Why The Genius Within

And the mysticism of songwriting

Hi friend!

I want to give you a big, warm welcome to my new newsletter, The Genius Within. And a happy new year! I hope you managed to celebrate it somehow in a way that suited you, your body and mind. We had my aunt and uncle for dinner and my dad (with my mom as food consultant, as we call her) made the most amazing meal and then I went to bed at 8 pm, like I do every day.

The Genius Within is actually a name that came to me intuitively back in 2015 when I started writing songs again. I had mild to moderate ME/CFS at the time and had a small, online coaching business at that point and was looking to pivot into creativity coaching and wanted a new name. I had felt my own ‘inner genius’ wake up as I was writing my songs. I felt like there was this thing inside me that could magically create these wonderful melodies and lyrics — and it felt both separate and a part of me.

I was also looking for my ‘zone of Genius’ at the time and I finally found it when I began songwriting again.

By ‘genius’ I do not mean the traditional definition of the word — as in, someone with exceptional intellectuel or creative power. I do not consider myself a genius in that way, I want to make that perfectly clear. I’m talking about ‘that thing we do best and most joyfully.’ That’s the Genius Within.

A lot of people, especially songwriting coaches, see songwriting as a craft you learn, and I completely agree with that.

But there is also a component that is magical and mystical to me, something I cannot explain. Sometimes I can sit down at a piano and a perfect melody or motif comes out of me, or I’ll be mumbling something and suddenly a lyric comes out of me that I didn’t consciously create or piece together. Sometimes it will take me years to understand what that lyric means, and it turns out it was almost prophetic.

The best feeling in the world — and the reason why I love songwriting so much — is that magical feeling when a song just falls into place. Yes, it takes work, and yes it takes craft, but magic is present in the most beautiful way.

I feel connected to myself and to something bigger than me — to Spirit — when a song comes together. Like a co-creation of sorts. And it’s a very humbling feeling to know that I’m not the only one in charge.

This isn’t how every songwriter feels or works. But I know of others who feel an even deeper sense of mysticism.

Paul Simon once said:

“It will be words, or music, and it flows very freely from a source that you can’t identify. It has a natural quality to it. And sometimes something more to it. I realised years ago that I had been experiencing those moments for much of my life”.

He has even spoken about music as a sort of spiritual dictation, where he is only a conduit.

When I first started writing songs I didn’t know much about craft, everything was very intuitive. I felt like I already knew the craft somehow — perhaps I had learnt it in a past life? That’s what I felt at the time, and actually still do.

Or maybe it came from years and years of paying attention to songs and music. I started playing the flute when I was seven years old and have been musically trained throughout my young years. And I loved songs and what they could do to your inner state.

I loved everything from Pink Floyd to Carol King, to Joni Mitchell, to Nick Drake, to Kim Larsen, to Ayub Ogada, Miriam Makeba, and Geoffrey Oryema and Björk and so many others.

All incredible songwriters.

And perhaps I intuitively, sub-consciously studied them.

Something woke up inside me when I started writing songs again back in 2015. I felt a purpose and I felt my ‘genius within’ emerge.

I’m so glad that you have chosen to join me on this journey as I share my creativity with you. My word of the year is ‘visibility’, supported by the words ‘connection’ and ‘strength’. I look forward to what all that brings in the new year.

Right now, I will be sending out newsletters on an intuitive basis — I don’t want to lock myself into a system just yet. But you can expect a post roughly every week, depending on my energy levels. To those of you who don’t know me, I live with severe ME/CFS and while I’m quite stable there could be weeks or longer periods where my body needs a break.

I hope you will enjoy my content!

Warmest wishes,

Madelleine

P.S I’ve created a playlist over on Spotify with the most beautiful chamber folk songs. Chamber folk is folk, but often with the use of chamber instruments like strings or woodwinds. Here is the playlist!

Tell me…

What do you feel is your ‘Genius within’ — that thing that you do the best and gives you the most joy and fills you up like nothing else does? Or do you not feel like you have/need one?

What is your word of the year?

How did you celebrate New Year?

I’d love to know in the comments!

Have you listened to I Can’t Run When I’m Dreaming? It’s a song about medical trauma

Ever since I got severe ME/CFS I lost the ability to run in my dreams (and in real life). I would maybe start the run inside my dream, but immediately remember that I’m sick and that it’s not something my body can do. I would then fall down, unable to move.

I can’t run when I’m dreaming is a song about the trauma of losing your body and about being hidden from life by a debilitating neuroimmune illness (ME/CFS) and contemplating life and childhood memories when pain feels like an eternity.

All proceeds will go to Open Medicine Foundation for vital ME/CFS and Long Covid research. Please consider purchasing on Bandcamp to support the cause.