silence

I am sometimes asked about my composing process.
"How do you come up with your songs?"
"Do you work on songwriting every day, or do you wait for inspiration?"
The short answer is, a little of both.
I work on music just about every day in some way, as a teacher, composer, and/or performing artist.
The longer answer is that sometimes it's what I do away from music that informs what I do musically.
Some days, the music just flows out of and through me and I can spend hours practicing or writing.
Other days, I need to do other things -- like  mow the lawn, repair bicycles, haul the plastics to the recycling depot, or just go for a bike ride to someplace quiet.
I need times of silence and inactivity to refuel for the work I do.
Today, the weather is gloriously warm and sunny here, so I will go or a bike ride somewhere where I can sit for a little bit, and Just let things be. I might take a notebook along in case I come up with something, but I won't feel bad if I don't.
Even in the silence, stuff is always percolating, happening, forming.
And some days I need to carve out time for that silence so things can happen.
We all do.
Go find some time and space in which to be silent, and just let things happen for a little while.