#41

you and i both…before i got married/had kids, i’d spend the weekend just going in all different directions without any time constraints and have something i’d typically be proud of by the end. now i have to cordon off allotments of time either really early in the morning everyone wakes up or really late at night after everyone has fallen asleep.

i used to primarily wake up in the morning (5am) and work for 2 hours, but we just moved and i’m in the middle of career change (start a coding bootcamp in less than a month), so i’ve been gravitating toward evenings to have my fun. early mornings are definitely more focused and less about experimenting and more about completion of tiny goals while evenings turn into big ol’ experiment fests where i hope that i’ll have something worth recording by the end of it.

with so many other responsibilities vying for my time now, i definitely prioritize it more efficiently than i did in the past, but those large swaths of time were fantastic in completing stuff knowing i wouldn’t be interrupted at any given time.

#42

Great thoughts - I liked “RULE SEVEN” so much, I wrote it out and stuck it on my wall…!

3 Likes
#43

Many thanks for the link - some great insight there; its reassuring to know that such a clever and creative mind as his can get distracted just as easily, and that his solution was in creating a time and space to put the work in.

3 Likes
#46

A completely unrelated thread somehow got me thinking about this quote from Ira Glass and how it relates to this thread:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

Though bulk of the focus of this thread is naturally on the production side of creativity, this idea of “hav[ing] good taste” brings up another part. Since good taste doesn’t magically appear in one’s brain, it needs to be developed somehow. That is: study. Of course this doesn’t have to mean something formal (e.g. university) if that’s not your bag, but an important part of anyone’s creative process should be finding ways to learn from those you admire (and maybe even from those you don’t…).

I’m sure this idea is news to nobody (nor is the first mention of this kind of thing in this thread), but it is easy to let this part of a creative practice slide, so it’s good to keep reminding yourself about it.

I find that in our current landscape of instant availability of a seemingly infinite amount music, this task can feel overwhelming. Finding strategies to clamp constraints on which material to choose for focused study is difficult. One of the few strategies I’ve discovered to is to keep reminding myself that the task has no deadline, so don’t worry about classifying everything all at once. Just keep listening and wait for filters to suggest themselves. I would love to hear how others find ways to manage this part of their practice.

9 Likes
#47

I think if you’ve made it to lines, your taste is good enough to start making music. We probably all of us have some artist whose music speaks to us so deeply that we would be happy if we had made one or two of their songs. So maybe all that’s needed is to drink deeply from that inspiration until we feel ourselves naturally reaching out for more.

After all, a lot of the great novelists of the past century can be seen in their early work to be filtering an earlier novel through their own unique lens. I think this process of rewriting or creating one’s own version of a piece you really like is very useful, and helpful as a grounding when you feel like you have no idea where to start.

This summer I learned to write lyrics for the first time by examining The Cure’s “Lovesong”, understanding what makes the lyrics tick, and then writing a song that follows that playbook as closely as I could—only the subject matter and the actual, like, music of it keep it from being completely derivative. This was very helpful for me because it meant that rather than trying to cook up a structure for my song from scratch, I could follow a recipe I already liked and just experiment with changing the ingredients around.

12 Likes
#48

Rereading my post, I see I muddled up my point. To clarify my ideas on this:

I didn’t mean to imply that I was searching for a way to learn to trust one’s taste. In the Glass quote, he talks about the work one has to do to develop one’s skills to catch up to one’s taste. My curiosity was piqued by the flip side of that: the work one must do to continue develop one’s taste. Earlier in one’s career (for lack of a better word), this might start with focused study in some sort of educational environment. But whether one does that or not, some sort of focused study/listening/whatever continues to be valuable. Outside of some structure, it can be easy to let this part of one’s practice slip. New strategies for continuous learning are always valuable.

Normally (I think) people think of study as a way to help develop your “skills.” What I found interesting about the Glass quote is that another way to think about the goal for that practice can be the development, or refinement, of “taste,” which is equally valuable to one’s growth as an artist, at any level of experience.

1 Like
#49

I think I did understand you, and I suppose my point in that regard was “I’m not sure we need to worry too much about it”. As in, it seems a safe assumption to say that anyone participating in this forum must have found a natural hunger for music outside the “mainstream”. Further, I propose that that hunger, like Tolkein’s elves’ desire to cross the sea, can slumber for a while, but won’t ever die unless we purposefully stamp it out. And that finally, over and against chasing after new things all the time, nurturing your love for something you’ve known for a while and drawing new insight from returning to it is also a valuable way to improve taste.

I guess, following Glass, I want to argue that it really is in just doing the work that all of these things will take care of themselves.

That said, you are right that strategies for continuous learning are valuable and it would be fun to read about from others.

My main one, I’m realizing, in all areas of my life, is to try jumping right in, and using that process to find out where I’m over my head, where I’m missing skills or knowledge perhaps, and to try and find ways others have developed those skills. In school, this often meant/means that I get the most out of a class when I can see how it fits into my personal plans and goals, and that I’m often keeping half an eye out for how I can use things for my own purposes, even when I’m trying to understand someone else’s process.

This approach has its downsides—a lot of my self-taught knowledge ends up being somewhat patchy, and it usually takes some convincing (even by myself) for me to do something more carefully or to adapt my style.

6 Likes
#50

Making time
Over the years I’ve tried it all. I started with taking Fridays off, then added Thursdays. And I quit my dayjob. It all ended with me feeling miserable. And I didn’t really make any more and better music with all that time on my hands.

A few years on, I have a family and work full time. Staying up and sleeping less than my spouse is pretty much my default reflex, but being out of sync with each other is not really that good. So, I started getting up earlier, approx 1 hour before the my family. I’ve done this on-and-off in periods. It’s not a bad method for giving yourself an extra boost during a project. But the extra energy I feel at first usually fades after a week or two. That’s ok, I’m actually thinking about going into “project morning mood” again.

For the last year I’ve rented a shared studio-space which means I get one night a week for myself. I find it really valuable to have this one set night in the calender. Being away from home is better, than being at home with the door shut. (My spouse has her night too).

Best tip for making time: Identify where your time goes. What should you spend less time on? (tv, the internet, social media…)

Creativity
Well, I don’t really need time for creativity. To me, coming up with ideas is the easy part. The hard part is staying married to an idea and raise a family with it. Having a lot of ideas can be very much like never-ending-infatuation with new people. Jumping from one to the next.

When it comes to my situation with a family the biggest frustration nowadays is having this “GREAT IDEA” and not being allowed to work on it, because of children’s homework, being the assistant coach of their soccer teams, household chores, being there. Having a night a week helps, but it’s too little. There’s always the risk that the blazingly hot idea cools off and becomes a little brownish lump of iron ore again. It’s not a risk, it’s the inevitable fate of every idea.

Momentum
All in all. To me the challenge is not so much time, as keeping momentum, keeping the idea hot, staying with it, disciplin, setting goals and working fast. And so, my strategy for now is learning to finish music faster. While it’s hot. Taking the Disquiet Junto assignments helps. I enter each week with nothing to prove, I give it very little time to not distract from my other projects, and something gets finished.

(Oh well, just imagine the great music I could have made while writing this.)

3 Likes
#51

There’s nothing wrong with emulation, and derivative work. They will lead you down new avenues eventually, where you find your own voice again. Some of the coolest production techniques, sound design choices, and musical “syntax” or language I’ve completely uplifted from other artists, but after years they sort of melt and morph into your own voice anyways.

Even when you try your hardest to sound like someone else, chances are it’ll still just sound like “you trying to sound like someone else” which isn’t sounding like someone else. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but even with artists I admire for being so creative and original, it always turns out they’re also partially emulating something.

Also, if there’s a kind of music you really love, there’s nothing wrong to think that you’re just putting more of that kind of music into the world, because you like listening to it.

6 Likes
#52

I find operating within a genre construct to be very freeing. It removes the pressure of trying to sound new (and very little is) and instead integrate my aesthetics and experiences within a preexisting framework.

3 Likes
#53

Yes, I think we’re on the same wavelength here!!

#54

I am new here, so I aplolgize in advance if this is a redundant topic or if I categorized it incorrectly. I performed a simple search and did not find any topic similar enough to what I am looking for.

Like many here I am seeking advice, and it seems like people here give some of the best advice around.

I work more-than-full-time as an engineer. I put a lot of time and effort into my job and it is rewarding, if not exhausting. I spend about half of my free time with friends and loved ones. The rest of my free time is spent trying to make music.

I have been making music for 15 years, to varying degrees of success (I wish I had more to show for it certainly). A truck load of synths have come and gone, and I have finally settled on the two small Elektron boxes (Digitone and Digitakt, wrong site, I know, right?) which I have been using for about 9 months with the intention of focusing on composition instead of gear acquisition. For a while, I felt relatively productive. These days, not so much.

Usually, by the time I get home from a 9 to 10-hour day, plus commute, I am exhausted, and the music making process only feels more exhausting. My confidence dies, and I end up reviewing all of the half ideas I have sketched out in an attempt to inspire myself (or I come up with another half idea before I fall asleep from overwhelming tiredness). For context, I am trying to compose a performamable IDM/Ambient set. It is going very slowly, and I am constantly giving myself a hard time about my lack of speed and skill, while others seem to churn out full tracks in mere hours. I am falling into other bad habits as well, like worrying about the final mix and eq/tonal balance before the form of a track is conceived.

I have considered switching gear, but I know that, in reality, this will not help. At the end of the day, I need to (re)form some sort of discipline. I would like music making to be fun and productive again. I would take a break from music, but I am afraid that will only delay my productivity more, rather than building healthy habbits through practice.

Maybe there is some larger fear that is holding me back from finishing, releasing and performing tracks? I do compare myself to others an unhealthy amount when it comes to music.

So that is my life story. Thank you for reading it. If anyone would like to share thoughts or ideas about how to become a more disciplined composer and performer, even when energy is at an all-time-low, I would greatly appreciate it.

Edit: Spelling

8 Likes
#55

great topic idea!

!hippie dippie granola warning!
!maybe overstepping warning!

out of genuine concern: it sounds like you’re currently practicing unhealthily, though. if you took a step back and evaluated what is fun about making music, then you might find a clearer answer.

fwiw, I believe your process should be energizing – though it is hard work and a pain to navigate how to portion the time. but at the end of the day, I’ve found that fear makes its way into our processes too often and roots too deeply. “this patch/song/sketch sucks because it isn’t ____ enough” quickly becomes “I suck because I’m not _____ enough.”

and ultimately, who you are + how you feel is what makes your art engaging. taking time to develop self-care habits will always positively influence your music habits – even if you are not directly studying or practicing music. you can listen better, manage the internal critic, and eventually share work that was fun/cathartic to make – a quality that is apparent (and infectious) in the music we love.

through self-care (long walks, morning stretches or meditation, eating more wholly), meaning + creative energy unfolds. perhaps work is sapping you of the child-like energy that music grows best from – until you listen to what’s going on inside of you, you won’t be able to reclaim (and eventually, protect) those energies.

and eventually things like “others are doing this better / faster” won’t matter as much. that pit is likely more damaging + draining than your job.

21 Likes
#56

Hello, welcome! This sounds like a familiar and no-fun spot to be in. Some thoughts as a fellow-traveler in learning this balance:

  • Even though my superego wants me to be able to have a live set all ready to go, I’ve noticed that for me, music-making is firstly soul-nourishing and rejuvenating, and I’m happiest when I remember to sit down with my synth or my laptop without larger goals once in a while.
  • Because of this, I’ve really fallen in love with improvising; starting from scratch, following my intuition and just “playing” (even if that means messing with parameters on a chorus plugin rather than making melodies). So far most of the music I’ve finished on my own comes from improvising with the record-light lit. My ultimate goal is to be able to balance this improvisation with a more focused, longer-term aim, but I’m still in the place where I have to remember my first bullet point constantly. I’ll get to more “composed” things when I get there, and life is long enough that I will.
14 Likes
#57

Granted I have nowhere near as much experience with making music as you do (I just started using modulars this year) but I also struggle with this to a fair extent. I’m a perfectionist in everything I do so that’s inherently seeping into this hobby as well (thinking I need to understand music theory, algorithmic composition, etc). I’m starting to take a step back from that pattern of thought though and trying to remove those really unnecessary requirements that I’m imposing on myself. That’s beginning to allow me to have more fun when I do sit down in front of my synth. Also, don’t compare yourself to others as far as creative output. It’s hard not to but at the end of the day I think it’s kind of useless and only serves to further discourage you.

2 Likes
#58

you’ve already got some FUCKING STELLAR responses so i won’t go in depth as it’s repetition. but at the least, try to remember to bring breath (consciousness thereof) with you into anything you do, particularly creative/physical pursuits. relax your shoulders and breath. there are no mistakes. just a big learning process.

and if you are always exhausted then how on earth would you not enter the recording space feeling just that?

5 Likes
#59

I’d take the pressure off of yourself. If you really want to perform live, you will. Gear change isn’t always a good thing, as you know, but if the equipment doesn’t get you excited then move on. If you are excited about it, then perhaps doing some focused technical studies will help shut off the critical part of your brain. Spend some time learning what your elektron boxes can do and explore some specific feature. While you’re doing that, you can record it in case anything happens that sounds good.

Something else that can help is emulating a song you like, either as an exercise or compositional tool.

Beyond that, maybe bigger changes are needed, which could be lifestyle based or even a new job with shorter commute.

5 Likes
#60

Everybody works differently, but I personally have to get up early to work on music, because after work I’m usually too tired, or have to cook dinner, or I’d rather spend time with my partner. So a couple years ago I started waking up really early, making sure I have enough time to get ready and have a good 2 hours to devote to working on music uninterrupted, and it’s been a great routine for me.

2 Likes
#61

try going to bed shortly after getting home from work and, over time, carving out a space in the morning for doing music stuff.

i work a pretty physical job and sometimes don’t get home until one am. this can mean being up as late as four, or waking up as late as 2 pm. recently i switched to fewer shifts (cuz my build is almost finished!) and am trying to get up at 8 each day. success has varied but i’m much happier giving the freshest of my energies to music as a priority than just squeezing it in at the end of the day (or unproductively pouring hours into it while already exhausted / frustrated).

slightly more expansive / OT discussion:

@dan_derks underscored a paradox of making music in the contemporary world: it can detract from your self-care routine – but self-care is ESSENTIAL to the process, particularly for the more technically-oriented modes of music-making most folks around here practice, which generally don’t benefit from the muscle memory (accessible even in exhaustion) that more traditional instrumentation is built around. there’s a broader question at stake here re ‘art as luxury’. certainly you don’t need comfort and excess energy to make art, and certainly art often exists in the absence of these amenities, but being cozy, refreshed, and well-fed makes things run more smoothly.

2 Likes
#62

I respectfully disagree. While I cannot deny the benefits of living mindfully and healthily, no amount of meditation or long walks will make up for a lack of energy and time. Part of me is especially skeptical of the current preoccupation with these kinds of concepts as they often feel directly related to or wholly integrated with the recent loss of social safety nets, job security and purchasing power among most individuals. Time and energy are finite resources and making music requires a LOT of them! If your lifestyle doesn’t leave any available for you, it may be of interest to evaluate it and see what you can change - which is almost certainly a privilege for most people.

As the years have gone by, my ability to produce music and play shows has declined with the increased responsibilities and work hours I’ve gained - I take mental and physical health very seriously but all the exercise and vegetables in the world will not create something from nothing. I make do with whatever time I have available (generally saturday and sunday mornings, and that’s about it) and try not to worry about falling behind or periods where I produce very little.

As someone who played violin for most of his life, I also completely disagree with this assessment, but that’s a whole different story…

6 Likes