Hi. I'm Steve Seskin. I believe that songwriting is a combination of inspiration and perspiration, gifts from the muse and the willingness to work on those unpolished gems 'til they're as good as they can be. Whether you perform as a singer-songwriter, write songs for others to sing, or even if you write just for fun, there's nothing like the feeling of bringing a song to its fullest potential. But it doesn't just happen, it takes work. My goal is to give you some tools to make doing that work an easier process.

I don't want to teach you to write songs like I do. I want to help you become better at expressing yourself in your own way. Your individuality is your strongest suit. It's what sets you apart from everyone else.

One of the biggest contributors at Songwork is Pat Pattison. He's taught at Berklee College of Music for over thirty years and has had a profound influence on students like John Mayer, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Kami Lyle and Rob Giles. What do they have in common? They are all unique writers who are dedicated to their craft and willing to work hard on their songs to develop their artistic voice.

For over 25 years, I've earned the bulk of my living from writing songs, but I've written far more songs that are unrecorded than songs that have been big hits. Over time, I've learned that the big payoff is the song, not what happens to it. I believe as writers, we can mix art and commerce, but let's not allow the commerce to poison our art. Let's create art from a pure place, and then, when we're proud to put our name on it, we can try to sell it, if that's our goal.

I don't know about you, but when I finish a song, the first thing I want to do is to play it for someone. It's the best way to see if my song is working. My songs may start with me, but when they're done, they're all about the listener.

In reality, we don't finish songs, the listener does. They bring their own interpretations to what we write - they hear their own stories in our words. To me it's one of the most beautiful elements of the process. I for one am really glad that you write songs and put them out into the world.

I wish you the best of luck with your writing and truly hope that Songwork proves to be a great help in your journey as a creative soul.