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Forums - The lounge
Subject: Getting the energy...
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Original Message 1/20 16-Jul-05 @ 04:28 PM - Getting the energy...
Steve Roughley
Posts: 1178
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Hey all.
I've just been thinking about how I haven't completed a track in over a year and over the last few months have probably spent a total of 6 hours actually trying to write music. I'm still really interested in producing but my job has taken over my life and I just do not have the energy anymore to even look at a piece of electrical equipment when I get home.
Now, I know that some of you guys must have a similar situation with work and so I'm wondering what tricks, if any, you've found to get yourselves into the studio.
I've just been thinking about how I haven't completed a track in over a year and over the last few months have probably spent a total of 6 hours actually trying to write music. I'm still really interested in producing but my job has taken over my life and I just do not have the energy anymore to even look at a piece of electrical equipment when I get home.
Now, I know that some of you guys must have a similar situation with work and so I'm wondering what tricks, if any, you've found to get yourselves into the studio.
Message 2/20 16-Jul-05 @ 06:24 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
these things help me:
1. inspiration
2. coffee or tea
3. a desire to rule the world
4. telling yourself that no one else is making any music and if you don't do so you're not living up to your responsibilities as an artist/savior/madman
5. pretending all those knobs are actually nipples and see how they soft and responsive they are.
we know they're not but pretend anyway (pretention can be very functional in many-a-situation).
6. inspiration (more> you can never have too much of this).
7. a decent melody or harmonic worth exploring....beats alone are insufficient
8. more coffee (or tea this time)
9. knowing how much your friends and mother who wanted you to be a lawyer will love you for continuing to churn out more tracks this year.
10. the knowledge you won't have to start a thread like this asking such questions!!!!!
find time once a year.....steve.
even twice maybe.
1. inspiration
2. coffee or tea
3. a desire to rule the world
4. telling yourself that no one else is making any music and if you don't do so you're not living up to your responsibilities as an artist/savior/madman
5. pretending all those knobs are actually nipples and see how they soft and responsive they are.
we know they're not but pretend anyway (pretention can be very functional in many-a-situation).
6. inspiration (more> you can never have too much of this).
7. a decent melody or harmonic worth exploring....beats alone are insufficient
8. more coffee (or tea this time)
9. knowing how much your friends and mother who wanted you to be a lawyer will love you for continuing to churn out more tracks this year.
10. the knowledge you won't have to start a thread like this asking such questions!!!!!
find time once a year.....steve.
even twice maybe.
Message 3/20 16-Jul-05 @ 06:26 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
is our little emoticon tipping his hat or beating himself with a mallet?
Message 4/20 16-Jul-05 @ 06:31 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
and if #3....desire to rule the world is too severe or expansive or loughty or grand....then perhaps settle for ruling your bedroom studio.
if all you listen to is charlie mingus or the 3 tenors or coldplay or
the new trend on the verge of being this week's shit....you're probably not hearing yourself.
i'll bet you find yourself more entertaining than what's out there...eventually at least.
okay....
11. finding yourself to be of maximum entertainment value.
if all you listen to is charlie mingus or the 3 tenors or coldplay or
the new trend on the verge of being this week's shit....you're probably not hearing yourself.
i'll bet you find yourself more entertaining than what's out there...eventually at least.
okay....
11. finding yourself to be of maximum entertainment value.
Message 5/20 16-Jul-05 @ 06:35 PM Edit: 16-Jul-05 | 06:37 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
stop wanking.
no, but seriously ... stop it.
you need goals innit, same as most other things in life. if you're making tracks with no aim in mind you'll never get anything done. being creative is a nice pastime in itself, but the creative/play bit only lasts so long (for a particular track/song/'masturbatory art installation piece') and after that there's the hard work of finishing.
so you work churning out code for the boss every day and you want something more (possibly fullfilling) in your life? ... apply yourself.
where do you start?
... farmer gives the farmhand a bucket and asks him to clear the field of stones ... field is full of stones, farmhand just looks at it all and can't get started ... farmer comes along half way through the day to see how it's coming along ... "why's your bucket empty kid?" ... "i don't know where to start"
"start at your feet"
specifically how to make time for creativity? start with 15 minutes every day. and no more than that, you'll soon be champing at the bit.
no, but seriously ... stop it.
you need goals innit, same as most other things in life. if you're making tracks with no aim in mind you'll never get anything done. being creative is a nice pastime in itself, but the creative/play bit only lasts so long (for a particular track/song/'masturbatory art installation piece') and after that there's the hard work of finishing.
so you work churning out code for the boss every day and you want something more (possibly fullfilling) in your life? ... apply yourself.
where do you start?
... farmer gives the farmhand a bucket and asks him to clear the field of stones ... field is full of stones, farmhand just looks at it all and can't get started ... farmer comes along half way through the day to see how it's coming along ... "why's your bucket empty kid?" ... "i don't know where to start"
"start at your feet"
specifically how to make time for creativity? start with 15 minutes every day. and no more than that, you'll soon be champing at the bit.
Message 6/20 16-Jul-05 @ 06:37 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
I know the problem.. I can go many weeks without warming up those osc's because of severe work. Dunno, at some point my creativity is ready to burst and then I lock myself up 5 nights in a row.. tired from work or not- Luckily my own arbeit-situation is not as hectic as it has been last year so I'm being quite productive but I can definately relate to your post. Force yourself to programming some sounds.. brings out inspiration at times... well, with me it does. But to each his own medicine probably.
Good luck
Good luck
Message 7/20 16-Jul-05 @ 07:12 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
creativity in itself, is a response if not actual protest against all that which is mundane and banal.
our work is necessary and fulfilling to various extents but unless your creative impulses are given reign there....then some sort of outlet will always be necessary.
of course you got beer and tv to fall back on when all else fails.....but rocking something out of the void is much better.
let 15 minutes become 15 hours.
it's only time.....the time of your life.
our work is necessary and fulfilling to various extents but unless your creative impulses are given reign there....then some sort of outlet will always be necessary.
of course you got beer and tv to fall back on when all else fails.....but rocking something out of the void is much better.
let 15 minutes become 15 hours.
it's only time.....the time of your life.
Message 8/20 16-Jul-05 @ 08:35 PM Edit: 16-Jul-05 | 09:08 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
It could take some time to get back to full productivity (weeks... even months), just start playing around with small ideas (if you use software it is good b'coz it is easy to save/load with just one click), and don't be discouraged if all you have is 20 useless idea, after a week. Make an another 40. Be persistent, the energy you invest into those small fragments will eventually pay off...
Getting the energy is a different kind of game though. It's like atomic fusion: you need to invest some energy first: go to concerts, gigs, partys if you can do it, also listen to a lot of different music [I can be considered lucky, because I have the kind of workplace where one can listen to some music with headphones, and even though I can't do it all the time (tasks which need concentration often force me to turn of the music) it really helps to have exposure to new stuff out there.]. Do things you wouldn't do normaly (even if that means you'll not have the time for producing at the beginning).
Getting the energy is a different kind of game though. It's like atomic fusion: you need to invest some energy first: go to concerts, gigs, partys if you can do it, also listen to a lot of different music [I can be considered lucky, because I have the kind of workplace where one can listen to some music with headphones, and even though I can't do it all the time (tasks which need concentration often force me to turn of the music) it really helps to have exposure to new stuff out there.]. Do things you wouldn't do normaly (even if that means you'll not have the time for producing at the beginning).
Message 9/20 16-Jul-05 @ 08:36 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
Steve Roughley
Posts: 1178
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"the knowledge you won't have to start a thread like this asking such questions!!!!!"
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there. Although, your last point, Sage, has certainly hit a note. My job no longer entails just coding. Now I mainly speak to clients and model their business problem before mapping a software model to it as a solution, which is very creative and does give me a major outlet for my artistic side. I know you may not think it, but creating well made, efficient software is very artistic. I suppose that's why its called software design. So perhaps this has caused a lack of interest in creativity at home.
I think I'm just gonna have sit down in my studio on Monday evening after work and every evening after that and force myself back into the groove. Its all a bit silly really, that I should be having to complain about this, but I've really felt like I've let myself go a bit. However, this little discussion has already made me feel a little more 'sparked', if that's a sensible term to apply here.
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there. Although, your last point, Sage, has certainly hit a note. My job no longer entails just coding. Now I mainly speak to clients and model their business problem before mapping a software model to it as a solution, which is very creative and does give me a major outlet for my artistic side. I know you may not think it, but creating well made, efficient software is very artistic. I suppose that's why its called software design. So perhaps this has caused a lack of interest in creativity at home.
I think I'm just gonna have sit down in my studio on Monday evening after work and every evening after that and force myself back into the groove. Its all a bit silly really, that I should be having to complain about this, but I've really felt like I've let myself go a bit. However, this little discussion has already made me feel a little more 'sparked', if that's a sensible term to apply here.
Message 10/20 16-Jul-05 @ 08:38 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
Steve Roughley
Posts: 1178
Link?: No link
File?: No file
That's one of the problems that I've been having, Rags. Is I am constantly buying new and interesting music and the more I've put off producing, the more the whole creativity thing seemed to slip as I'd hear all of these new and talented producers doing things that keep getting even further out of my league (anyone following Tiefschwarz atm? My god these guys are talented!!!).
Message 11/20 16-Jul-05 @ 09:05 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
some good points here. what rags said about all these seemingly small little ideas which amount to nothing at first. a little hat phrase perhaps. a kick. some snatch of hooky-melody. start putting them together and they can snowball. you know the routine. you've done some fine stuff in the past.
as for your career and what outlets for creativity it allows you.
no...i don't doubt it all.
talking to people...interacting creatively...politics....sales> they are all potential art-forms.
music is certainly one which we immediately think of at times but when i watch an ice-skater or some of these new fire-twirlers and breathers at these outdoor parties i absolutely know what an art that is. you can find art in the way a girl walks for that matter. making music that sounds like a girl's walk.... well lordy.
i totally believe software design is an art-form and not just a science......it's one of the reasons
why i ALWAYS BUY my own software and not just for the license.
there's art in meditation and the manner in which 2 people might relate in an exchange of the flesh.
there's art in bullshit too. our daily banter.....be it here or wherever.
yeah....it's all there....creativity./.....ins>piration....LOVe....paSS~ion.
they can come and go in cycles.
trying to keep them part of your daily life is always a challenge
just as rememberance can be key.
as for your career and what outlets for creativity it allows you.
no...i don't doubt it all.
talking to people...interacting creatively...politics....sales> they are all potential art-forms.
music is certainly one which we immediately think of at times but when i watch an ice-skater or some of these new fire-twirlers and breathers at these outdoor parties i absolutely know what an art that is. you can find art in the way a girl walks for that matter. making music that sounds like a girl's walk.... well lordy.
i totally believe software design is an art-form and not just a science......it's one of the reasons
why i ALWAYS BUY my own software and not just for the license.
there's art in meditation and the manner in which 2 people might relate in an exchange of the flesh.
there's art in bullshit too. our daily banter.....be it here or wherever.
yeah....it's all there....creativity./.....ins>piration....LOVe....paSS~ion.
they can come and go in cycles.
trying to keep them part of your daily life is always a challenge
just as rememberance can be key.
Message 12/20 16-Jul-05 @ 09:07 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
hey steve, don't take my flippancy too seriously, i'm totally in agreement with you about programming being as creative as anything, there's beauty and patterns in maths and algorithms (and human interaction) through and through.
i think maybe you're right about your job somewhat satisfying your creative 'urge' (can't think of a better word there must be one). telling you though, putting a limit on something you know you enjoy will soon have you wanting more and more. clay's right, that 15 minutes will soon be 15 hours if you let it.
and you're good enough to make a living out of music i reckon.
i think maybe you're right about your job somewhat satisfying your creative 'urge' (can't think of a better word there must be one). telling you though, putting a limit on something you know you enjoy will soon have you wanting more and more. clay's right, that 15 minutes will soon be 15 hours if you let it.
and you're good enough to make a living out of music i reckon.
Message 13/20 16-Jul-05 @ 09:13 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
another thing i'd recommend and do quite often myself....and one which counters a statement made by ape ages ago (which i lacked the desire or energy to argue at the time)....but i feel is good when one feels blocked or maybe even lazy...is to revisit some old ideas which you might've dropped some time ago.
i absolutely disagree that just because one isn't able to bring and idea to completion in one sitting or specific period of time.....that it's probably an idea that wasn't worth preservering with.
sometimes those old midi-or audio-files can reveal potential when you reopen them with an all-new set of sounds or a refreshed attitude about how to proceed.
12. cleaning and rearranging the studio sometimes.
i absolutely disagree that just because one isn't able to bring and idea to completion in one sitting or specific period of time.....that it's probably an idea that wasn't worth preservering with.
sometimes those old midi-or audio-files can reveal potential when you reopen them with an all-new set of sounds or a refreshed attitude about how to proceed.
12. cleaning and rearranging the studio sometimes.
Message 14/20 17-Jul-05 @ 06:53 AM - RE: Getting the energy...
quote
Steve Roughley wrote:
more the whole creativity thing seemed to slip as Id hear all of these new and talented producers doing things that keep getting even further out of my league (anyone following Tiefschwarz atm? My god these guys are talented!!!).
Steve Roughley wrote:
more the whole creativity thing seemed to slip as Id hear all of these new and talented producers doing things that keep getting even further out of my league (anyone following Tiefschwarz atm? My god these guys are talented!!!).
Probably they are (I haven't heard that stuff yet), but don't let that overwhelm you. I mean sometimes I am also envious to other people's stuff
but then that is automatically followed by the reaction of "fuck that, I can do better", which can be quite a source of enegry and inspiration. Another old cliche, but maybe all you need is new ways of working and some new sounds, and new tools to mangle sounds with (and the internet is full of free and interesting stuff to give you that "cutting edge" in the soud department).
If you have tried all the above... sometimes trying too hard can be an obstacle as well. I know how it feels after a working day to get home and know that "hey, this is that only one hour today in which you could turn on the comp. and do some creative stuff but..." so it could be stressful and might not help at all to have a dedicated time period (every day). What I did was:
a. I restructured my free time so now I have time for important things (family, friends, music).That involved sacrificing watching TV and 3D graphics, which was my other occupation back in the days when I had plenty of time.
b. sometimes I use some relaxation techniques when I get home, it takes only 10-15 minutes, but it is really refreshing (and relieves me of stress)
Message 15/20 17-Jul-05 @ 07:04 AM - RE: Getting the energy...
i think one of the most damaging things one can do as an artist, or even as a human being,
is to compare one's self with others.
do what you do and do it well.
be who you are and be it better than anyone else....
while appreciating others for who and what they are.
then simply let it flow out of you.
is to compare one's self with others.
do what you do and do it well.
be who you are and be it better than anyone else....
while appreciating others for who and what they are.
then simply let it flow out of you.
Message 16/20 18-Jul-05 @ 05:04 AM - RE: Getting the energy...
13. (not really an option) a workstation where you can either sit or stand at a moment's whim and/or notice. sitting down low all day and night making music as if you were driving a car or go-cart or you were at a dinner table is definitely not going to produce much inspiration within the physical body.
then again...there's not one much one can do if we're lacking in passion.
after all...you can't give what you don't got.
you might as well just eat supper and practice those perfect stretches of long tender silence.
it's possible that one finds inspiration there.
i know many that do.
14. always a brief (or prolonged) separation from that which you find truly uninspiring....aye!
15. leftfield: swords
get that energy.
then again...there's not one much one can do if we're lacking in passion.
after all...you can't give what you don't got.
you might as well just eat supper and practice those perfect stretches of long tender silence.
it's possible that one finds inspiration there.
i know many that do.
14. always a brief (or prolonged) separation from that which you find truly uninspiring....aye!
15. leftfield: swords
get that energy.
Message 17/20 19-Jul-05 @ 02:00 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
When you find the answer, let me know.. I'm just totally burned out and have been since the collapse of my last project.
I've been spending my time playing with my dog and racing go-karts.
I've been spending my time playing with my dog and racing go-karts.
Message 18/20 19-Jul-05 @ 06:43 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
well yeassir....that just simply goes in accord with taking a break from that which you find uninspiring or draining......
when things fall apart diminish or take away from one's enjoyment of things......it's time to let it go.
i'm not sure about the go-cart thing (there's a lot of toxins in those emissions) but the dogs...yes....they're absolute masters.
there's no downplaying what one can learn from them.....especially those relaxation-techniques
(not to say they're without their toxic-emissions also).
when things fall apart diminish or take away from one's enjoyment of things......it's time to let it go.
i'm not sure about the go-cart thing (there's a lot of toxins in those emissions) but the dogs...yes....they're absolute masters.
there's no downplaying what one can learn from them.....especially those relaxation-techniques
(not to say they're without their toxic-emissions also).
Message 19/20 19-Jul-05 @ 07:50 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
believe it or not, racing is relaxing. While I'm out there there's nothing else in the world I'm thinking about.
Message 20/20 19-Jul-05 @ 09:14 PM - RE: Getting the energy...
oh...i'm sure of it. that's what scares me.
but i'd trade that wide-open road and savvy~engine over smelling my dog condumb's relaxing
HIS own inner toxins....anyday.
but i'd trade that wide-open road and savvy~engine over smelling my dog condumb's relaxing
HIS own inner toxins....anyday.
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