Jump-starting the creative process with Allison Ponthier
Allison Ponthier knows the hardest part of making anything is getting started. When she was young, she \u201calways wanted to write songs,\u201d fanatically scribbling rhymes in a diary, but gave it up \u2014 the prevailing narratives of natural talent, artistic genius, and spontaneous inspiration put the brakes on her songwriting aspirations. She didn\u2019t pick it up again until she turned 19: \u201cIt just took me that long to build the confidence.\u201d\n\nNow, after a short stint in jazz school, a scholarly approach to YouTube song tutorials, and consistent writing practice, the 26-year-old Ponthier has crafted a songwriting method that reliably turns the mundane into the profound. Her 2021 EP\xa0Faking My Own Death\xa0shows the hand of a seasoned artist, with lyrics that mine her personal life for unexpected twists and turns. (\u201cIt took New York to make me a cowboy,\u201d says the Texas-born, New York\u2013based singer on \u201cCowboy.\u201d) It helps that she has the backing of songwriting heavyweights such as recent collaborators Lord Huron, Semisonic\u2019s Dan Wilson, and Ethan Gruska (whose productions with Phoebe Bridgers soundtracked the pandemic).\n\nTo provide a closer look at her process, Ponthier gave us a tour of her songwriting notebook \u2014 but not before noting that \u201cno one looks at this, by the way.\u201d The details it contained on the making of\xa0her single \u201cAutopilot\u201d\xa0is a master class for anyone looking to break through creative barriers.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices