Songwriting Seminar with Beth Nielsen Chapman The seminar ran in April in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney Topics Covered included: Dating the Muse/Training The Brain   Lifting Off With the Muse:  Fasten your seatbelts as you embark on the spacious, limitless journey of writing a song letting the creative spirit to guide the process along the path of “not knowing”, eluding the pitfalls and limitations of your ego and your brain  and opening the channels of intuition.    The Care And Feeding Of The Creative Spirit:  Cultivate and nurture that gift within you.  Protect, defend and develop a healthy Muse .“Four Food Groups”, “Setting Out The Tea”, “Weightlifting in the Gym of Creativity”,  and “Planting Your Garden” are some of the many tools and tips you can learn.   The Art of Creative Survival In the Face of  Commerce and Fear.   There’s Got To Be A Morning After:  Beth will critique songs and talk about looking at what you’ve written in the ‘light of day’.  Learn to let‘the critic’ within you speak out to nip and tuck…. this is one of the most incredible ways to grow as a writer.  Learn how to re-write….and un-re-write!    The Jungle Of The Music Business: “Lions & Tigers & Bears, Oh My!”  Dropping breadcrumbs, tapping your heels together and other methods of finding your way back to your creative center.  Art vs. Commerce:  How and when to wear your armor.  Talent has no compass: mustering determination.   The Three “R’s”:  Recover, Rejuvinate, and Re-write again!  (nothing to lose but a sheet of paper and some pencil lead)   Sacred Waiting:  Facing the ‘great white’ {blank piece of paper-just think of what Paul Simon has to live up to!).  And….Singing With Your Speaking Voice/Writing With Your Singing Voice.