We recently connected with Caitlin Dykes and have shared our conversation below.
Caitlin, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
My compulsion to write songs started at the age of 10. When it came to the physical act of songwriting, it was effortless. Because when you’re 10 there are zero expectations. I mean, except for the imaginary crowd you’re playing to, while sitting on the edge of your bathroom tub, but all in all the stakes are low. I learned that I loved it, and that it was the only job for me. However, that’s it. There were no obstacles, no friction, no pressure. It was a shallow pool of learning. Skip to 2016, I moved home right after college. Home was ironically, Nashville TN. I was a unicorn in a city of move-ins. Home was music city, the place songwriters are made, which was convenient considering my aspiration was to become just that. Then it happened, I dove head first into the deep pool of learning. I met people like me, a lot of people like me actually. If you love something, get around a bunch of people who love it just as much and see if you still love it. I slowly began to connect with other songwriters and started co-writing. Surrounding myself with people far more skilled and experienced than me, made me wanna look at 10 year old me and the songs I was writing and say, “that’s cute”. It didn’t push me, it propelled me. My songwriting ability grew rapidly the way a puppy does in a span of 3 months. I learned discipline, creating hooks, my guitar and piano skill transformed over night (mainly because I had to keep up), I learned how to work with artist/songwriters (effortless ones, challenging ones, and the ‘I’d rather let my foot get run over’ before I worked with again ones), and being in a constant state of finding ideas. When you start writing 250 songs a year, you turn into an idea bloodhound. Songwriting went from a hobby to basically a job (without pay). It was work and that’s when I learned. Discipline became the main skill that carried all other skills. I got to a place where no matter what, 5 days a week I could and would write a song. Oh, you feel bad? Write. Oh, you feel good? Great, write. Sunny today? Perfect, write. Gloomy day? Write anyway. Feelings had a say, but rarely did they make decisions. This gave me power over my craft. In terms of what stood in my way? I’m a firm believer that we should look at what we have, not what we don’t have. Sure, the industry posed a tough gatekeeper, but in the end it wasn’t some guy or girl sitting in a publishers office telling me I had what it takes (though that never hurts and I gladly welcome it). But I knew this, that humans through time have proved their ability to accomplish the impossible. It’s the glory and downfall of our species. We believe, we work and with time, we achieve. This proved to me that the only person standing in my way was myself, and if I could that girl in line, then I could be a songwriter. People had made it in this industry with far less.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My mother put me in piano lessons when I was 8, I remember coming home one day crying, because I hated it and wanted to pick up guitar. I used to listen to this christian girl band named Barlow Girl and they each played string instruments and it was the coolest thing. I knew that’s who I wanted to be. I got my first guitar at age 10 and by age 13 I was playing decently. One day while working on going from G to D to the A chord, it clicked. I could take these chords, mix them up, sing whatever I wanted (aka a melody) and then say whatever I wanted (aka lyrics). I was hooked. That day, I fell in love with the power of songwriting. It was the thing that would carry me when in later years, the work began overshadowing that initial love for it. I have this sign that resides in my living room I bought in college that says ‘Remember Why You Started’. In the midst of inspiration, we take for granted that it won’t always be this easy, that eventually, inspiration fades and we’ll be faced with questions like, “Do I even still love this? Or do I wanna keep doing this?” That sign, time travels me back to my 13 year old bedroom and reminds me why I started and why I should keep going. I hight recommend finding something in your life that can keep you remembering “the why” of your craft. I haven’t had the success I envision, but I’m proud to say that after 7 years of pursuing songwriting I haven’t given up. Whatever type of success comes or doesn’t, I’m proud I can say I’ve kept going. Moments like, walking into a room with nothing, only then to emerge with something that could transform people’s lives, never gets old. It’s an experience I can only describe as spiritual. My job as a writer is to be prepared to facilitate those moments. Growth away from writing sessions will define how the session goes. Am I pouring back in so I can pour out? For me I pour back in by reading. Am I trying to grow in my instrument so I can access different melodies and sounds? Am I open to new sessions and collaborations? Finding that chemistry is unmatched (and as a songwriter, it’s a lifetime of different collaborations over and over again). When I walk in the room with an artist, my hope is that I’ve prepared myself so that I can help execute their idea at the highest and most creative level. In an industry whose foundation can seem like money and numbers, my prayer is that people feel heard, loved and challenged in a session with me. Cause in the end, what else is there?
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
True creatives, will do anything they must to create, because for creatives, that need to create outweighs comfort. Easy said right? I was challenged in this statement right before I got married to my husband. I didn’t realize that I would be challenged even more after we got married, but thats a story for another interview. Pre marriage, I was nannying during the afternoon and going to songwriting session during the day. I had started building up pretty regular sessions, which made me feel super professional. However, nannying was not making enough money, and my husband (then boyfriend) and I knew that if we wanted to start a life together someone had to make more dough. So I got a job where I would get up at 4 am and teach English to children in China until around 9 am (Fridays I’d work through the night). All of the sudden, I was working two jobs, while going to songwriting sessions in between. To say my resilience was tested, is an understatement. The romance of songwriting faded and the reality of what it took to survive AND pursue your dreams came into clear view and honestly, it was ugly. I was exhausted for a whole year. I was falling asleep everywhere, so much so, that my now husband and mother made me go to sleep at 6 PM one Tuesday night. However, I remember early in the process, that moment my resilience was put to the test. One morning, I had just finished teaching, and I had a 10 am songwriting session jam packed between my teaching and my nanny gig. I’d done this before, expect today in particular, I really didn’t want to go. I was exhausted and quiet frankly over it. My hand hovered over a text to my co-writer, asking if we could reschedule. It was one session, what was the big deal? Then a voice in the back of my head spoke up and said, “This, right now, is when it matters. If you can’t push past this, you’re not gonna become a songwriter.” I believe in the exception, some days you need a break, but I knew that if I wasn’t careful, the exception would become the rule, and I hadn’t earned any exceptions yet. I also believe in God, and I felt that first of all that voice was Him, second of all, He was watching me. If He was going to open up doors for me in music, I had to prove to Him and myself that I could do this when it was near impossible. So I got dressed, grabbed my guitar and wrote a song that day. I did that over and over again, and came to know the meaning not letting comfort outweigh your dreams. I’ve been blessed to be able to write full time for the past three years. However, I’m reminded daily, that the only reason for that was and still is that ability to push when I had every reason the quit.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Reading is how I pour back into myself. Songwriting is a constant state of giving, and so I always say, if you’re gonna pour out, you have to pour back in. For me, it’s been through literature. The habit of reading regularly has transformed me as a writer. Some of the authors that have made an impact are authors like: C.S. Lewis, Andy Andrews, Charlotte Bronte, John Mark Comer and the Apostle Paul. I have this theory that what we sing over people matters. So when my pen hits paper or my fingers strum my guitar, my first thought is “What do I wanna to sing over people”. The following authors and their works have influenced just that. C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity) gave me this revelation of the goodness of God, how it’s unchangeable, no matter our current state. Andy Andrews (The Traveler’s Gift) challenged my grit and ability to keep going. Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre) taught me integrity matters, always. John Mark Comer (The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry) taught me that rushing is not a human requirement and practicing silence is essential. The Apostle Paul, in his various letters to the church, taught me that the fruits of the Spirit are a good gauge for spiritual and personal accountability and growth. He also tried to pitch the value of singleness, but that one didn’t stick with me. What I’ve chosen to say in music, especially within the last few years, has been greatly affected by the works of these authors. I’m always astonished that as time has gone on, words continuing to have power.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitlindykes_?igsh=OXRyNjQ5emd0b294&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@caitlinedykes
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bvrton-921765668
Image Credits
Edna Noel
Shannon Chance