interview with Rob Lamothe of the Riverdogs about Creative Process and Songwriting

 

All content here is used for academic purposes. We divulge art, artists, and their creative processes and antics in hopes of inspiring students and new artists to create beautiful art.

Interview highlights: Keep your family close and involved. Many musicians struggle to maintain their private lives, their love life, and their family relationships. I heard from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musicians that there's a high price to pay for that life, and the price is their love life and family relationships. Rob has a perfect solution that has worked well for him, which is to keep your family close and involved in what you're doing artistically. Remove all barriers to creation! To an artist, even a musician, there can be many factors acting as barriers to creation. It can go from financial struggles to thoughts and feelings of insecurity towards your art, music, or lyrics. Even a cluttered work environment that doesn't allow, enhance, or inspire you to create. Self-given excuses such as, I don't feel in a creative mood, or I can't do anything artistic today for some reason. If it isn't helping you do what you love, then out with it. You don't need it. Learn to overcome and manage fear to move forward. (Yes, even eventual lawsuits). Fear is also a barrier to creation. One must learn to manage it, to overcome it, to progress, and keep on creating. Rob talks about the subject a couple of times throughout the interview, and that shows how important it is to learn to overcome fear so that you can be free to create your art. He talks about forgiveness but also opens up about struggling to overcome it. Write what's on your mind, do not self-censure. We always have an impulse to start writing the second an idea strikes, but we often stop right before we type the first word thinking that perhaps it's not good enough or appropriate. Rob insists that we should make efforts to override this instinct or behavior. Write without fear. Edit without mercy! To prevent self-censure, write down your thoughts immediately. Rob often stresses to write without fear and edit without mercy. There's a saying; To err is human; to edit, divine. Record your ideas as often as you can - always is best. Rob mentioned that while collaborating, creating, and writing the songs for his band's recent album California, he would readily sing away his ideas while making sure to record it every time. I found myself vindicated because I'm always recording ready at creation time. If I cannot record the performance for some reason, I write it down the best way I can to help me remember the groove, the feeling of the song, and the lyrics. It matters to feel safe while working with others. To be able to create without fear of negative criticism allows for a good flow of ideas and the freedom to express them. If you're concerned, not comfortable, or somewhat anxious around another artist, it is likely that you won't be bringing your A-game to the collaboration session. Work on projects with love! Give it all you got. Always. Allow yourself to become fully immersed in your creative process. Leave nothing behind. Be passionate about what you do and create! It is inspiring to have a workspace correctly set up for the type of work that you do. That includes a space, your instruments, a recording DAW of your preference, and good quality microphones. Do you need anything to create art other than your talent and inspiration? No, you do not! There's always a way to create art even with the lowest of budgets. Having said that: it is also true that on the other hand, you can create art better, even be more inspired when working in an environment that inspires you to do what you love, and to create faster by having the proper tools, gear, and instruments to do your artwork. "Just press play, or record, in our case." Trust your teachers! They are there for you, and they want you to succeed. Teachers always want to help those who wish to learn and improve their craft. They have been where you are countless times, and they know better ways to do things. Rob Lamothe: http://roblamothe.com Riverdogs: http://riverdogsmusic.com This video is an Educational Documentary and contains videos and music materials created by other authors for educational purposes. All credits and copyrights go to their respective labels and owners. Mauricio's Website: https://mauriciobernini.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricio_bernini Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerniniBlues Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BerniniBlues