I’m not so sure that hunger is your answer. Given the way you describe your process - ‘daily grind’, ‘technical details’, ‘power through’…it sounds to me like you need to find a way to enjoy the process.
Do you ever ask yourself what you might do to enjoy it more? Too much perfectionism at every stage of the process can take the fun out of it, for sure. Learn to trust your instincts and play what you feel - even
if you’re not sure if it’s ‘perfect’. Try to get into that habit. You can always tweak it or toss it in the final stages.
Maybe try a couple of sample(throwaway) projects and try a new approach. Make a deliberate effort to have fun,
experiment, and try not to overthink everything. Focus on enjoying the process only. See how it goes.
who knows, you may even wind up with a keeper.
Try to get past your ‘inner censor’, cuz he can be a cunning enemy.
It is true that I’m a perfectionist (Just to let you know though, I’m not obsessive about it. I can let something go when I feel I"ve done a good enough job). It is also true that when something is beyond my capability or experience, I work at it an eventually succeed where before it was something I could only imagine. It is not enjoyment that drives this process in me. Just to enjoy something is not enough for me to accomplish the level of success I’m looking for. It has to be hunger, almost a need. Enjoyment to me is merely a by-product, an emotion not to be trusted. It doesn’t stay with you all of the time. There needs to be something more for me.
Creating a song is easy for me. This was never a fight for me. Everything just fell into place. But making a song sound good is only a recent accomplishment. Just a few months ago, I could not hear the difference when I fooled around with the settings on a compressor. I didn’t even use gates because I did not know how to set them. The creative side for me is inherited. The mathematical, or engineering side is hard fought. That’s why I need this hunger. Nothing else will do it for me. I’m hungry for this hunger for music. Can you tell? Maybe that’s one step in the right direction. What I need is the next step, this hunger for music. That’s lasting and I can rely on that. I don’t want to be a hobbyist at this, I eventually want to make a career out of it, and nothing less than a driving need… maybe even bordering on insanity is going to get me there.
To kind of sum it up. It is the processing of the music. The mixing mastering part of it that I need to get down. I can then combine that with the fun part, the creating of the song… only when all of that is together will I be satisfied.
You guys might want to note that it HAS helped. Between digesting all these responses, rethinking my own process and a few changes in habit I can sense something starting up. You guys might think I’m a freakin nut-bag, but there is a very tangible and logical reasoning behind this. There is a core practice behind this that I learned years ago, a practice called the 4th way. The premise is. You start something new. You’re motivated and complete a series of achievements. But then that drive runs out. So you need help, you need to “shock” yourself to the next level. Once you’re there, you will be motivated to complete the next series of achievements. This pattern continues.
and btw… this is the hidden meaning behind Peter Gabriels song “Shock the Monkey” [to life]. I believe he had gotten some knowledge of this practice from Robert Fripp.
I disagree too. I try to make a point of picking up the guitar every day fro at least a little while and see what comes out. Some of the best things come out when you least expect it.
Allow me a religious analogy:
Sometimes I feel like worshiping and so I get up and do it and it’s fine. But other times I don’t feel like doing it at all… but I make myself get up and do it anyway. At first it’s a struggle. But without fail the inspiration comes, and some of the best times of worship were the ones when at first I wasn’t at all in the frame of mind. I think it can be similar with the creative process
I think steadiness is the key to success. Of all the people I know, those who achieved something in the music business did it because they were able to maintain a certain level of steadiness in what they did. At the same time there were so many much more talented and promising people lacking this virtue, who ended up becoming something else.
I’m not into this ‘forcing it to happen concept’ - I don’t MAKE myself do anything. Ok, so maybe that’s called a ‘lack of discipline’ to some, but hey, this aint the army. Chill… let it flow …as and when it wants to. If it aint happening who cares? Go to the beach… have a swim. Whatever. No big deal.
I reckon it’s also equally important to get away from the page regularly. You may just find that the inspiration you seek is ‘out there’ somewhere…
Working through a tricky arrangement makes it sound like some kind of chore. If it’s a chore then something’s wrong.
One of my favourite pieces that I ever wrote was pretty much composed in the middle of Winter. I was out running at the time, i.e. doing something else I enjoy, and without warning the heavens literally opened up and the rain absolutely pelted down. It was farking cold and I was soaked and totally frozen to the bone by the time I got home. BUT during that time this whole tune and ideas for an arrangement came to me. My working title at the time was “Running in The Rain” oddly enough - though the album title actually became ‘When the Heavens Open’. A rough-ish solo piano version is here if anyone is interested…
So, I have to agree with Tom on this one:
If you are not feeling it, do not work on music. Do something else that makes you feel good.
… because in the process of doing something else that makes you feel good…well, who knows what musical inspiration might come your way… ? Why would you want to close yourself off to that possibility? Forcing yourself to sit down and be creative feels SO wrong to me, and yet I have actually done it and it has worked… sometimes. Just be open to all possibilities, opportunities and options and forget about arbitrary ‘rules’ you might have read in some book along the way. Like I did once… “The Artists Way”
I didn’t say ‘get to the page first thing in the morning, and stay there all day, thereby closing off all possibilities
of anything else’.
I’ve also been hit by inspiration while out in nature, or walking in the city, or driving in my car. The constant
change of scenery and imagery are important to our creativity.
The suggestion I made above isn’t a rule, it’s a suggestion, and it works for me.
It obviously wasn’t aimed at someone like you, Ian, who’s very prolific and obviously disciplined when you want to be. It’s more aimed at writers who are struggling with the process(as John has claimed he is - and why he started this thread), and it’s based on my own personal experience. For some, ‘waiting for the inspiration to arrive’ can be
a sure recipe for more and more waiting. Simply getting to the page can be a struggle for some, because they’re not sure where to begin or they lack confidence to a certain degree and need to refine their process.
the only way to do this is to get ones arse to the page. Things that may seem tedious or troubling at the moment
can become easy and routine if you if simply start doing it regularly.
I don’t blame you for challenging me on this. I know you’re still smarting from me
calling you a flip flopper last month.
Interesting. For me, life is all about making yourself do things. Yes, it’s about discipline. But more about simply “choosing.” Life is what YOU make of it, I believe.
But were ARE talking about the creative process, not life in general, so I guess whatever works for you, works. Your prolificness speaks for itself. Although… considering the fact that both Lenny’s music AND my music is far superior to your garbage might suggest otherwise…
But I agree 100% with Lenny on this: if you wait for inspiration to hit, you may be waiting for a long time. In my case, I experience inspiration (or at least melodic or song ideas) all the time… but for me it takes willpower to make myself sit down and start putting it down (I HATE the recording process). I admire the fact that you obviously don’t need much self-motivation to record, because your output FAR exceeds mine
Yeah… I’m never going to get over that. It eats away at me daily. I’ll probably take that one to an early grave and leve you with the guilt of knowing you had a BIG part to play in my untimely demise.
I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed I no longer burden you all with my copious quatities of endless low-grade dross. In fact I’ve been sat here in front of my keyboards, guitars and DAW for several months now waiting and willing, waiting and willing for inspiration to come…
Music is a weird beast isn’t it? It seems that every one approaches it differently, and I’ll bet between all of these methods, there is some ratio between discipline and creative inspiration. For me they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. I drive myself hard in music (and many other things) but music especially because I’m passionate about it and I want my skills to hit professional status. I know you can overdo discipline and get burned out. I wonder if you can overdo inspiration… I’ll bet you can. It is interesting for me to see how other people approach this in particular, and I have learned quite a bit from it.
And Sherz, I don’t care what Doug says. I don’t think your stuff is garbage. Not even a little spoiled.
…John should dress as a rabbit and run on the spot?
Hi John,
I dont think I can add anything without repeating the good advice or ideas already given so far.
However, I did go through something similar not long ago with my musical hobby.
How did I get through it, well, I done the same as you, I started a thread/asked for help.
A problem shared is a problem halved!
Before I posted the thread (on the old forum-past, present and future) I got some great advice and encouragment from Mr G! I’ll be honest, it took me a couple of weeks to write the thread out before posting it, but in doing so; having everything written down, including the new advice, this process allowed me to approach my situation in a different way to the way I was looking at it on my own. Then, once the thread was posted and the kind replies came in, I started to feel more positive, the crap that was in my head started fading away!
I’m sure this process is starting to work for you too! as you said earlier in this thread “ok, so you guys are starting to clear my head”
I think it was several weeks before I was back on track and heading in the right direction (Doesnt it take something like 28 days for us to break a habbit?) but without the help from the guys on here (and you, as I believe you were the 1st to post on my thread) I think I’d be about ready to sell up.
In the last week ive written and recorded a song, ok, that doesnt sound like much as most here are doing that on a daily basis, but for me, not being able to do anything in the last 2 years I’m a very happy bunny! (what made me think bunny? )
I have no doubt you’ll get through this, the hunger will come back.
