Pre-Writing Motivation Playlist

Pre-Writing Motivation Playlist

Spotify has ample playlists to listen to while writing. They tend to consist of basically anything you'd hear in an indie coffee shop with baristas named Jasper and Rain and an intricately illustrated chalkboard menu crafted each morning by Rain (because Rain is also an art student). So I wanted to put together a playlist to motivate you to write. I can't emphasize this enough: you do not want to listen to this playlist while writing, as it will only yield angry scribbles and frequent wall-punching breaks. Think of this as the writer's version of pregame pump-up music, like you're about to fight in a boxing match against all your inhibitions (and all those haters out there). Now that we're clear, let me break down some highlights of my Pre-Writing Motivation playlist:
"Moral of the Story" by Watsky

No one loves producing upbeat rap songs about writing quite as much as white rappers. I promise, this playlist isn't just a bunch of neurotic white dudes; Watsky just so happens to have some hella punchy lines in here. For example, we have, "I write 'til my fingers look like a bouquet of roses / You gotta bring yourself your flowers now in show biz." While the visual of fingers looking as red and lush as roses is quite unsettling, I suppose it highlights the pain and grit required to write... even though, Watsky, you could always just use your laptop instead of writing everything by hand, but I don't wanna question your method.
"Non-Stop" from Hamilton

Not a Broadway fan? I don't care! Lin-Manuel Miranda argues that Alexander Hamilton's is the most hip-hop story in American history. Starting as a "bastard, orphan, immigrant" and fighting and writing his way into our textbooks? Not that hard in a whitewashed education system, but still! In this tune, Aaron Burr, narrator and (spoiler alert) Hamilton murderer, asks Hamilton over and over, "Why do you write like you're running out of time?" The song, I believe, is the last song before intermission, and thus has a lot of dramatic moving parts. In there somewhere, Burr monologues about how Hamilton writes, like, a sh*t-ton of essays. That could be you!
"my strange addiction" by Billie Eilish

I've been told that I'm the Billie Eilish of my MFA program. Actually, I came up with that comparison myself, but I mentioned it to a friend and she didn't punch me in the face, so basically it's a thing. Anyway, this song seems to be about being addicted to a toxic person, which is probably a universal reality among writers (am I projecting?). It makes me think of the things that we can't help but write about. The things we're "addicted" to, whether that be literal or emotional. But also, Billie mentions the Oxford comma, and not in a bad way (I'm lookin' at you, Vampire Weekend): "Shoulda taken a break, not an oxford comma," meaning she should have ended things instead of leaving room for one more instance of toxicity. The song is on the playlist mostly because of the grammar reference. Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk.
"Sunrise" by Childish Gambino

Not only is this my favorite Childish Gambino song for its soul-transporting energy, but it is also highly motivational for fellow creators. Of course, many of us have privilege that does not allow us to relate to the struggles of being a black recording artist, but many of us experience being underestimated. A lyric that illustrates this is, "To the dudes who couldn't take it, might I say 'hasta luego' / 'cause I'm taking on your city like I'm Carmen San Diego / I'm smoking, I'm on fire / I am blazin', don't get hurt / To my whites this is a concert / To my black girls this is church." Don't we all just wanna take over cities like Carmen San Diego? I know I do.
"Roses" by RAI

I may be biased because Rai is a good pal of mine (How lucky am I?), but damn does this song "slap," as the kids say. It's all about picking yourself up after love does a number on you, which is what we as writers have to do all the time when it comes to heartbreak AND our own inhibitions. A line that electrifies my core has always been: "'Cause the day you plant the seed ain't the day you eat the food or see the bloom / smell the roses, see the growth down to the root and feel it too / deja vu know it's all my dreams coming true / and my head still high 'cause I stay seein' it through." Self-love is a process, according to RAI, and the same goes for art! This song is for those who pound their heads on their laptop keyboard because they aren't producing good content. Be kind to yourself; the food will grow if you nourish the seed, and then you can eat from a majestic tree of Words That Don't Suck.

Some other artists that appear on this playlist are Green Day, Kid Cudi, Simon & Garfunkel, Twenty-One Pilots, and, of course, Harry Styles. I hope this gets your creative juices flowing, but, more importantly, I hope it makes you feel like a freakin' bad ass artist who can write ALL the words!

Link to the playlist

Much love,
DJ ZETTEY Z