iWAJ ... Do you?

If you don't, you'll find this blog very strange!! But I've got to give a shout out to the awesome time we had in St. Charles at our annual songwriters workshop. Here's more pics. It's what I think of as a New Year for songwriting. This year was an especially inspiring, encouraging, challenging page-turn in my journey. Yes, some doors opened, some new friendships formed, some key revelations sparked that I will be applying to my writing as I enter another year of learning! But I think the most powerful thing is having a crowd of people who understand and appreciate each others' passion and gifting. Now I understand why Trekkies go to Star Trek conventions.... Being in a room full of 100+ songwriters makes the journey feel more like a team effort, and I like that. We're all nerds. We know it. We embrace it.

I was also moved by the stories, trials, celebrations, and hardships represented in the room. Each writer had things going on in their lives, struggles big and small. And those facts of life weren't ignored at this workshop ... they were channeled into songwriting and how something beautiful and creative can come from pain (a key theme I see in the writers I admire). It's like therapy for self and for others, all wrapped up in 3.5 minutes of lyric on a melody. Fascinating.

As if that weren't enough, it was heavenly to get to cheer on great songs, great writers, and family-like friends. We are all song nerds, giddy to talk gear and method. Like a bunch of painters getting together to splatter paint on their canvases, admire each other's works (and brushes and colors and inspirations and easels and turpentine and paint smocks and...), give and receive feedback, and learn the basics and advanced methods of creativity, WRITE ABOUT JESUS is the place where songwriters (who love Jesus) get together to do the same. Blissful FUN!