Ever wonder what secret power lets Mike come up with all his brilliant music and lyrics? Now, he lets you in on all his secrets so you can put them to use too.
Mike is an extremely creative person. He writes so many groovy songs and is always coming out with a joke that makes everyone crack up. “How do you keep your mind so full of ideas that it seems to be always overflowing? Is it a system I can learn and use myself?” Those are questions often asked Mike. And here is his answer!
“My songs are not written by me, they are written through me. They come from another source and I just put down on paper what comes to me. That is how I create.
A way of life Permalink
“Creativity is a state of mind and a way of life. It’s my way of life and it can be everyone’s way of life. Everybody creates in his own special way. I write music. You might paint or create a friendship or write a school paper. No matter what you’re trying to create, it’s how you do it that’s important.
“Some people think creating means that they have to force their minds. For instance, a songwriter will sit down and say, ‘Now, I’ve got to write this song’ and he’ll start forcing his mind to come up with lyrics and notes with no preparation. Some get by, but the song is usually not that groovy because the composer was not being truly creative. Also, he or she usually feels exhausted after he’s finished and people don’t even like the song a lot of times. That’s because it was squeezed out—forced onto paper. That’s not my way. I’ve found a way that works better for writing a song, or doing homework, for that matter!
“My method isn’t easy at first. It requires a certain state of mind and a faith in the goodness of life and people. It could almost seem like a magic process of inspiration because it always works for me, but it isn’t magic. It’s logical and it’s based on faith.
“First of all, I ask myself why I want to write the song. If I’m doing it only for money, it won’t work. The main thing to remember in creating is the word, ‘give.’ My reason has to be to give people something. And what I give has to be good. The subject matter is very important. It must be worthwhile and not just be a copy of a popular subject of the moment.
“And that doesn’t mean it has to be real serious either. For instance, our clowning around and romping on the show is anything but serious. But it makes people happy. It makes them laugh in a clean, happy way. So it’s good. So, the first step in getting ready to create is to decide on your reason for wanting to do it.
Prepare to receive Permalink
“And the second step is to prepare yourself to receive the help you need from a source beyond you, because this is what it’s all about. When you write a letter or a song, you’re not thinking it all up in your own mind. You’re receiving it from a higher source. If you realize this and are sure that what you want to do is good, you will be led to do your very best in receiving it and putting it down on paper. By preparing yourself for this, and opening yourself to it, you’re contributing to the whole thing.
“Once this process starts, it all comes so fast that sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Often, the lyrics and notes just start tumbling onto the paper. It won’t always be right the first time, but the ideas will all be there and everything will all fall into place if you keep going with those right thoughts in mind. It’s such a joyful feeling that you don’t want to stop. And I never let myself interfere with this flowing of ideas by disagreeing with what comes. The human mind can wreck the whole thing.
“There is a time to stop though, because sometimes the ideas are rushing out so quickly that they start swirling. At the moment when you think that’s going to start happening, stop. The ideas will still be there in the morning.
“Once, I suddenly started receiving ideas for a whole album of songs. Usually, to write an album, it takes several weeks. But I did it in six days. I’d write one song and about a half of another one. By then, even if the rest of it was falling into place, I’d stop, eat dinner and go to bed. In the morning, the whole song would still be there and come out fresher than ever. Then I’d use the same method that day and the next and so on. It seems that if you stop and trust that all the ideas will still be there, it’s as if something spiritual recharges your batteries and you’re much readier to receive in the morning.
Be on guard! Permalink
“Many people are afraid to be led. Sometimes they think they know how to do something better than the Higher Source. Or they are led to do something difficult and are too lazy to follow through so they say ‘That wasn’t the right way after all,’ Or they might take the first idea that comes into their head as the right one because it appeals to them, without pausing to ask if it’s the right one. But these are just things to guard against. You’ll know if you stop to think about it. And the more you work with this process, and the more experience you have with it, the more able you become to recognize the signs.
“Every once in awhile the idea for a song will occur, but I’ll have a feeling inside that maybe I’m not ready to write this one yet. So I ponder it in quiet and I’m soon led to know the answer. Sometimes it’s just a test to see if I have the faith to wait, to hold onto the ideas until I’m readier to receive the whole song at a later time.
Will work for you Permalink
“This process can work for whatever you’re trying to do in your everyday life. Maybe you’ve been trying to force a friendship or a relationship with a boy or with your parents. But forcing can’t work with human relationships.
Flower power Permalink
“I compare the whole process to a flower, the symbol of love. A flower grows out of the soil of creativity and turns toward the sun, the light of life. It turns toward the sun and opens its petals wide to receive this light, without question. It closes only at night to sleep and get silent nourishment from the earth.
“In just that way, when you’re trying to create or work out something, if you open your thoughts to receive light, without question—it will come—all you need for your particular project or problem. Life can be like a flower that gets all its power of beautiful creativity by opening its petals to unfoldment from God.”
Do you believe in Flower Power? Write Mike c/o FaVE and tell him how it has worked for you.
