Taking your songwriting seriously doesn’t mean taking yourself seriously. Goofy songs teach craft too.

Craft and solemnity get confused all the time. You can care enormously about rhyme, structure and timing while writing about a sandwich, and the daft song will teach you exactly as much as the serious one. Treating yourself as a Serious Artist mostly adds fear and makes you avoid anything that might look foolish. The work tends to get better when the stakes feel lighter.

Write one deliberately ridiculous song this week and finish it properly. Real structure, real hook, a second verse that earns its place. Play it to somebody and watch which parts land.