How Songwriting Helps Me Cope During Isolation

Although times are really tough for people in the music industry at the moment, the one aspect that musicians and artists can really profit from in isolation is time off for some songwriting. 

During a global pandemic, it’s very easy to feel helpless and lost. You haven’t seen your friends in a while, you might be out of work and if you’re anything like me, you watch the news, which is naturally mostly negative during a pandemic. Talking about these issues with people helps, but for me personally, writing a song about it is the only way to accept it and move on. Songwriting also helps me in a bunch of other different ways! 

It helps me: 

Collaborate and talk to people 

During my time in isolation, I’m constantly working with other songwriters and producers. We write songs from scratch or edit each other’s work. It’s so nice to be able to talk to other like-minded musicians who are going through the exact same thing as me. It’s also great to have a reason to talk to anyone on a regular basis. It maintains my social skills, which would otherwise diminish.

Exercise my creativity

If anything would take my mind off something, it’s being creative. When I’m writing a song, making a design or doing anything creative, it’s like time stops and I’ve entered this magical realm where there are no rules. There’s no pressure to produce anything of high quality, and ultimately, it’s just fun. Being creative with songwriting really helps take my mind off the pandemic.

Feel a sense of accomplishment

I know a lot of people feel like they don’t do anything in quarantine, and before I got back into songwriting, that’s how I felt too. However, anyone who has ever written a song knows how difficult yet rewarding it is to finish one. Sometimes, I write them in 20 minutes, and other times, I write them in two months. Either way, finishing them makes me feel like I’ve given myself a goal, worked toward it and actually completed it.

Pour out my emotions

In quarantine, I truly go through all the emotions. At the beginning, I was obviously a bit paranoid about getting the virus, lonely from not having gone out and bored from being stuck at home. I desperately needed a medium to channel all those feelings and that’s when songwriting became so valuable. I could just write about everything on my mind, get it off my chest, and the best part was no one needed to know how I felt because I could just write it for myself. 

Maintain my skills as a musician

Writing songs involves a lot of mental work when it comes to melodies, chord progressions, harmonies and even rhythm. I can learn new pieces on piano, but writing my own pieces requires a whole other level of thinking. Consistent songwriting in isolation means I’m constantly playing an instrument and thinking about music theory, which helps me preserve my musicianship. 

Overall, I know isolation sucks in many ways. But, it truly made me rediscover a passion that I had somewhat pushed to the side due to school and work. Although I am bummed out about school being online, the one light at the end of the tunnel is that I can still write songs about it! 

• COVID-19
• isolation
• Songwriting