all about anyway.

Why Buy a Custom Gift Song
You might wonder why you would ever want to buy a custom gift song for someone instead of some other kind of gift.  There are a ton of different things you could buy someone that seem like good gifts.

Here are 10 reasons you might want to go with a custom gift song, instead of something else.  Feel free to add to the list with your own comments

10. It Won't End Up in a Garage Sale Next Year: It's pretty hard to think of a gift that can't be broken, can be used unlimited number of times, and doesn't take up any space.  Your custom gift song will be safe from a destiny in the garage sale.

9. It's Unique and Personal: You probably have never received your own gift song, and if you have, you're part of a small minority.  You can use this opportunity to show someone that you are creative in finding just about the most unique gift you could give someone.

8. Everyone Likes Music: Even though people can be picky about what they listen to, most people will tell you that they enjoy music.  So if you have no idea what a person's tastes are, try a musical gift.

7. It's Way Better Than a Greeting Card: So you might be wondering what you would write in a greeting card for your anniversary or other occasion.  Problem solved! Your custom song will speak for you.

6. It Proves that You Put Thought in Your Gift: Are you trying to impress someone and show them that you are a thoughtful person?  You'll be hard pressed to find something more thoughtful than a customized gift song.  This is especially true when they hear that they lyrics are about them.

5. You Get to Feel What it's Like to Be a Songwriter: Have you ever wondered how a song is crafted word by word and note for note.  You will get a good taste of this process with your custom gift song.

4. You are a Long Way Away: Maybe you are living in a different city, state, or country.  Maybe you work a different shift.  Either way, your loved one will have a something to bring comfort to his/her soul when he/she misses you.

3. You Can Say it's "Our Song:" Many couples use the term "our song" when describing their first dance song or another special song, but most couples don't get to really mean that the song is "our song." Have a song that is really about you, all of it.

2. You'll Be One Step Closer to a Custom Gift Album:  Buy a single custom gift song, and you are one track on your way to having an entire gift album.  Talk about cool!

1. You Can Share it on Facebook With Your Friends: "Listening to my own custom song" will be a status update that's sure to get some responses.  Post a link and make people jealous.