Using art as inspiration
Look to other mediums work to inspire your writing.
Last week I went to the launch of a wonderful anthology of short stories based on Australian singer/songwriter, Paul Kelly’s songs called, Minds Went Walking: Paul Kelly’s Songs Reimagined. As a Melbourne copywriter and author, I often look to other forms of art, such as music or photography to stimulate my imagination.
The writers of these twenty-one stories were asked to choose a song to use as a springboard into a fiction, non-fiction or memoir piece. They could lean on the lyrics heavily or simply use them for inspiration. The only rule was to steer clear of quoting the song verbatim to avoid tricky copyright territory.
The result is a variety of wonderful tales that cover life, death and everything in between.
Paul Kelly describes this reimagining best when he states on the cover of the book:
'I like to see my songs walking around every which way, dressed in different clothes, talking different ways. I wave to them and they wave back.'
In light of this, I challenge you to look further afield than your brief or other books if your words feel stale or you’re stuck for ideas. Sometimes studying a painting or watching a film unlocks your creativity in a way that doesn’t involve you banging your head against the keyboard.
Try what the Paul Kelly writers did and draw on a song or a line of poetry you love — to create a whole new story.
There’s a word for this practice of using art to inspire written work. Author, Angela Savage, told us at the launch of the P.K. book that the word ekphrasis refers to the verbal representation of visual representation — it’s where visual and verbal or written work converges.
To see how ekphrasis looks on the page, check out Minds Went Walking: Paul Kelly’s Songs Reimagined, curated by writers, Jock Serong, Mark Smith, and Neil A. White, and published by Fremantle Press. I highly recommend it!
And, for help producing compelling copy for your business or creative venture, look no further — I am a Melbourne copywriter, published author, and writing coach. I can assist you with LinkedIn profiles, SEO copywriting, business copywriting, editing, proofreading, mentoring and MUCH more. Visit Emily Brewin Copywriter, or get in touch via my Contact page.
Or to learn more about my novels and other published works, go to my Author site or to Allen and Unwin.
Happy writing!
