We were lucky to catch up with Jax Sprague recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jax, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My primary art form is songwriting. I started teaching myself the basics of lyricism at age 12. I was interested in creative writing from a young age, but it wasn’t until middle school that I became interested in music. At first, I would take the lyrics of a song I liked and rewrite them to fit my situation. I would tweak the lyrics to be about a specific boy I had a crush on, troubles with a friend, or what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would then try to come up with a unique vocal melody that differed from the original one. Looking back at some of those lyrics now, you can tell I was addicted to Tumblr at the time. Nevertheless, I learned basic song structures and was able to write fully original lyrics and melodies. For more years than I’d like, I solely focused on lyrics. I would find royalty-free instrumentals to pair with my songs and record myself singing on top. Then, I’d publish them under various pseudonyms on different websites. While reactions to my vocals were mixed and my production “skills” (I tried to record songs in a single take without a microphone) were non-existent, many people fancied my lyrics. Luckily, I was able to turn this into a business, attracting a client base on Fiverr when I was 18. Around this time, I began to dabble in making my own instrumental tracks by looping samples that were pitched to different notes. I got a cheap USB microphone, so my recordings were becoming a bit more listenable. I started taking songwriting and music theory classes on Coursera in my free time, which influenced me to start writing instrumentals on BandLab. My years of alternating between royalty-free instrumental tracks and sample loops were over. I do wish I was inspired to do this before the age of 22, however. Once I graduated college, I bought a nicer microphone and experimented with recording techniques until I arrived at the lo-fi sound I generally opt for today.

Knowing what I know now, I would have accelerated my learning process by taking those classes years prior! I taught myself to sing and write lyrics by listening to others, but it wasn’t until I learned the basics of music theory that I was able to develop a unique identity. Crafting a “persona” comes with experience and experimentation, of course, but I do believe I could have arrived at it sooner had I set aside time to actually learn the fundamentals of the craft instead of just doing my own thing. I was essentially a poet who could carry a tune posing as a musician.

Now, there were some obstacles that prevented me from committing myself completely to music. I was in college for mechanical engineering and working on my B.S. and M.S. degrees simultaneously, leaving me little free time. Moreover, I was working as a lyricist and ghostwriter, so what free time I had was often spent working. I had many episodes of creative bankruptcy during college. These times were awful, as I felt this drive to create but had nothing left in me to pour out into my craft. I do believe that I could have set up boundaries around my school work and devoted time to learning during these periods, which may have driven me out of the hole.

While a little discipline here and there could have helped me get where I am today much sooner, I believe spontaneity and approaching art with a playful mindset are far more important for songwriting. Over-discipline in art causes me to lose my creative spark, and the quality of my work declines. My best work comes from inspiration striking me randomly and causing me to throw everything aside to write it down, whether it is a chord progression, guitar riff, or couplet. I try to keep myself in a state of daydreaming, lost in my own little world and ready to stumble upon something curious to work into my art. I am blessed to work flexible jobs that allow me to dilly-dally in my mind periodically. Imagination truly is the greatest muse.

At the end of the day, the best way to learn how to write songs is to consume a lot of music, figure out what parts of those songs you like and why, determine how you relate life to the work and to what extent, and just try something out. You can start by rewriting some lyrics you find underwhelming in an otherwise great song. Eventually, the ideas will come to you naturally, and, if you’re lucky, maybe even supernaturally. Get a book, check out a free or cheap course, and learn about the creative processes of artists you admire. Curiosity is paramount to creativity.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jax, and I make music under the name Alleyway Dust. I have worked as an editor, ghostwriter, lyricist, singer, model, and actor. In addition to making my own music, I write lyrics and record vocals for clients. I help my clients synthesize their ideas into something catchy, meaningful, and highly personalized for them. I am most proud of my ability to create art that other people can relate to and use to process their emotions. I try to balance my cutesy interests, like teddy bears, unicorns, and fairies, with the macabre, like the fact that I watch gory movies to relax before bed. I have attempted to capitalize upon my contradictory nature through my work to craft my artistic brand. You can find a variety of comedic, depressing, and relaxing videos on my YouTube channel!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am driven solely by the urge to create. I have been publishing music to a very small audience for over ten years, and while being able to make art my full-time career would be nice, I would keep making music even if I knew nobody would listen. It is the primary way I know how to communicate my thoughts, feelings, experiences, ideas, and dreams. Without lyrics, I would not know how to express myself. Thus, I create because I must.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being able to translate an idea into something tangible that is authentically you. A somewhat embarrassing fact about me is that I often listen to my own music. I like listening to songs I relate to, and it’s hard to relate to someone more than yourself. While I would continue to make music if no one heard it ever again, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel especially rewarded when other people tell me how impactful my work is. Whether it is lyrics I wrote for a client or a song I wrote for myself, knowing that I brightened someone’s day, even if in a small way, is such a powerful feeling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fiverr.com/al_ley_way/write-lyrics-for-your-song-and-provide-vocals?utm_campaign=base_gig_show_share&utm_content=&utm_medium=shared&utm_source=mobile&utm_term=
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flapja.x/; https://www.instagram.com/alleywaydust
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alleywaydust
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/alleywaydust
• Other: https://linktr.ee/alleywaydust