I'm going to be focusing this article on inspiration from music for writing, but I believe this works just as well for drawing and other art forms. I tend to get inspired for themes and general atmospheres with music, so this is good for any creative outlet.
As mentioned above one of the biggest influences music has on anyone is atmosphere. It is a proven fact that happy music in a retail store makes customers happier and more likely to purchase. Outside of that random trivia I can't explain why music does this off the top of my head, but I can tell you my own personal experiences. I watch a lot of TV shows and movies, and I know I'm not alone in this. The entertainment industry is well known for its mastery of using music to inflict emotion. Therefore when I listen to similar sounding music in my own time I get the same vibe, and inspiration for atmosphere for a fitting scene.
Although instrumentals are what gets my emotions spiraling out of control, lyrics are what really gets me hooked on a song. I love storytelling and relationships between characters, and there is plenty of this in music. Love songs, for example, tend to be very inspiring for many scenes since I have plenty of romantic relationships in my writing. While they are just as cheesy as the scenes I've already written they can give me a different idea to spice it up. Love songs are far from the only songs I listen to though, as many are about personal hardship. An important part of a developed character is seeing how they can fall and get back up again. So songs about redemption, ambition, or perseverance can really help push a characters development- just while playing it while driving or drawing.
I'm able to connect some songs to a certain type of character so well that I've used them for many over the years. For example, I've used BANKS "Beggin for Thread" to inspire many "bad girl" characters. The vocals and lyrics mixed with the background just speaks not giving a f*** to me. Recently I've fallen in love with the song "Rewrite the Stars" from "The Greatest Showman" because of how two people in love are fighting each other to be together. It's very similar to some of my own characters relationships and allows me to better see who would react in what way in that situation.
Do you use music for inspiration in anything? Let me know below!
Comments