As artists and songwriters, many of us have a special relationship with our egos. Just think about how constrained by ego even the average non-artist is, from being a kid who gets jealous of our siblings when they get more attention from Mom, to becoming grown ups constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses. Unfortunately, for artists, this relationship with our ego can often hinder our art as much as it helps it. One solution I’ve found is turning to folk music, which has sometimes allowed me to think beyond the ego. For artists who have felt stuck creatively, it might help to explore the genre, and remind yourself: you’re not as folkin’ important as you think you are.

When I first got into folk music, it was its expansiveness that struck me first. The subject matter seemed to connect my individual experience into a wider fabric of humanity. I didn’t have to be given away to a 14 year old boy as a wife to understand the shattered innocence and ideals of “Young But Daily A-Growin’.” This connection between the ego and the wider world can be entered by listening to folk songs, and in turn this connection can be used when we encounter songwriters’ block.

Connecting the Ego with the Big Wide World

You might notice a difference between the way Lennon, and then from how Bob Dylan, channeling the folk vision, writes. Note Lennon’s raw personal expression in lines like

I thought that you would realize
If I ran away from you that you would love me too
But I got a big surprise.

Notice how often he uses “I” and tells things directly from his perspective – it makes for great art. However, notice the ego-transcending folk elements in how Dylan expresses a similar idea: “And the silent night will shatter from the sounds inside my mind/we’re both just one too many mornings/and a thousand miles behind.” It’s not just about Dylan and his ego expressing something – the silent night is one with his thoughts, and he is presented in the context of the vast expanse of time and space.

Where do you think Dylan got that? There’s evidence in his own words, and in our analysis, that if you listen to enough classic folk songs, where the self is connected to a wider world that this seeps into your music. When you hear enough songs about John Henry’s individual struggle against the apparently heartless rise of technology, or the tale of a woman allowing her rape by a cruel master to save her father, the direct sense of self begins to blend into a wild, vast world.

So next time you feel stuck creatively, or notice that your music has hardly improved in a long time, maybe embrace a new perspective via some old folk songs and let them remind you: you’re not that folkin’ important.