Composing : Adam Watts' AMA - SongWriter, Producer, Mixer, Engineer, (a.k.a. SongMaker), Author, StoryTeller, Educator, Dad, etc. (Adjunct Professor at CBU)- Songwriting for Television and Film by Adam Watts

Great to meet you, @Adam Watts. IMPRESSIVE resume!!! Congratulations on all of your success! Thanks for having this AMA. Say a producer or filmmaker wants to have a song in a movie. What's the first step in getting permission to use the song?

Thanks Maurice:)... First step is to research who wrote the song, and who publishes the song. First reach out to the publishers (often there are more than one... especially if the song is well known). If you don't hear back from the publishers on your request, you can take the next step and politely and professionally try to reach out to the songwriters themselves (DM on social media if that's the only way you can find them)... Make sure you make your message as short and concise as possible so that it feels pro/legit. Express that you'd like to talk to whomever the best person is to talk creative/business. Tell them you've reached out to the publishers and haven't heard back... express that perhaps your message got lost in the shuffle and then share what the movie is about and if they have a representative that you could speak to. If the song is well known they likely get lots of requests and they'll have a "nose" for sniffing out which placements are a good fit and which aren't. So you wanna start off with your "placement" feeling legit in every way. : ) If you know you have a decent sync/license budget (in the multiple thousands at least for a song connected to known writers or artists - a well known song can be way up in the 6-figures, while a great song that's not that known---or unreleased--can often be licensed for a reasonable fee for even an indie filmmaker), then sometimes expressing that might help your message get taken seriously. If it were me on the receiving end of a "cold" DM, that would help me take it seriously. Not because it's "all about the money", but because often money follows good creativity... so knowing that there's some funding involved is a good sign, on all levels. Hope that helps!

Hello, Adam. Thank you for taking the time out to share your wisdom with us. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about submitting material? Do you recommend a competition? I have o

only ever seen competitions for the musicians and/or combination of musician songwriter, never for just a writer.

Congratulation on your impressive career Adam Watts and thank you for this AMA! I appreciate your explanation on how licensing a song for a film works. It is a big help for filmmakers! I am absolutely intrigued by your book "The Human of Being Art: A Holistic Approach to Being an Artist and Creating Art", just In time to add it to this year's Letter to Santa!

Hello Adam, how are you?

In terms of a Television series how many minutes of music a day do you compose?

Hey Trish Persen ! Try anything and everything....CAVEAT ALERT: as long as you've explored the situation and opportunity and there are no obvious red flags:)... Competitions can be worthwhile... it's case-by-case on those things... A writing competition often a good challenge and a way to get heard... get feedback... make friends... and maybe even win (which CAN lead to something)... everyone has a unique path.. there's no ONE way to find success... My biggest break---like LIFE CHANGING break (that led to getting signed to Disney as a songwriter) came from the indie A&R company TAXI (which anyone can join: Taxi.com).... a lot of people thought that company was a scam.... it isn't... but since anyone can join, it could seem that way... That's just one of dozens of things I was doing at the time (late 90s, early 2000s) to move my career forward... it's usually it's an accumulation of things that create a little customized cyclone that get people talking and suddenly something will happen that feels like it comes out of nowhere, but is really the result of just constantly putting yourself out there... if you're work is good, you're relentless and professional (which win this industry can also mean; you're a cool person & a good hang), your odds just keep going up and SOMETHING will land. It's all about the convergence of doing great work and being in the right place at the right time... sounds cliche eh? It's true though, but it's not mysterious; being in the right place at the right time isn't random... be a lot of places, with the right WORK (good) and eventually one of those places is the right place... and it's the right time, because you've worked hard to have the RIGHT level of work for someone who needs someone awesome to work with: )!!

Hi Adam Watts - thanks a ton for doing this AMA! When you're approached to compose a song for a movie, what are the first steps you take to accomplishing that? Thanks in advance!

So what’s your favorite thing about your upcoming film FOLLOWING FIREFLIES?

Hey Navid Lancaster ! My experience is mostly in writing "songs" for film/tv, not composing score (though I've done a bit of that for various projects). It's a very different project than scoring. When a series or film needs a "song" it's either to move the narrative forward (like in a musical) or it's a "needle drop" (music over a scene or montage), and I would get a detailed brief (sometimes written, often via a phone call or a meeting with the director or head music person). In these cases we'd often have 1-3-weeks to turn in a first draft based on the brief (which would most often include the scene description---if not the whole screenplay) as well as other song references with specific info on the "what and why" from each song they're referencing (how it relates to what they want our of the scene)... then it's all about psychoanalyzing the situation from every possible angle! i.e. this type of thinking: "Ok, creatively and from a story, character, genre (music and film/tv) let's figure out what our "frame and palate" is... what's within this project and what isn't.".... and other considerations like, "Do they ACTUALLY want what they SAY they want? If yes then________ if maybe not then________"... Once all that thinking is done, then it's like I've loaded my heart and mind with all the "rules" of the situation---they're ingrained--then I can just try to disappear into a creative process with that underlying operating system in place... and without pandering or over-intellectualizing, the right ideas will tend to surface (that's the plan anyway!). Then I'll find that stuff just kind bubbles up: an idea out of nowhere and BOOM, I'm off and running. I refer to this as harnessing the TWO KEY CREATIVE STATES: Flow Stage & Know State - in flow you just GO.... and capture what comes --- that's where the magic can happen, when we'll have access to the most of our ourselves (talents, techniques, project knowledge: all in one big goop)... and then, once that's happened, I switch to The Know State: this is where I get distance and Assess, Edit, and Tweak my own work as if I'm the director, executive, etc.... and after edits/tweaks, I'll enter back into The Flow State to do them... and back and forth I go until I feel like what I'm going to deliver as THE FIRST THING THEY HEAR is something I would love if I were THEM (and that I think is my best possible work give the situation). It's totally about spinning all the plates... juggling all the balls... subjective, objective, creative, business, relational... and leaving no stone unturned. The idea is to deliver stuff that feels like it came from the heavens... and sometimes it feels like it did... other times it's because that nuanced and thoughtful process above gets you there and it's HARD WORK (but fun)... I've experienced it going smooth: first idea goes all the way with almost no notes... and the other way: it was a long slog of back and forth.... and in those cases it's ALL about keeping that :"first day" energy all the way through and not losing focus (of heart). I have a feeling I may have not answered your actual question! haha... but I hope that helps!

Adam Watts Thanks so much for doing this for us here in the lounge! Bravo, Sir!

You're welcome, @Adam Watts. Thanks for the answer! Incredible answer! All of them! Really helpful!

Hey Elena Maro ! Ah yes the book! Glad to hear you're interested... it's my life's work packed into a a book... but it's not really about me at all... so don't expect lots of anecdotes of biographical stuff... it's about trying to identify (and clearly express) the underlying philosophies and concepts that I began to realize are like a set universal truths about the way the creative process, artistic expression (both in a vacuum and in collaboration), tends to function... the WHY and the HOW... it's all about looking at the entire self to find the concepts of philosophies that lead to the most healthy and effective process AND the best result... all while seeking overall health and multi-dimensional success (i.e. not just money, respect/notoriety, fame, awards, etc.... but fulfillment and a sustainable healthy lifestyle with good relationships with family friends and associates). I've realized that with the psychological/internal side of this subject, we've barely scratched the surface. How effective we are at navigating not just our talents, but our internal experience is almost always THE defining factor in whether or not we achieve our goals... fundamentally it's about navigating what I call the Intersection in a Minefield; The Five Blockages: Insecurity, The Desire for Validation, Egotism, Fear of Success and/or Failure and The Fear of Vulnerability... at any moment in the creative process or in the business we can step in a landmine of any of those 5 blockages and BOOM we're at a fork in the road: what do we do?! Let the blockage decide which way we go? Or fight against it and aim toward authenticity... that's the battleground of art when it's not just flowing easily : )... we ALL struggle with those things! The book begins at defining the basic terms so we can dig into them (art, artistry, artist, success, the self) and the moves to process... then to collaborative processes... then out to the business.... all from four. integrity parts of the human experience: The Psychological, The Philosophical, The Physiological and The Spiritual. It's a book for all creatives, not just musicians.

Adam Watts, thank you for sharing your time with us today! What is your favorite part of the songwriting process? Is there a project that you look back on more fondly for how that process came together?

Adam Watts Thank you for that inspiring response. I am a true believer of just being who you are and someone is always watching. Putting myself out there was always a scary thing for me, but once I let go, it lead me here and winning the competition last year. So grateful for this community. Thank you for the encouraging words and sharing your story with us today. Happy November!

What up Carolyn J Carpenter !:) Ooh FOLLOWING FIREFLIES.... hehe... 3 things are in a tie for first place for my favorite thing. 1) That I'm as excited and inspired about the project itself as I am about the team that's working on it with me... and given you're on that team, you are one of those favorite things! 2) That this is a story that's about WHAT MATTERS in life... but it's not some backwards, agenda-piece..... the tail isn't wagging the dog... we just love the characters, the story, the world and it all feels real... the deeper meanings are emerging as we just follow the inspiration... and that just continues to prove that it's worth working on 3) That it brings together alllllllll of my experiences personally, artistically, musically, storytelling-wise, career-wise, into ONE BIG PROJECT.... So this takes the stakes up a notch (or 1000 notches)... Because of this, it can be a vulnerable thing to work on... I'm hammered on the daily from the inside out (one moment I'm confident as can be... the next, insecure to my bones.... and back and forth)... but I also know that it's ALREADY got within it some of the best work I've ever done and been a part of... in my mind, it has more potential for finding a massive audience and effecting + entertaining them in ways that could tick all the big boxes; it's creative, artistic, relational, business, fun, meaningful, will land for kids, teens, adults.... all the boxes I care about....... maybe more than any other project I've worked on. So yeah.... That's my favorite "thing". :)

Hey Leonardo Ramirez ! Check out my long answer to Navid Lancaster's question above... most of the answer to your question is in there:).... but I'll add to it with a concept from my book "The Human of Being Art".... the chapter is called "Boxes: inside, outside, or no box at all?".... here's an excerpt from that chapter:

"Whether we’re aware of it or not, every artistic undertaking or creative project has a box. The walls of this box are built out of perspective, perception, limitation and especially, expectation. What is our relationship to the box?

THE BOX

INSIDE, OUTSIDE, OR NO BOX AT ALL

It’s a common metaphor, especially when referring to the arts or any venture involving creativity. Phrases like “That’s so outside the box”, or “Think outside the box” are used to describe a result or approach that’s innovative or that breaks with convention and/or exceeds expectations. When something is outside the box it’s new, surprising, challenging, exciting, even scary. Put simply, it’s something outside of the norm.

As artists we are almost always faced with this invisible, metaphoric box every time we create. Its effects on us are profound and the sense of tension that exists as we near its walls is palpable and significant.

Whether this box is imposed by something (or someone) outside ourselves (like a client), or it’s a box we’ve put ourselves in, (consciously or unconsciously) the box is there.

These four walls rise up around us with a floor and ceiling to match. Are these the walls of a place of business, a job, a gig? Are these walls analogous to the safe, comfortably familiar walls of a home-sweet-home? A cheap hotel for a one night stay? The Presidential Suite? Or, are these the walls of a prison cell?"

It goes on from there... but the irony is, I'm using this box metaphor in a way that makes "thinking outside the box" a risky thing in a client/project sense! First we gotta understand, then fill the box! If from there, we can find areas where it's welcome to "think outside the box" and add to things in a surprising and welcome way... well, that's half the joy of any project! But first we gotta get on the same page... delivering a song that's 100% outside the box is USUALLY a recipe for rejection: )... but when we can identify what they care about most, often you can add to that with unique ideas that are unique to us, that only enhance and pleasantly surprise. For example, sometimes it's clear that a client isn't as concerned with, say, the drum sounds (as long as they're in the desired genre vibe) and so that might an area where I can feel more free to just do what I want to do... so identifying the important stuff that defines their box is important... the GREAT executives and directors etc. have a particularly highly developed skill for vision expression... which is essentially effective box description. !!

So the first thing I do is try to align MY BOX to THE BOX of the movie (and those making it!). I want to understand (on every level) where the floors, walls, ceiling, doors, windows, etc. are so I can write the song they want and need. So, from the big picture stuff like genre, emotion and vibe, to the sound of the snare drum or shaker, to the lyrics and vocal performance and EVERYTHING in between, I want to be aligned in all areas: Content (lyrics/melodies/chords/rhythms/arrangement), Performances, Sonics, and sense of Taste.... so I can deliver something I dig, and that they dig; BOTH! So for me it's all about info gathering and using everything I have to assess the situation creatively and interpersonally so that my box is their box.... then I find that I've created what I call my "Artist's O.S," for the project; an internal creative operating system that is custom built to the project, scene, and song... once that's effectively built, writing the song is FAR more natural... and the results FEEL right in ways that define an intellectual assessment... and that's what every client wants..... and then when they say "ummm that's not what I was imagining", I quit and cry all night. Just kidding. Usually that works and we're off and running! And in rare cases when it doesn't and we start over on a whole new song, I just ask more questions so I can better rewrite my O.S. and then I try to sallow my pride and just dive back in as if it was the first time again. Keeping inspiration alive is often one of the most difficult but one of the most important skills in a high-stakes project with many creative voices and layers (like films almost always have!). Hope that's helpful! It's certainly wordy :)

Haha, Adam Watts - it's a great answer...and certainly helpful! And hopefully, you haven't had many (or any) of those nights. I love the thought behind aligning your box with theirs. Thanks Adam!

Hi Adam Watts! Thanks for doing this AMA! I would love to know what your favorite project to work on has been and why...?

Hey Ashley Renee Smith ! ooh... good questions... and I'm clearly long-winded so... be prepared... (the Questions; 1.What is your favorite part of the songwriting process? 2. Is there a project that you look back on more fondly for how that process came together?)... 1) I cottage answer this one from two angles... music for myself (my solo stuff) and from the angle of being a "professional being asked to write for a project".... My favorite part with my own music is probably the element of catharsis that begins at the moment of "ooh there's a song that needs to come from this feeling/thought" alllllll the way to when someone else hears it and connects with it. So my favorite part is that combo of expression+connection that is the constant simultaneous goal of both the process AND the result. When both of those come into harmony, it's a "favorite part" that is the whole part! And essentially, that's The Lifestyle of a Songwriter; loving the whole thing. Okay that's my complicated answer... I think my simpler answer applies to both angles; I love that first moment when the feeling inside becomes a song on the outside. (usually that's when the first verse and chorus are locked in and it WORKS!)... that's when a song is conceived... and though we all love the gestation, birth, and the raising of one of our babies... conception has to be one of the most fun and passionate parts : ).... welcome to analogy-land... haha...

2) Jeez... that's a tough one... there are two of my solo albums that immediately spring to mind, "Murder Yesterday" and "When a Heart Wakes Up"... probably because I feel like the individual songs come together to also be a cohesive album in a way that scratches a certain itch... album making is an art unto itself... and if the songs are made FOR the album, usually that's a backwards way of approaching it (the songs will suffer)... so when there's a 2 year period of writing/recording that comes together as a collection of songs... it's something special...... but since this AMA is about tv/film... and I'm becoming a grizzled veteran (long-ish career to pull from!)... 3 projects come to mind....

A) "This is Me" & "I Gotta Find You" song for "Camp Rock" (the Disney channel movie which was Demi Lovato's debut with Joe Jonas co-starring). Andy (Dodd) and I were tasked with writing the big song near the end of the movie ("This is Me")... and the BRIDGE of that song had to be the CHORUS of the song Joe Jonas sings was earlier in the film.... he runs up on stage and sings his chorus, as the bridge for her song... it's a whole thing: )..... that song/story mashup was designed from the beginning... and Joe's song needed to exist on its own... yet totally work as the bridge (in a different key). Those two songs were recently voted as being in Billboard's list of "The 100 Greatest Disneyverse Songs of All Time"... "This is Me" was #31 and "gotta Find You" came in at #69.... which is pretty cool/humbling/trippy to be in there with songs like "When You Wish Upon a Star", "Whistle While You Work", "It's A Small World (Afterall)", "Part of Your World", etc. Surreal.

B) "This is Home" song written with Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman and Andy Dodd for the "Narnia Prince Caspian" film. This song came together in a crazy way... I love it, as a song... but also, the process to it happening was like a tightrope walk... Andy and I had written a finished song that the executives loved... they wanted to find an artist to sing it... and REALLY wanted Jon to sing it... but he's not the kind of dude who sings other people's songs... when I got that piece of info. and the quandary there... I just asked for his phone number (we hadn't met previously)... I called him up and invited him to rewrite a song together... he drove up from San Diego (I think the next day!) and we wrote "This is Home"... everyone loved it... we produced it, mixed and it's become a mainstay in Switchfoot's touring set... and it was such a honor to write a song for a C.S. Lewis fiction masterpiece (I'm a huge CS Lewis fan).

C) "Best Thing Ever" song for Netflix's "A WEEK WAY" - this film won the Dove Award for Inspirational film of the Year in 2021 - it was kind of touted as the first faith-based musical film (in modern times). Thought I'd put a more recent piece of work on the list... this song was co-written with Cory Clark (longtime writing partner/friend) and Alan Powell (who co-created, co-wrote, and co-produced the film). I'd landed the gig as Executive Music Producer (and songwriter and/or producer/mixer of all 12 of the film's songs) by expressing why goal to try to make music that felt current, and demographically on point, but that would stand the test of time as well. I was tasked to a write a song with the title "Best Thing Ever" for the big triumphant on-stage scene at the end of the film... and a reprise that would be the big celebratory dance scene minutes later... it had to be BIG, emotional, fun, and work on many many levels to sum up the story.... and I thought; "sheesh, it's gonna be hard to write something cool with that title....".... I sought to find a groove that felt anthemic... but not too slow... and to find a melody and lyric build up that would make that line sing well; epic, cool, and fun... and when I found it via this triplet phrasing for the hook moment inside of a groove that I always relate back to Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" (a groove/feel that is anthemic but still has energy)... I started as a drummer and really leaned on that side of my phrasing skillset to guide me to an initial song idea that Alan loved right away and the three of us were off to the races tweaking and tweaking and adding until it felt just right. Similar story with the song "Good Enough"... another original song in the film. A challenge, that after finding the "box", just flowed out in an inspired moment into an iPhone voice memo... once I have that initial golden nugget, the rest is a matter of riding the wave.

Hi Adam! I feel like all my questions may have been asked! Although you did list dad, is that harder than writing songs? So many different things you do, how do you organize it all?! I love the title of your animated show, Following Fireflies, hope you’ll let us know when that’s ready to see!

What's up Emily J ! This MIGHT be recency bias here... but I think it's FOLLOWING FIREFLIES... this original musical film/books/music project I'm currently working on... it's my baby.... and now it's also my team's baby (Carolyn J Carpenter & Kyol Shorack)... I've never worked on a project that felt SO meaningful, fun, challenging, and also blends together what has previously been two separate worlds; the parts of me the create my solo music and the parts of me that wrote for Disney etc. etc.... it's a chance to make the musical I WOULD MAKE!!! And..... it's REALLY coming together... we have 15 finished songs/recordings.... a script in process... 3 illustrated books.... a play therapy element (with courses for all ages)... and plans for this to be a franchise of Harry Potter-esque proportions (but with a decidedly more Tim Burton-esque feel to it)... God-willing.

As far as stuff that's currently out there... probably my solo album "When a Heart Wakes Up"...

Xochi Blymyer ! Cool name:)... ooh, well, you found some good questions of your own!

Well.... I firmly believe that doing anything SUPER well is equally difficult... and often equally rewarding... but in terms of meaning? Not everything has equal meaning... attempting to do something WELL... like, better than well... more like GREAT... is hard enough, but when that thing has to do with guiding and shaping another human being from baby to grown man? Well, that's not only difficult, but carries with it so much meaning, purpose and responsibility... so I guess that's harder, because it's more important than any song... BUT, I will say that anything I put my entire self into gets ALL OF ME in that moment.... so whether it's a song or raising my two lil boys (8 and 3)... while I'm doing either, it's my whole world... everything... it gets all my effort. Max effort.... Heart effort... Brain effort... Soul-effort. It's the only way to do anything pn a super high level; near obsession levels of commitment. (or total obsession levels!.... But, that's not necessarily recommended haha... hard to sustain:).

How do I organize it all? Well... depends who you ask... I've realized that, "it takes a village" to have a career like this... it can feel like I'm often alone, or just inside of a tight little collaboration... the reality is; I couldn't have gotten here without a supportive family... and I wouldn't be able to continue being here without a supportive wife... and great friends and collaborators.... So, for the past 3+ decades, while I'm off in creation-land, someone is usually holding down the fort or has helped enable me to do so... so that's part of it... support systems.... but also, I'd like to hereby than what my naturopathic doctor calls "Hyper-Focus ADD".... which she casually (maybe too casually) knighted me with last year... I suppose the shoe fits! I realized that I'm not anything close to calm or happy unless I have 3 to 10 different things going at once... if I'm not multi-tasking I'm not only bored, but I start self-destructing... my brain doesn't do well without problems to solve.... it would rather create a problem (or make one worse) than just sit there doing nothing... it's a good thing to know that every mini-super-power has a super-weakness!

And thank you... yes... I can't WAIT to share the FOLLOWING FIREFLIES world with you all... best case scenario, we'll start releasing the book series early next year, while we dive into making the film.... we're about to start taking meetings and finding a production company partner now that our initial 20-month development period has garnered a ton of IP... we're ready for the next step. It's gonna be so so cool. I feel this one in my dang bones!

Hi Adam, Thanks for doing this! How do you approach writing for yourself vs writing for someone else? Do you use different techniques or try to stick to the same methods?

Hey Niki H You're welcome:) This is weirdly complicated question to answer accurately! I'll give it a shot... Fundamentally I approach both writing for myself and writing for someone else in as much the same way as possible... but that's rarely possible! Whether that "someone else" is an artist, or a film or tv show, my best work is going to be work where I can bring my entire self to the process: not just my skills but also my tastes and my... well, heart/mind/soul (as cheesy as that may sound!).

There are two main differences between writing for myself or someone else (or another project):

1) When I write for myself, my goal is to accurately express something... I'm just trying to express myself and please myself while creating. When the song is done, I HOPE other people connect to it... I really do... it's incomplete without that piece... but WHILE I'm creating, ANY thought of what ANYONE else might think is 100% a negative to the process and result. If I stay within myself, the outcome will always be more pure and of a higher level of overall quality. I know that if it's more pure in that way, then it's more likely that it'll go deep for those who might connect to it. BUT, if I try to people-please, I'll just be guessing what others will like and screwing up my process... I'll either pander or go outside my own sensibilities and end up with a lesser piece of work.

2) Business: especially in recent years, there's almost no business agenda that enters into the equation with my solo music. It's the musical equivalent of writing in myth journal... like a diary entry... with the added element of seeking to make it something artistic and with benefit of knowing that I'll get to share it with people... and that if they connect to it... that will feel really good.

When I write for or with others, it's always for some external purpose... so I HAVE to take those considerations into account... and the further those considerations are from my own personal tastes or instincts or goals, the more I have to essentially "police" myself artistically so I stay on track!!

It's an incredibly delicate process... and I've spent the last 2+ decades figuring out how to bring AS MUCH OF MYSELF (the best of myself) to a project and yet, be careful not to let my own instincts take me away from the project's known goals. I've certainly made that mistake and experienced how I got in the way of myself by accidentally pulling something toward my own tastes when it needs to be something else... a High School Musical or A WEEK AWAY song isn't SUPPOSED to have a Jeff Buckley, Sting, Radiohead, and Chris Cornell vibe:).... but I think the upside is that sometimes there's a little something of those personal tastes that seeps in, that gives the work a little something different... some extra weight maybe... I did notice that Disney started coming to Andy and I more often for the "big emotional moments" in the films... and I think that might be a part of it.

My own tastes only partially align with most of the songs I've co-written that I've built my career around (especially most of the Disney stuff)... sometimes they only align a tiny bit... so it's essentially like being a character actor and I'm tasked with playing a role that is almost nothing like who I actually am... it's a fun challenge... and I have to use my intellect and imagination to get outside myself and create something that works... It's quite the psychologically complex feat!... at least for me... it's a whole thing:).... I've thought a lot about it... the goal is to internalize all the criteria and then bring as much of myself to it as possible... how much of myself? It varies widely!

In cases where I've been able to bring more of myself, the result (I've noticed) is always better....not because I'm awesome... but just because I think any artist's best work is the work that is a natural extension of their own tastes and internal experience.... that said the imagination can do some wonderful tricks... am I a girl named Gabriella that is about to bail on Troy in High School Musical? No. lol. But if I have to imagine what that might be like... and imagine what the goal demographic would want to FEEL while watching that scene... (that song was "Gotta Go My Own Away" from HSM2)... there are ways to get there that have more to do with a kind of artistically focused empathy that is a key tool in the professional songwriter's toolbox. Writing those kinds of songs with a collaborator (in that case Andy Dodd) is also helpful; we keep each other on point.

I think that's what I've spent this long response trying to find...haha... it's about a kind of ARTISTIC EMPATHY that makes writing "outside myself" such a fun and worthwhile challenge.

The boxes analogy (in one of the above answers) applies here.... Before I start co-writing, I try to find out (and make it conscious for myself and my writing partner) what's in the box.... then figure out how much of that aligns with my own tastes.... once I get those answers, I then see how much of my own thing I can bring to it that will positively effect the song, and not get in the way!! Then I can find my way in from a place of passion... then it's not just work... at least in some way, even if it's small. It varies widely on each project... but honing this skillset has allowed me to work in a super broad range of music and projects and have fun doing it.

Adam Watts , thank you so much for your detailed answer! I am hooked! " the definition of success as "fulfillment and a sustainable healthy lifestyle with good relationships with family friends and associates" truly resonates with me. I am looking forward to finding your book underneath the Christmas Tree :)

What a fantastic answer, thank you Adam Watts. Artistic Empathy is a great way to put it. I think a lot of what you are saying is experienced by the masses in "selling out". Such a loaded and negative term, that is often misused. But I think the heart of it comes from people who can see that an artist has stopped putting themselves into the work and are putting others wants and desires in instead. Separately, I'm here for a Chris Cornell High School Musical :)