I feel like for me to write songs that I would be interested in as a listener, there has to be tension, and there has to be some kind of push and pull between reality and the potential of disaster.
Interpretation
Creativity thrives on tension and contrast between reality and potential disasters.
Jason Isbell expresses that the essence of songwriting, at least for him, lies in the interplay of tension. This tension arises from the contrast between the harshness of reality and the looming possibility of disaster, which serves as a driving force that adds depth and intrigue to his music. He believes that without this push and pull, songs may lack the compelling narrative that engages listeners.
In practice
During a songwriting workshop, I shared Jason Isbell's quote to illustrate the importance of conflict in storytelling.
If you're the person whose problems were solved when you were born, your job is to try and help the people who aren't in that situation. It's very easy to say you're tired of political discussion when all of your problems are solved. I keep trying to think of it that way.
I spend a lot of time wondering how to best support the people that I love, because I think sometimes that means getting out of the way. When should I leave them alone to have their own life?
Terrible things happen all of the time, and they can happen in a second. The best thing is to be prepared to react. If you try to control every little thing, you're going to end up miserable - and you're going to fail.
I try to read a lot and listen to a lot of good songwriters, and I try to actually work on the craft of writing a song rather than just leaving it up to inspiration.
A lot of people in Nashville think that the best song is the catchiest or the one that sells the most copies. They're editing songs in a way that make them seem more consumable, I guess. I'm trying to edit them in a way that makes them more honest.
My wife is so very important to me that it's made my mom more important to me. It's made every woman I know more important to me.
Recounting the strange is like telling one's dreams: one can communicate the events of a dream, but not the emotional content, the way that a dream can colour one's entire day.
Reading a poem in translation is like kissing a woman through a veil.
Abstraction is real, probably more real than nature.
I get to use fiction as a way to work out my thinking and to delight readers in the process. I can't think of any deal that's better for me, and I'm always so grateful that readers have indulged me as I argue with myself in my stories.
The world is a king, and like a king, desires flattery in return for favor; but true art is selfish and perverse — it will not submit to the mold of flattery.
Artists know that diligence counts as much, if not more, as inspiration; in art, as in politics, patience counts as much as revolution.
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