Inspiration - the interviews
For my article "Mystery in the shower" (Schweizer Musikzeitung 12/2023), I interviewed musicians. Their detailed answers can be read here in alphabetical order.
Annakin, Singer/Songwriter
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
For me, inspiration is the state of mind it takes to write a good song. It is the epiphany, a revelation or a flash of inspiration, the shot of endorphins and the start of something exciting. It's at the beginning and is important for the creative process to flow.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
I can't really do without inspiration, because without it you can hardly make any progress, if at all. And I also believe that you can hear it in a song because it then sounds uninspired. Inspiration is therefore an indispensable source for me to be able to work creatively and perhaps also a seal of quality. I don't think the result is the same if you work hard on something creative in an uninspired way. Because, in my opinion, inspiration animates the work.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration for you?
At some point I realized that there are methods for tapping into inspiration. For example, I often just write down my inner monologue in search of good lyrics. Sooner or later, my thoughts circle around something that is worth pursuing or a play on words arises that I record. Basically, you can find inspiration everywhere if you sharpen your senses. Just recently, I couldn't quite read a sign that said "Brockenhaus" from a distance and thought it said "Broken Hans". A wonderful title for a new song, I thought.
Is there anything else you would like to say about inspiration?
Embrace it while you can! It is often a fleeting liaison with inspiration and hard work to keep it by your side for a long time.
Benjamin Amaru, Singer/Songwriter
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
Inspiration (in relation to art/creation) for me is something I want to work towards. I usually see it in the form of other artists who achieve something that I find worthwhile. The most important thing for me is how they achieve it and how authentic they are to themselves and to the outside world. This includes things that touch and/or impress me. In other words, anything that does something to me and that I can identify with can be an inspiration for me and be part of the very process or development that I am pursuing.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
I think there's no getting around "hard work". However, I think that inspiration is also at the heart of hard work. Why do you work hard? For me, the drive is just as linked to inspiration as anything else. Accordingly, I believe that inspiration lies at the heart of all creation.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration and artistic results for you?
For me, it comes very sporadically. It doesn't need a certain state or a specific situation, just the will to be inspired.
Daniel Schnyder, composer
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
It means that something is stimulating your mind. This can come from outside or from within. The spirit that "inspires", i.e. visits you, is everywhere, but you can't always open up to it straight away. It sometimes rings at the artist's door at inopportune moments. What triggers inspiration? A creative environment can have an inspiring effect, other people, artists. But being alone can also inspire. As I said, spirit lives everywhere, it just doesn't always reveal itself.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
Inspiration means energy; yes, it takes inspiration to create, and then immediately hard concentrated work, otherwise the spirit is gone again immediately. You cannot "postpone" inspiration. Unfortunately, hard work alone is not enough. You simply don't have the strength to do anything. You dry up without inspiration. Today, distraction is the danger; everything strives for the energy minimum, which is physics, chemistry: i.e.: Fridge, news, wellness, TV, social media. That's when the mind just marches out the door again ... But if you manage to stick with it, there is the "inspiration pull", where a whole stream of ideas, creative urge and kairos come together.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration and artistic results for you?
Other musicians, great concerts, great works of the past; but also great literature and other cultures.
Is there anything else you would like to say about inspiration?
Yes; I believe there is a superordinate "creative spirit" that characterizes people and gives them the opportunity to design a kind of "counter-creation". If you can join this superordinate spirit, connect with it, you are able to do things that you cannot actually do. can. This is what Bach means, for example, when he writes JESU JUVA in the most complicated parts of his compositions. You want to get the spirit to help you reach the kairos, the point of success. That means happiness.
That's also the only reason why you do it at all. There's no commercial sense in writing a four-part spiral fugue. You can't even bluff with it these days hahaha. But when it's played and works, it's of course great and a moment of happiness. And then, years later, you never understand how it all fits together so well and could succeed: As a composer, you create your own creative puzzles, hahaha.
https://www.danielschnyder.com/
Emanuela Hutter, Hillbilly Moon Explosion
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
Inspiration is life-sustaining for me. Like the oil in the gearbox.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
Creating something new and unprecedented requires inspiration. It takes hard work to turn inspiration into reality. And a lot of perseverance.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration and artistic results for you?
Thanks to the lockdown, I was able to experience that I can only be creative when I am in social interaction with people, namely strangers. Observing strangers inspires me and stimulates my imagination. Lounging around at home with my family in harmony and security is wonderful and relaxing, but it's counterproductive for me. I didn't write a single song during the entire lockdown.
How do you write a catchy tune?
Earworms can be stupidly intrusive and unpleasant. Sometimes they attack me when I wake up and continue to buzz nefariously in my head, and when I try to process them, they are too greasy and intrusive for anything beautiful to come of them. In such cases, trusting in a collaboration with a fellow musician or producer is fruitful. A collaboration that allows and endures disagreement and tension. I find it difficult to aim for a catchy tune.
Is there anything else you would like to say on the subject of "inspiration"?
Inspiration is a wonderful thing because it just happens to you. It comes to you like a breeze. Without having to make an effort. It feels like falling in love. And it can't be forced or bought. That is sometimes a beautiful aspect.
https://www.hillbillymoon.com/
James Varghese, musician/producer
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
Inspiration is the reason why I have to create. It's as if I have something important that I really want to say. It has to get out. It's a feeling of happiness, a "flash". Although happiness is not quite the right word. You're more focused then, "in the zone". I'm not jumping for joy in the studio. I tend to become quiet, humble and grateful that I can experience this moment. It doesn't feel as if I have done or created something. It's a spiritual experience and you don't feel like an actor, more like a medium.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
If I only created when I was inspired, a song would never be finished. It always needs the aspect of hard, dry work. But only through hard work I would never find a song interesting enough to release. Since I also can't control when I'm inspired and when I'm not, I also have to go into the studio when I don't feel like it. There are many areas of music that I can work on, even when I'm uninspired.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration for you?
I wish I knew that! Listening to music can lead to inspiration and vice versa. As I live in the city, trips into nature are always very inspiring. Maybe it's just about the change of scenery. Visits to other cities also always trigger a lot. Sometimes it feels like a battery being recharged.
How did the idea of a collaboration with Simone Felber in the Bergbahn come about? Did the "forced" inspiration it provided lead your creative work in different directions than when you were alone?
The collaboration was initiated by Swisscom. They created an online format called X-Stories to bring people from different worlds together. In our case, it was city X country, electronic music X folk music. This forced element was very refreshing and beneficial for me, because I don't usually get to do that so often. I "had" to deliver something and this pressure was good for me. I think that whenever you have to get out of your comfort zone, exciting things happen. If I only ever did collaborations, I'd be really excited if I was suddenly allowed to work alone for a day. But because I so often work alone, the exchange was very valuable and enriching.
What also helped were the strict deadlines. Otherwise I can spend ages tweaking a track. Move a detail here, make a small change there until it's "perfect". And then it's still never perfect. I had to be much more pragmatic and that helped me. We found a good mix between free playing time, fiddling around and searching on the one hand and the harsh reality that we have to deliver 15 minutes of music on the other. That sounds like a compromise and "settling for something quicker", but it wasn't like that. It was simply longer working days and shorter nights.
Is there anything else you would like to say about inspiration?
It's a word that can be used to say everything and nothing. And it can also be used as a killer argument and as an excuse, because you can never prove or disprove it. I could still be working on my first song and convince myself that I'm just waiting for inspiration and in the meantime I'm lying on the sofa scrolling through social media. But once you've experienced that "flash", you want to hold on to the feeling forever. I often ask myself what it feels like for other people. And what actions or moments make non-musicians feel it and how they express it.
https://jamesvarghese.bandcamp.com/album/uijo
https://quietloverecords.com/jamesvarghese
Michael Sele, The Beauty of Gemima
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
It is this spark that ignites my creativity, the moment when ideas, emotions and impressions come together and lead me to create something new.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
Inspiration is at best the beginning of the creative process that brings my work to life, but since you can't just wait for the big inspiration, I have also developed my techniques to foster my creativity. And this is where the work aspect comes in. It can be more than tedious, even frustrating, but it is also the only faithful and fearless companion that is by my side throughout the whole process.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration and artistic results for you?
I find inspiration in many aspects of life, because basically you are surrounded by ideas and impressions every day, not to say non-stop. The important thing is that I am also on the path of wanting to create something new. Only then are my antennae active and I can receive signals. Breaking out of the daily routine, leaving the comfort zone, turning night into day again, going out, leaving the warm room, going to concerts, going to the theater, going to the cinema, all these are circumstances or wonderful things that then amplify the signals exponentially.
Can you force a catchy tune?
An earworm is usually a catchy song or a melody that keeps popping up in your mind. You can definitely try to compose catchy melodies that have the potential to trigger an earworm in the listener. This can be achieved by using certain harmonies, melodies or lyrics that are easily remembered. There are entire textbooks that have analyzed the big hits and tried to derive a so-called key to success from them. Production teams and record companies also try to apply these schemes and if this song then runs non-stop and in continuous rotation on all channels, the chances are certainly not bad that the catchy tune will become a hit at best.
Is there anything else you would like to say on the subject of "inspiration"?
Inspiration in the sense of breathing in actually means nothing other than that everyone needs inspiration to survive and can and must be inspiration for others.
https://www.thebeautyofgemina.com
Nik Bärtsch, musician/composer
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
An artistic work, a performance or a football match must be brought to life - in its creation and during its execution. Rules, skill and a fat budget alone are not enough. We speak of "animated" when an event triggers empathy, emotion and community. This happens through the "breath of things" - life is breathed into the living beings involved. They begin to believe in the here and now together.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
Inspiration is like a Japanese spirit that constantly changes into other bodies. It appears out of nowhere in the shower as well as during hard work. So it cannot be forced, but it can be evoked: through patience and dedication to the music, in artistic ecstasy as a permanent state, so to speak.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration and artistic results for you?
Work flow - whether under stress or with lots of time and space, the tunnel vision has to be right. The composer Morton Feldman says: To compose, you need two things - unconditional concentration and belief in it. I would add: tremendous joy in the music. Incidentally, this is how FCZ recently became champions against overpaid and greased competitors: joy, focus, faith.
Niklaus Keller, composer
Would you be willing to answer a few questions on the subject of "inspiration"?
Gladly, because:
A: Inspiration and creation are the two cornerstones of my life. Spirit and creation determine my existence, kissed by the muse, I compose in my study. I have no idea what I am doing there, the divine spark permeates me and the quill in my hand, the notes write themselves.
B: Maybe not, I make music and have little idea of the neurological sequences in the brain. Inspiration and creation are perhaps ultimately nothing more than electrical charges and people only create something new, just as they climb a mountain, namely because the mountain is there. So he writes music because he can and for no other reason.
Whether A or B, the music sounds the same. Good, then we can start the interview now, "Mr. Keller, thank you very much for the introduction."
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
For me, inspiration means having an idea without having to actively think about it; the spirit enters consciousness unexpectedly and is perceived. This happens in a moment of relaxation and self-forgetfulness, neither of which can be brought about consciously, because the whole process, I repeat, happens unexpectedly.
Unfortunately, I can't think of full-length symphonies at the drop of a hat; they tend to be short motifs and melodies that usually reveal themselves to me as I stroll along whistling. If I like a motif, I record it with my device, my cell phone.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
For me, inspiration is nothing supernatural, it is generated by people or their brains themselves, tends to be unconscious and arises from what you have stored as music in your brain and is reassembled there if it is an original idea. As I said before, I come up with short melodies. Then the hard work begins, which is sometimes worthwhile if the idea is good. Inspiration is the building block and a help to get started.
The fact that inspiration serves as a starting point can also be seen in the fact that some musicians believe that inspiration is a direct message from God. Trusting in God certainly gives you additional strength and legitimizes your own work. But you can also start without inspiration, because there are other parameters besides inspiration that play a role, such as the urge to create something that is right in itself, like a designer with a beautifully shaped car or a footballer with a beautifully struck free kick or, like Rossini, when he cooks something good.
And yes, it is work. You work long hours, because it shouldn't sound like hard work, but like it was made on the spot, and it should also sound good, so you should also have certain technical skills.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration and artistic results for you?
Unfortunately, I don't have an answer. I don't think even Beethoven would have one, because even he, if I remember correctly, didn't achieve 1001TP3 results in the operatic field. If he had known how to assess the situation correctly, he wouldn't have written operas - or better ones. But inspiration isn't everything, it's also about freeing yourself from your own making and looking at it from the outside, so to speak. Like the Beatles did for each other when writing songs. Moreover, inspiration doesn't just happen at the beginning. You also have new ideas during the work, which are a result of the initial spark.
https://niklauskeller.bandcamp.com/
Romaine Blum, Wintershome
What does "inspiration" mean to you?
Inspiration is what a musician lives on. It is the heartbeat of our creative existence. Inspiration is that which cannot be explained, the magic behind a song, that certain something.
Does it take "inspiration" to create or is hard work enough?
You definitely need inspiration. You can achieve a lot with hard work, but I am convinced that creative work in particular requires inspiration that comes from somewhere and finds you. I think only hard work doesn't bring inner satisfaction because this magic is missing.
What circumstances are most likely to lead to creative inspiration and artistic results for you?
Everyday things, but also the really big emotions. Sometimes you write a song about a break-up, a loss, the birth of a child or other drastic experiences. But sometimes all it takes is a sentence from a good book to inspire you to write a song.
Can you force a catchy tune with calculation? Some of your choruses are incredibly catchy ...
We don't believe that this can be forced. We've actually tried it a few times. But we always got to the point where we couldn't get any further or became dissatisfied, and that's where inspiration comes into play. It works best when you are open to it and have no expectations, and then it just suddenly flows.
