Lucius
Key Takeaways
- The initial stage of the creative process requires allowing yourself to be totally stupid and releasing all inhibitions.
- Getting out of your own way means putting everything down on paper first and deciding later whether it belongs in the song.
- Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig use word games, such as blind-pointing to a random word in a book, to jumpstart their writing.
- Freewriting for ten minutes on a randomly selected word helps bypass internal censorship during the early phases of songwriting.
- Another effective collaborative exercise involves trying to discern and build upon what another band member is mumbling or humming.
"You need to be somewhere where you allow yourself to be totally stupid," says Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius. To be clear, this is not great life advice, but it's fantastic advice for the creative process. In other words, the initial stage of any creative process means getting out of your own way and releasing all inhibitions. It's about putting everything down on paper, no matter how stupid, and deciding later whether it belongs.
As you'll hear, Wolfe and Laessig's initial stage involves fantastic word games. One will open a book, close her eyes, then put their finger on a random word. They then write about that word for ten or so minutes in a freewriting exercise. In another game, bandmates try to discern what another band member is mumbling or humming.
The new self-titled album by Lucius is out now.
*photo by Dana Trippe
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the songwriting process of Lucius?
Lucius band members Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig start their creative process by bypassing inhibitions and allowing themselves to write without self-judgment, often using fun word games to get started.
How do Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig use word games in songwriting?
They open a book, close their eyes, point to a random word, and then freewrite about that word for roughly ten minutes to generate fresh ideas.
Why is being 'totally stupid' important to the creative process according to Lucius?
Embracing silliness and removing inhibitions helps songwriters get out of their own way, allowing them to capture raw ideas on paper before editing them later.
