Jack White on inspiration and writing

Jeff Kirschner sent this link to me, a clip from the documentary Under Great White Northern Lights, thoughts by musician Jack White on inspiration and writing. In his note, Jeff wrote: “Absolute parallel to the screenwriter’s life.”

Partial transcript:

Not everyday are you gonna wake up and the clouds are gonna part and the rays from heaven are gonna come down and you’re gonna write a song from it. Sometimes you’re just gonna get in there and force yourself to work, maybe something good will come of it. That was one of the things, whether we like it or not, write some songs, and record them. Force yourself. Book only four or five days in the studio and force yourself to record an album. Deadlines make you creative. But opportunity and telling yourself, ‘Oh, you got all the time in the world, all the money in the world, you’ve got all the colors in the palette you want, anything you want, that just kills creativity.

“Sometimes you’re just gonna get in there and force yourself to work.” Amen to that. If you wait for inspiration to write, you are screwed. 

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