Artist Feature | Hope Dunbar

What first drew you to music and songwriting?

I was a musician first although I never would have used that word to describe being a member of a church choir and school choir and taking piano lessons. I think I would've just described myself as having a love for music. I became a writer in my teens, although I wouldn't have used that word either back then because I had no idea that pouring thoughts and ideas and moments onto the pages of my journal was considered writing. No one ever asked me if I was a writer and that notion never crossed my mind. I was just obsessed with my journal and putting whatever was in my brain down onto paper. (If you're reading this and you can relate to the above scenario, welcome to the club. You are a writer, it turns out.) The two loves didn't come together, however, until I was thirty years old at home with little kids. At the time I was playing music with a friend of mine and we were playing the farmers market and the public library. I remember very clearly the day I came home from one of those gigs and realized that none of the words I was singing were my words. None of those stories were my story. Not long after that moment, on one of those magical days when all three little children were napping at the same time, I sat down to try and write a song for the first time. It is not an exaggeration to describe what happened next as being taken over by an unquenchable thirst for songwriting. From the moment I finished that first song, I was immediately determined to try again and again until I finally came across a song I actually liked and thought was good. That was thirteen years ago. I'm still motivated by the desire to do the best work possible while I'm here on earth.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on you as a songwriter?

As a songwriter, Darrell Scott, has been and will always be my biggest influence. I started out as a fan, I took his workshops and became his student, and now, years later, we're friends. Without his help and knowledge, it would've taken me a lot longer to learn what I did thanks to him.

If you had to choose one record, one band, and one book that has had the most influence on you as a songwriter, what would they be?

The book would have to be "I Never Met a Story I didn't Like: Mostly True Tall Tales" by Todd Snider. I love that book and I love Todd Snider. He is a hippie folksinger who has lived a crazy, audacious, drug, and alcohol-riddled life. He's an amazing performer and a great storyteller and what I love about him is his amazingly clear sense of identity. He shows up broken and battered, hopeful, and curious in the most honest way possible. There's no smoke and mirrors, there's no show business sheen to what he does. He's completely real in a maddening and most beautiful way. I find his humanity to be very very beautiful. And I love his music and he's hilarious. People Like Todd Snider are the kind of musicians and songwriters I really gravitate toward. Todd Snider, Kris Kristofferson, Darrell Scott, Kasey Chambers, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell- they all have this very clear sense of self, a very honest writer's voice, and a fearlessness before the folly and sinfulness of man that gets me right in the heart. Those images of redemption and rejection, of blessedness and brokenness side by side, are what get me, and writers such as these make it look like an easy thing to do. It is not. I can clearly see I broke the rules on this question by slicing off a bigger piece than the invitation offered, but there ya go.

Tell us about where you draw your inspiration from.

I draw inspiration from the ordinary lives of my friends and family. I find ordinary life very beautiful. I want to work out the heart of man, the truth of living in all the ways possible. I also draw inspiration from the idea that there are few mature feminine voices in the public square who are both mothers and wives. It's almost like mothers and wives vacate the artistic realm to tend to others at some point or other and I feel it's important to hang in there for those women longing to hear their story told back to them. I guess that means I'm inspired by a challenge. I am challenged to defend a dodgy music career over the steady pay of a nine to five, over "good behavior" norms for a midwestern middle-aged woman, over the pressures of being a mother or wife rather than a songwriter. I get tempted to fall in line thinking God will love me more if I shut up. In my stronger moments, I remember that the God of Heaven and Earth knew full well I wouldn't be able to resist this deep calling to create and head out on the road to play some shows. He knew that about me because he gifted me with it.

What does your creative process/rhythm look like?

I have maintained a pretty prolific songwriting practice for years and years. I've gone at least three years writing a song a week and this year I've joined an online songwriting group where we are meeting weekly with new material so I'm on my way to writing at least 52 by year-end as well. I find it really important to continually work my creative muscles. My sister in law, Emily, and I work from the mindset that the well is never dry. Give us a deadline and a prompt and we will deliver a product. There are songs everywhere and there are ideas to tap into all around us. For me, the mystery of inspiration doesn't hold nearly as much mojo as the daily practice does. Last year I recorded two new records, but I probably have material enough for 5 or more records. This year's songwriting group has me writing from some really different places and I am super curious about the material that is coming from that circle. I love songwriting and my constant practice makes it so that I can write something, hate it, and then write something else. The downside is that I rarely spend much time in deep editing mode from past work. My easy way out is always thinking I can write something better tomorrow. Songwriters think of their songs as bright shiny toys. We always love our newest toys best. Songwriters aren't always known for spending good careful time with their work once it's written. That's a whole other skill. I have been tempted into loving the creation of new work over the real practice and deep understanding of the work I create. They go hand in hand. This time of Covid makes it even trickier because I get to write without needing to rehearse for shows. Needless to say, I'm writing a lot of material but barely remembering what I wrote from week to week because the rehearsal and practice of the work isn't needed right now. I would encourage anyone reading this to find or create a group where you're sharing your work. It makes a huge difference to be among artists who take the process of creation seriously so much so that they might carve out a couple of hours weekly or monthly to do it. It's a wonderful gift to create within a community.

You can learn more about Hope and listen to her music at HopeDunbarMusic.com.