Not going to puzzle (scare) you with day three of my dream diary.
Just another heaping helping of random oddities. All of you that personally know me are well aware of my mental state.

Thought this was some good advice from Gary Ewer.

If you find that the basic structure of your life makes it difficult to find any time at all to be creative, here are some bits of advice that I hope will help you:

• Never let your songwriting schedule be a "whenever I can get to it" event in your day. You don't need much time -- perhaps only 30 - 45 minutes in a day. If you're constantly caring for a loved one, see what you can do to allow others in your family to take your important duties for a short period. And if transferring responsibilities isn't possible, think of songwriting as an important personal activity that you'll schedule in to start or end your day, perhaps at a time when your responsibilities are less intense. It won't be easy, but it's almost always possible. 
• Don't feel guilty about needing daily time to be creative. When you are caring for others, it can seem wrong to think of yourself. But staying psychologically healthy is going to be an important part of being able to care for others, and so allow songwriting to be a vital part of your day without feeling guilty about it. 
• Start a songwriting session with a mental break, no matter how little time you've got. Even if you've only got 20 minutes to write, use the first 5 to lie back, close your eyes, and let your mind slow down. It will make the few minutes you have all the more creative. 
• During busy times, make your daily songwriting goals less ambitious. It's completely fine to use a songwriting session to simply work on 1 line of lyric, or to get a hook working for you, or to come up with a creative chord progression. Don't feel that every day needs to see you creating a full song. That's just not realistic for most people's lives. 
• Use music and songwriting as a way of managing stress. If a major crisis is flooding your thoughts, you may find that music is a great way to manage that stress. Use your words, melodies and singing to help you express your feelings. It's amazing what that can do for your own mental health. Don't pressure yourself, but simply use creativity as a way of keeping your stress levels low. It really does work.

Check out Gary's site for more great stuff.

http://www.secretsofsongwriting.com

Day two of my dream diary.

Getting intrigued with the randomness.

Full disclosure:
There is no such thing as Brazilian glass bananas.
Watched a movie yesterday morning with Gene Hackman in it.

11/9/15

• ·        I was wearing a huge robot leg apparatus very similar to what the army men used in the movie Avatar. I was moving quickly back and forth on a tall weeded hillside between a flat area and an apartment building, just like I was getting used to the robot legs and body thing. I had three fishing poles sticking out the front with heavy sinkers on the end of the lines that only out a couple of feet. So the tips of the rods bounced while I was moving. I made a quick turn and the sinkers almost hit some women sitting at a table eating. I apologized and went up on land and saw many larger similar robots over the horizon. They looked aggressive.

• ·        I had a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer full of something sitting by an old looking warehouse built like a block long three story barn with windows at the top. Many were broken. A semi-truck pulling ten or fifteen full size trailers tried to go around but ended up surrounding me and my rig. So, I went inside the warehouse. I remember looking up and seeing 12 foot diameter rusty culverts on the second floor loft. One fell off and came rolling toward me. I ran away and easily deflected the end of it off me. I went inside a small office and there were a few people there. I had a Brazilian glass banana in the front of my bib overalls. Took it out put it on a small chest high table and cut it into bit size pieces. It was shaped like a melon, crystal clear and delicious. Then Gene Hackman walked him and introduced himself to the others and when he came to me and said “I already know Walt” and moved on.

• ·        I was putting white towels in a very low doored washing machine and closed the door. Went to a narrow room next to it and started grilling tiny steaks on a plug in Presto flat top grill. Then two non-descript food business guys commented “that isn’t how your grill steaks” and took the steaks off and filled the grill with lamb chops.

Taking a dose of my own advice, I wrote down the remembered shards of my dreams from last night first thing this morning. Supper was pancakes, eggs and spicy hot sausage patties.
Drizzled with Log Cabin.
Dream fuel?

Dream Diary

11/8/15

• Old part of town riding in back seat of a Ford Crown Victoria, two black tied white shirted men in the front seat, turning into ally being pointed at by people on corner. Scene was like an early morning inner city produce hub; people and carts of fruits and vegetables everywhere.

• Parking area on top of second story building without any guardrails at the edges. Remember being concerned about lack of guard rails. I was the only car in the freshly paved and striped lot. Drove around and went down the in ramp. Parked the car and walked to a new glass walled bus stop. Continued walking along a freshly paved sidewalk and opened a steel door covered with gravel covered concrete in the shape of a upside down U. Like an entrance to an underground garage. Entered the door and it twirled around like a nautilus shell. Inside was a freezer that you had to crawl under the compressor machinery for about twenty feet before you could stand and walk through the many chambers. Remember being cold and somewhat claustrophobic.

• Huge circular bedroom walled with glass overlooking the ocean or a lake. Twenty feet of scrub grass and brush separated the 30 foot high curved glass and a cliff line. It was dark. I thought, “I don’t need curtains”.

What I will glean from this, only time will tell.

Proof that I am nuts.

Definitely.

Song fodder.

Yeah, for sure maybe.

Write down your dreams first thing every morning.

Good advice.
Bits and pieces of your journeys will be fresh.
Keep a dream journal on your nightstand.
Snap shots of night trips will be fascinating.



As songwriters we need another journal to fill before we go to bed.

Write down your daydreams right before you go to bed.

Good advice.
Bits and pieces of your journeys will be fresh.
Keep a day dream journal on your nightstand.
Snap shots of day trips will be fascinating.

I am certain I offer scholarly advice because.....Einstein backs up my hypothesis...........

 “ Einstein relished what he called Gedankenexperimente, ideas that he twirled around in his head rather than in a lab. That’s what teachers call daydreaming, but if you’re Einstein you get to call them Gedankenexperimente. As these thought experiments remind us, creativity is based on imagination. If we hope to inspire kids to love science, we need to do more than drill them in math and memorized formulas. We should stimulate their minds’ eyes as well. Even let them daydream… [The] ability to visualize the unseen has always been the key to creative genius. As Einstein later put it, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. ”

— Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and Universe, on Einstein’s thought experiments

So, Einstein tells us our imagination is our personal knowledge text book. Our building blocks of creativity. In a way we are writing personal reference books; handbooks for our endeavors.

At least that is my take.

Maybe I should keep a note book on my John Deere.

Might day dream while I grate the driveway today.......

gazing at the sky, white pine trees, red oak trees, crows, grey squirrels, turkeys

....mind might wander over the crunchy carpet of garnet gold leafs

might in-vision things in the newly exposed limestone landscape....

Thunderstorms sweeping through eastern Kentucky today taking humid 70s bringing chilly 40s. Windows open now to the tinkle of the warm drops bathing apple red oak and golden cherry maple leafs.

Discovered a new sound and style. Band called Golden Fable.

Check out these lyrics.

Armour

Come to my door love,
Come to my side and tell me of your failings,
I long to know.

Take off your armour,
No need to hide the heavy load you carry,
For you my ear.

Take off your armour let your guard drop down,
Take off your armour let your guard drop down.

No need to battle,
Spare me the blood and lay down all your weapons now,
Confide in me.

Though you are weary,
Come on release the heavy load you carry,
Cut loose and free.

Take off your armour let your guard drop down,
Take off your armour let your guard drop down.
Come to my door and tell me you’re failing,
Come to my door and let it all go.

Take off your armour let your guard drop down,
Take off your armour let your guard drop down.
Come to my door and tell me you’re failing,
Come to my door and let it all go.


Now check out their delivery.

https://youtu.be/J--zVVizbvI

 Doug Irwin

Meg Irwin

Folks you owe it to yourself to listen to Doug's newest cd.

A brilliant gem!

Every song is outstanding.

I mean that sincerely.

I have been trying to pick a favorite for over a week.

I cannot. Songs would be ending and I would think; 

yeah, that's my pick. 

Then the next would start and I would back off my decision.

This process has went on and on for days.

I finally gave up.

Doug's style is relaxed and comforting.

Yet extremely powerful and valiant.

4 ways to purchase. No excuses.

https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dougirwin2

http://www.amazon.com/Bridges-That-I-Burn/dp/B017743SAU/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1446669026&sr=1-1-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=doug+irwin

Plus I tunes.

Or e-mail Doug for direct purchase info.

dougirwinmusic@gmail.com

Last night was the fifty second meeting of the 52 Club.
Man, the farther down stream you get, the faster the water! Seems like yesterday.....

I sit here this morning with a black leather binder. 52 songs reside inside. All were written to prompts pulled out of a copper pail.

I am proud to have the task completed. It wasn't easy but, it was fun.

I learned a ton about songwriting in 52 weeks.

Writing a song every week gives you confidence. You get kind of cocky in a humble way. The process doesn't get easier; you know a little sweat equity pays off, so you stick with it and get the job done.

You learn that every song is not going to be a masterpiece.
Or a profound statement on society or human existence.  
But that writing regularly is the path to writing brilliantly.
I hope!

Having the prompt written on the top of the blank page gives you a kick start.
Some of the topics were:
climb the ivy
empty trailer
over the barrel
circus style
muddy puddle
upside down
coffee cup
free range dinosaurs
overlooked
chasing dreams
Open your mind and let images fill your imagination. Ideas will flow onto the paper and viola' you are on the way.

There is no such thing as writers block. Inspiration lives inside us.
The tools are always in your pocket.

I played thru my growing song book every couple of days.
Polishing and repairing. Pickin' and grinnin'. Jumping from page to page. Good clean fun.

Quality of the songs written? Mixed.

If I had to grade them:
3-A+
3-A
14-B
15-C
17-D

32 are not very good.

14 are decent. I would play them out.

6 are very good and will be recorded.
3 of those are the best songs I have ever written.

I would say that is a good years worth of pencil sharping!

Write on!

Next week's prompt is new day.

Got to get to work............

Good morning my name is Mr. Sunshine
It's a brand new day wake up and smile