1 00:00:00,097 --> 00:00:03,529 Every time you sit down and make music is different and special. 2 00:00:03,529 --> 00:00:09,654 You feel a certain way, you're in a certain mood, the time of day factors in, the people you are around with affects you. 3 00:00:09,654 --> 00:00:15,538 It's like the old saying, you can never go in the same river twice because the river is never the same and neither are you. 4 00:00:15,538 --> 00:00:21,622 So each time you make music, you're going to come up with something completely unique to that particular moment. 5 00:00:21,622 --> 00:00:25,825 And if you don't do it now, what music is not getting made? 6 00:00:25,825 --> 00:00:28,296 What songs are not getting written? 7 00:00:28,408 --> 00:00:33,520 What if Paul McCartney didn't sit down at the piano after he dreamed up the melody of yesterday? 8 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:40,081 Or what if Dolly Parton didn't sit down to write music the day she wrote both Jolene and I Will Always Love You? 9 00:00:40,082 --> 00:00:43,713 What music of yours is not getting created right now? 10 00:00:43,713 --> 00:00:50,765 The only way to ensure that your best music isn't going unwritten is to become prolific and write as often as possible. 11 00:00:50,765 --> 00:00:54,996 But what happens when you have the time to make music and you don't know where to start? 12 00:00:54,998 --> 00:01:03,245 In this video, I'm going to share 10 habits of prolific music producers that I've picked up from my own experience and the wisdom of hundreds of guests that I've spoke to on this 13 00:01:03,245 --> 00:01:05,267 music production podcast. 14 00:01:05,267 --> 00:01:14,044 Even if you only apply a couple of these principles, you'll be making more music, feeling more creative and defending yourself against writer's block and self-doubt. 15 00:01:15,810 --> 00:01:18,351 Number one, don't wait to start. 16 00:01:18,351 --> 00:01:19,452 Start now. 17 00:01:19,452 --> 00:01:27,736 Don't postpone your creative work until you know who you are or have the perfect idea or until you've figured out your identity and unique style. 18 00:01:27,736 --> 00:01:32,719 You have to actually make stuff and work on stuff to actually develop that unique style. 19 00:01:32,719 --> 00:01:35,891 You're not gonna have the right gear that's gonna fix everything. 20 00:01:35,891 --> 00:01:41,364 You're not gonna download the proper program or software or plugin that's gonna change everything for you. 21 00:01:41,364 --> 00:01:43,085 You already have plenty. 22 00:01:43,085 --> 00:01:44,331 Start now. 23 00:01:44,331 --> 00:01:49,205 And if you don't feel like you have the credentials to do it, just fake it till you make it. 24 00:01:49,205 --> 00:01:51,447 Act like the person you want to become. 25 00:01:51,447 --> 00:01:53,949 Adopt the mindset of the artist you want to be. 26 00:01:53,949 --> 00:01:58,313 Act like a creator and start producing stuff and you will become a creator. 27 00:01:58,313 --> 00:02:03,958 You're never going to get a certificate in the mail that makes you have the permission to create music. 28 00:02:03,958 --> 00:02:10,403 You're not going to get this like plaque one day that shows that you are officially there and you have the credibility to do it. 29 00:02:10,403 --> 00:02:11,484 It never comes. 30 00:02:11,484 --> 00:02:12,789 You just have to do it. 31 00:02:12,789 --> 00:02:23,912 and do it and do it and as you do it that's what you are you're making music music producers produce music so produce music don't wait start now number two it's okay to be 32 00:02:23,912 --> 00:02:34,995 unoriginal nothing is original all of our creative work builds on what came before artists have influences and those artists influences have their own influences we're all standing 33 00:02:34,995 --> 00:02:42,669 on the shoulders of giants as they say so we're really never creating anything new it's more like we're mixing things together so 34 00:02:42,669 --> 00:02:44,970 So borrow from lots of sources. 35 00:02:44,970 --> 00:02:51,314 Draw from multiple different influences, take little aspects of what one artist does and what another does, and throw them together. 36 00:02:51,314 --> 00:02:55,036 The more varied your influences, the more original your work will be. 37 00:02:55,036 --> 00:02:59,048 You can steal grooves or maybe song structures or rhythmic ideas. 38 00:02:59,048 --> 00:03:05,291 You can borrow phrasing from songs, maybe even rewrite lyrics and then put them into your own melodies and rhythms. 39 00:03:05,336 --> 00:03:08,519 There's all kinds of ways you can borrow things from other people. 40 00:03:08,519 --> 00:03:14,214 You can write down chord progressions you like and then come back to them later after you've forgotten where they came from. 41 00:03:14,214 --> 00:03:18,137 I really think it's a great idea to just collect different ideas. 42 00:03:18,137 --> 00:03:26,584 In my book, The Five Minute Music Producer, it's one of the things I talk about is creating these reference files so that when you do have time to make music, you know 43 00:03:26,584 --> 00:03:27,475 something you can do. 44 00:03:27,475 --> 00:03:32,863 So I've got just snippets of song lyrics, titles, things I see in... 45 00:03:32,863 --> 00:03:37,436 newspapers or magazines or phrases people say or just things that pop in my head. 46 00:03:37,436 --> 00:03:41,858 Maybe it's a line from a movie or something, but I'll just write those down in my lyric ideas. 47 00:03:41,858 --> 00:03:48,232 And then I got another one called techniques to try in a song where I'm just collecting things that I like that other music does. 48 00:03:48,232 --> 00:03:54,825 Maybe I like a certain buildup or a certain introduction to a song, or I like the way the chorus comes around in a certain kind of way. 49 00:03:54,825 --> 00:03:56,747 I just write these things down and collect them. 50 00:03:56,747 --> 00:04:00,379 And then when I'm ready to make music, I don't have to think, what am I going to do? 51 00:04:00,379 --> 00:04:01,429 What am I going to do? 52 00:04:01,429 --> 00:04:04,530 I can just borrow from these ideas that I've already come up with. 53 00:04:04,530 --> 00:04:10,503 Collect ideas from your favorite artists, make lists of these ideas, and when it's time to make music, throw them together. 54 00:04:10,503 --> 00:04:19,437 Because even if you're just copying something that somebody else did, most likely you're going to kind of mess it up and miss the mark, but in your own unique way. 55 00:04:19,437 --> 00:04:25,840 And the kind of mistakes or quirks about how you did it is going to be where your personality comes through. 56 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,459 So really don't stress it too much. 57 00:04:28,459 --> 00:04:34,152 If you wind up copying too much in the early stages of a project, you can always go back and edit it later. 58 00:04:34,152 --> 00:04:37,593 But know that we're all borrowing from each other. 59 00:04:37,593 --> 00:04:44,696 Your job is to just borrow the things that you like, put them together in your own way, and allow your personality to come into it. 60 00:04:44,696 --> 00:04:45,817 You're not going to be original. 61 00:04:45,817 --> 00:04:46,527 Don't worry about it. 62 00:04:46,527 --> 00:04:47,877 That's going to put too much stress on you. 63 00:04:47,877 --> 00:04:50,439 So allow yourself to be unoriginal. 64 00:04:50,439 --> 00:04:53,540 And ironically, you're going to wind up sounding original. 65 00:04:53,540 --> 00:04:56,341 Number three, make what you want to hear. 66 00:04:56,523 --> 00:05:04,036 Make something that you will enjoy, even if you just enjoy the process of making it, because then at least one person will like it. 67 00:05:04,036 --> 00:05:10,219 And more than likely, there's probably a lot of other people just like you out there that are gonna enjoy what you're doing. 68 00:05:10,219 --> 00:05:11,419 You might inspire them. 69 00:05:11,419 --> 00:05:14,601 By making yourself happy, you're probably gonna make those other people happy too. 70 00:05:14,601 --> 00:05:16,001 Create what you love. 71 00:05:16,001 --> 00:05:20,183 Instead of trying to make things that you think other people will like, just make stuff that you like. 72 00:05:20,183 --> 00:05:22,144 Focus on the art you wanna see. 73 00:05:22,144 --> 00:05:25,389 Write the book you wanna read, build the projects you wanna use. 74 00:05:25,389 --> 00:05:27,230 create the music you want to listen to. 75 00:05:27,230 --> 00:05:33,053 Maybe you want a song for a certain occasion, make a song for that, and then that's your song for that occasion. 76 00:05:33,053 --> 00:05:37,136 And like I said before, there's probably other people that will enjoy what you're doing too. 77 00:05:37,136 --> 00:05:43,259 But if you're focusing on pleasing other people, you're going to get stuck real fast because you have no feedback in those early stages. 78 00:05:43,259 --> 00:05:45,621 The only feedback you really have is your own. 79 00:05:45,621 --> 00:05:51,864 So if you just focus on enjoying the process and enjoying what you're doing, you're probably going to make stuff that other people want to hear anyway. 80 00:05:51,864 --> 00:05:53,483 So just make what you want to hear. 81 00:05:53,483 --> 00:05:55,835 Number four, create a routine. 82 00:05:55,896 --> 00:05:58,839 Set times to make your music and stick to it. 83 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:00,240 Think of it like an appointment. 84 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:01,541 Put it in the calendar. 85 00:06:01,541 --> 00:06:08,859 Create a system for yourself where you say, if it's Monday at 5 p.m., I'm going to make music, then when Monday at 5 p.m. 86 00:06:08,859 --> 00:06:11,842 shows up, you know what you're doing and you don't have to think about it. 87 00:06:11,842 --> 00:06:13,123 You don't have to decide if there's time. 88 00:06:13,123 --> 00:06:14,775 You've already created that time. 89 00:06:14,775 --> 00:06:17,185 If you want to play with a band or other people. 90 00:06:17,185 --> 00:06:18,286 You have to do this anyway. 91 00:06:18,286 --> 00:06:20,158 That's the only way the practices ever happen. 92 00:06:20,158 --> 00:06:24,112 You gotta put it on the schedule and make it regular so that everybody knows what's coming up. 93 00:06:24,112 --> 00:06:26,924 Don't feel like you have to get more time. 94 00:06:26,924 --> 00:06:28,936 You have to quit your day job. 95 00:06:28,936 --> 00:06:38,985 In fact, having a day job for me is probably one of the best things that gets me making music because when I go to work, I'm taking up a large portion of my day. 96 00:06:38,985 --> 00:06:43,315 So when I get home, I know I only have a few hours left to do what I wanna do. 97 00:06:43,315 --> 00:06:49,328 So I make the time and when I sit down to make music, I know that I only have a certain amount of time, so I get to work. 98 00:06:49,328 --> 00:06:54,371 I often refer back to those lists I told you about earlier to get ideas flowing if I don't have ideas. 99 00:06:54,371 --> 00:07:00,074 But the job actually provides me with the structure to know when I should be making music. 100 00:07:00,074 --> 00:07:08,609 When I'm on summer vacation, I have all that time off, I feel like I have so much time I can waste time like crazy and I'll say, I'll do it later, I'll do it tomorrow. 101 00:07:08,609 --> 00:07:13,111 And a lot of times, weeks go by without really getting much done on a project. 102 00:07:13,111 --> 00:07:17,082 But once I have work, I realize, okay, I've only got three hours today. 103 00:07:17,082 --> 00:07:18,825 I've only got an hour tomorrow. 104 00:07:18,825 --> 00:07:21,086 And then I just get to work and do it. 105 00:07:21,086 --> 00:07:25,779 allow your normal routines to structure your artistic routine. 106 00:07:25,779 --> 00:07:34,055 But don't feel like you have to wait until inspiration strikes to do it because it's very unlikely that that inspiration is going to line up with your schedule perfectly. 107 00:07:34,055 --> 00:07:37,803 Find a time to work, show up and inspiration will come to you. 108 00:07:37,803 --> 00:07:44,357 That's the way to get inspired to start working, to start doing stuff and things will start to happen that you react to and that'll make you excited. 109 00:07:44,357 --> 00:07:45,448 Make a routine of it. 110 00:07:45,448 --> 00:07:52,943 Show up like it's your job, like it's an appointment, like you would be letting someone down if you didn't do it because you are going to be letting someone down if you don't do 111 00:07:52,943 --> 00:07:54,704 it and that person is you. 112 00:07:54,704 --> 00:07:56,215 So don't treat yourself poorly. 113 00:07:56,215 --> 00:07:59,227 Stick to your routine and make music on a schedule. 114 00:07:59,227 --> 00:08:02,249 Number five, embrace your constraints. 115 00:08:02,529 --> 00:08:06,972 The real problem for music makers these days is we have too many choices. 116 00:08:06,972 --> 00:08:09,294 We have every plugin, every sample. 117 00:08:09,294 --> 00:08:15,139 We can download things, we can watch tutorials, we can learn and learn and learn before we ever get started. 118 00:08:15,139 --> 00:08:18,241 We need to push that stuff away and just get going. 119 00:08:18,241 --> 00:08:20,803 Work with what you have now. 120 00:08:20,803 --> 00:08:28,589 Instead of thinking you need new gear or you need to learn something, make something with what you've got and the space you've got and the time you've got. 121 00:08:28,589 --> 00:08:29,321 Then... 122 00:08:29,321 --> 00:08:38,888 In the future, you can add gear or you can learn things over time, but nobody makes music by getting everything they need and learning everything they need first and then doing it. 123 00:08:38,888 --> 00:08:44,992 So much of the learning happens as you're doing it and so much of the realizing what you need happens while you're doing it. 124 00:08:44,992 --> 00:08:49,615 When it's time to create, think about creating limitations and challenges for yourself. 125 00:08:49,615 --> 00:08:50,646 Use subtraction. 126 00:08:50,646 --> 00:08:52,457 We've got infinite possibilities. 127 00:08:52,457 --> 00:08:57,360 Find a way to create limitations for yourself so you can be creative within those limitations. 128 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:58,539 Creativity is really 129 00:08:58,539 --> 00:08:59,740 problem solving. 130 00:08:59,740 --> 00:09:04,482 It's how do I figure out how to do this thing with the situation I'm in? 131 00:09:04,482 --> 00:09:09,085 If your answer to that is change my situation all the time, you're never being creative. 132 00:09:09,085 --> 00:09:11,366 You're just finding other ways around it. 133 00:09:11,366 --> 00:09:16,349 The real trick to being creative is figuring out how you're going to solve problems with what you already have. 134 00:09:16,349 --> 00:09:17,760 So embrace those constraints. 135 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:19,151 They're actually your friends. 136 00:09:19,151 --> 00:09:20,501 They'll get your mind going. 137 00:09:20,501 --> 00:09:23,073 They'll get you doing things you might not have done otherwise. 138 00:09:23,073 --> 00:09:27,037 And they'll get you making music instead of finding excuses. 139 00:09:27,037 --> 00:09:29,029 why you shouldn't be making music. 140 00:09:29,029 --> 00:09:32,252 Number six, try different approaches to shake things up. 141 00:09:32,252 --> 00:09:37,636 Now this one comes after you've already employed principle number four, which is create a routine. 142 00:09:37,636 --> 00:09:41,640 After you've got a routine going for a while, every once in a while, shake it up. 143 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:43,390 Try working in a different spot. 144 00:09:43,390 --> 00:09:48,406 Maybe bring your computer or your instrument or whatever you use to make music into a different location. 145 00:09:48,406 --> 00:09:55,135 Take it outside if you can, maybe get away from the computer, try a different instrument, try a physical setup. 146 00:09:55,135 --> 00:09:57,666 Maybe just use pens, papers and a recorder. 147 00:09:57,666 --> 00:10:01,078 Even your phone is fine because those mics are great now on phones. 148 00:10:01,078 --> 00:10:06,718 But the point is to just mix it up in a way that you're now kind of have this novelty of something fresh and different. 149 00:10:06,718 --> 00:10:08,542 It's going to get you thinking differently. 150 00:10:08,542 --> 00:10:11,944 It might even be to just break the routine and do it at a different time. 151 00:10:11,944 --> 00:10:19,969 But by changing your either environment, time or tools, you might find yourself making music that you wouldn't make otherwise. 152 00:10:19,969 --> 00:10:23,591 And that can be very inspiring and lead to new directions musically. 153 00:10:23,591 --> 00:10:24,884 So every once in a while. 154 00:10:24,884 --> 00:10:26,052 Shake things up. 155 00:10:31,147 --> 00:10:37,430 This episode of the music production podcast is sponsored by Baby Audio and their new drum synthesizer called Techno. 156 00:10:37,430 --> 00:10:41,087 This is a re-imagination of some of the classic drum machines. 157 00:10:41,087 --> 00:10:46,694 It allows you to create your own drum sounds from the ground up or use a ton of really cool presets. 158 00:10:46,694 --> 00:10:50,615 You get anything from big, huge, massive drums to more subtle things. 159 00:10:50,615 --> 00:10:54,457 You have total control and there's a lot of fun to be had with this. 160 00:10:54,457 --> 00:10:58,138 Really happy to have this as our sponsor today from Baby Audio. 161 00:10:58,138 --> 00:11:00,259 You can act now. 162 00:11:00,339 --> 00:11:03,543 and take advantage of the intro pricing if you're fast. 163 00:11:03,543 --> 00:11:09,289 And you can also use the MPP15 to get another 15 % off. 164 00:11:09,289 --> 00:11:12,303 So go to their site, babyaud.io. 165 00:11:12,303 --> 00:11:21,422 So it's B-A-B-Y-A-U-D.io and use the code MPP15 to get another 15 % off this really fun drum machine. 166 00:11:24,637 --> 00:11:27,328 Number seven, create side projects. 167 00:11:27,328 --> 00:11:31,379 Sometimes when we're working on a project for so long, we can get a little burnt out on it. 168 00:11:31,379 --> 00:11:32,609 We can get stuck. 169 00:11:32,609 --> 00:11:42,652 So we can find ways to get out of that by exploring different projects, maybe work in a different genre, maybe use a different set of sounds or instruments, maybe even do an 170 00:11:42,652 --> 00:11:45,733 entirely different thing aside from making music. 171 00:11:45,733 --> 00:11:53,289 You'd be surprised at the different connections you can make by creating some physical art, drawing, painting, or making 172 00:11:53,289 --> 00:11:58,661 videos or something like that, you can find inspiration and connections with making music. 173 00:11:58,661 --> 00:12:07,483 And if you pursue some of these things, you might find yourself getting good at making album art or music videos, or maybe creating something that you can also bring into your 174 00:12:07,483 --> 00:12:08,963 world of your music. 175 00:12:08,963 --> 00:12:12,624 But it's nice to have something different to turn to every once in a while. 176 00:12:12,624 --> 00:12:16,045 You don't have to stay focused on one thing all the time. 177 00:12:16,045 --> 00:12:21,287 A lot of times one passion will be developed by exploring other passions. 178 00:12:21,287 --> 00:12:22,579 You might find that 179 00:12:22,579 --> 00:12:29,305 If you have an alternative creative outlet or another project to work on, you'll take that a little bit less seriously. 180 00:12:29,305 --> 00:12:34,008 And you might bring that less serious attitude to the stuff that you are taking seriously. 181 00:12:34,008 --> 00:12:38,011 Cause a lot of times we get stuck and burnt down on projects because we take it too seriously. 182 00:12:38,011 --> 00:12:46,278 So having a little practice trying something different that we're not as invested in can really add a lot to the things that we are invested in. 183 00:12:46,278 --> 00:12:48,900 So create some side projects for yourself. 184 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,773 Number eight, immerse yourself in a creative world. 185 00:12:52,971 --> 00:12:54,932 Create your own environment. 186 00:12:54,932 --> 00:12:59,153 Surround yourself with books, art, and objects that you love. 187 00:12:59,153 --> 00:13:02,674 Things that might connect thematically to what you want to work on. 188 00:13:02,674 --> 00:13:07,895 Use travel or the internet to find new perspectives and ideas. 189 00:13:07,895 --> 00:13:12,023 But bring yourself into this little world and try to create that musically. 190 00:13:12,023 --> 00:13:16,357 A lot of times I think of making music as creating a world for the listener. 191 00:13:16,357 --> 00:13:18,038 So subverse yourself in that. 192 00:13:18,038 --> 00:13:23,239 Listen to music, let's watch movies, things that will inspire that kind of thinking. 193 00:13:23,507 --> 00:13:25,248 And you can repeat yourself. 194 00:13:25,248 --> 00:13:28,619 It can be fun to explore sounds and genres and creative approaches. 195 00:13:28,619 --> 00:13:34,892 Sometimes it's really nice to work on a project of say a certain genre and just really go into that for a while. 196 00:13:34,892 --> 00:13:38,513 And then the next project is your chance to do something totally different. 197 00:13:38,513 --> 00:13:41,535 I think that's a lot of fun because it gives me something to look forward to. 198 00:13:41,535 --> 00:13:45,247 And it also gives me the motivation to finish the thing I'm working on now. 199 00:13:45,247 --> 00:13:49,278 A lot of times I'll decide, I've just made like a album with my band. 200 00:13:49,278 --> 00:13:52,099 Now I want to do something electronic and ambient. 201 00:13:52,369 --> 00:13:57,491 As I'm finishing the work with the band, it's part of my motivation is I want to get to the next thing. 202 00:13:57,491 --> 00:14:07,655 Build yourself a world, surround yourself with music, film, art, create your own sounds and palettes that you can use in your music so that you've got this thing you're investing 203 00:14:07,655 --> 00:14:12,497 some time in and spending some time and make a bunch of songs that are very similar to each other. 204 00:14:12,497 --> 00:14:15,358 Sometimes we feel like we got to be different every time. 205 00:14:15,358 --> 00:14:18,339 Don't worry about becoming stale or repetitive. 206 00:14:18,339 --> 00:14:21,990 What you're really doing is just exploring that world a little bit deeper. 207 00:14:21,990 --> 00:14:24,141 And you're allowed to repeat yourself a little bit. 208 00:14:24,141 --> 00:14:27,563 The things that you're repeating are probably going to become your trademarks. 209 00:14:27,563 --> 00:14:31,766 And you probably have a lot of artists that you love that have a sort of trademark thing they do. 210 00:14:31,766 --> 00:14:32,976 Don't be afraid to do that. 211 00:14:32,976 --> 00:14:37,609 That's a way you can kind of own yourself and your own personality musically. 212 00:14:37,609 --> 00:14:43,492 So spend some time in a specific creative world and a project and see what happens. 213 00:14:43,512 --> 00:14:47,054 Number nine, don't be afraid to share your work. 214 00:14:47,054 --> 00:14:48,575 This is so important. 215 00:14:48,575 --> 00:14:50,746 Share your work early and often. 216 00:14:50,746 --> 00:14:54,948 In fact, the beginning is such a great time to share because no one's going to know who you are anyway. 217 00:14:54,948 --> 00:14:57,779 You can kind of leverage your obscurity. 218 00:14:57,779 --> 00:15:03,552 When you're first starting, the fact that you're anonymous and people that know don't know who you are allows you to experiment freely. 219 00:15:03,552 --> 00:15:10,655 You don't have the pressure of expectations or what people are going to be comparing your work against your old work or any of that kind of stuff. 220 00:15:10,655 --> 00:15:12,626 You just put it out there and see what happens. 221 00:15:12,626 --> 00:15:16,252 Think of your work as like a document in time of where you were. 222 00:15:16,252 --> 00:15:19,624 When we look in the mirror every day, we don't see ourselves changing much. 223 00:15:19,624 --> 00:15:23,856 But if you look at a photo from a year or two ago, you might say, wow, I've changed a bit. 224 00:15:23,856 --> 00:15:24,937 I look different. 225 00:15:24,937 --> 00:15:27,409 This is kind of what we want to do with our music and our art. 226 00:15:27,409 --> 00:15:34,183 We want to get used to that feeling of just creating kind of like a path or breadcrumbs of where we've been. 227 00:15:34,183 --> 00:15:36,224 We're creating a body of work. 228 00:15:36,224 --> 00:15:39,806 When I think about it that way, like I'm making a body of work. 229 00:15:39,806 --> 00:15:41,467 It's fun to contribute to that. 230 00:15:41,467 --> 00:15:43,814 Often I put things in as much as I can. 231 00:15:43,814 --> 00:15:47,135 It helps develop my overall story as an artist. 232 00:15:47,135 --> 00:15:53,027 I'm not thinking too much about like one project being the most definitive thing of who I am right now. 233 00:15:53,027 --> 00:16:03,940 If you try to make something that's going to capture everything you believe, all your perspectives and one major opus masterpiece, you're probably going to get stuck and 234 00:16:03,940 --> 00:16:06,771 frustrated because we're not that simple. 235 00:16:06,771 --> 00:16:08,671 There's many sides to us. 236 00:16:08,671 --> 00:16:11,416 Often our messages have contradictions in it. 237 00:16:11,416 --> 00:16:15,179 Often we feel one way and then completely the opposite the next day. 238 00:16:15,179 --> 00:16:16,019 It's okay. 239 00:16:16,019 --> 00:16:23,365 When you start creating a body of work and leaving these breadcrumbs behind, you create this more human, more dimensional character. 240 00:16:23,365 --> 00:16:26,857 Your art is representative of who you actually are. 241 00:16:26,857 --> 00:16:31,270 You can't pick one particular thing to just encapsulate who we are. 242 00:16:31,270 --> 00:16:33,192 It's more about the body of work. 243 00:16:33,192 --> 00:16:39,804 And that makes it a little bit easier to add pieces to that puzzle and share them and try new things because you're not worried about 244 00:16:39,804 --> 00:16:45,305 this super important one message that you're trying to communicate. 245 00:16:45,326 --> 00:16:46,856 We're just not like that as people. 246 00:16:46,856 --> 00:16:48,146 So don't worry about that. 247 00:16:48,146 --> 00:16:55,849 I think it makes for a more interesting overall picture of all the artists I love is that they go through stages and phases and things change. 248 00:16:55,849 --> 00:17:00,150 Their positions change, their beliefs change, their attitudes on things change. 249 00:17:00,150 --> 00:17:05,391 It makes for a more rounded character to follow and that's more human and more relatable. 250 00:17:05,391 --> 00:17:08,050 So share your work, leave. 251 00:17:08,050 --> 00:17:11,483 breadcrumbs, think of it like a diary every time you make something. 252 00:17:11,483 --> 00:17:18,548 Create a body of work that you can look back on and say, hey, that captures a lot of the different things I've been going through at different times. 253 00:17:18,548 --> 00:17:22,111 Number 10 is to make connections with other musicians. 254 00:17:22,111 --> 00:17:24,633 It's so important to connect with other people. 255 00:17:24,633 --> 00:17:28,045 Making music forever was about making music with people. 256 00:17:28,045 --> 00:17:30,247 You had to have other people to be in ensembles. 257 00:17:30,247 --> 00:17:34,930 Now we can do it alone in our computers and be very isolated about it. 258 00:17:34,930 --> 00:17:41,203 But making connections with others will help you share your work and it will help you grow as an artist as well. 259 00:17:41,203 --> 00:17:46,165 It's really helpful to have people that you can trade ideas with, get feedback from. 260 00:17:46,165 --> 00:17:50,166 Nowadays on the internet, you can find communities of all kinds of stuff. 261 00:17:50,166 --> 00:17:53,367 So it's much easier to find your people. 262 00:17:53,728 --> 00:17:58,110 When you're doing this, a couple of things to think about, always be nice to other people. 263 00:17:58,110 --> 00:17:59,540 This is not a competition. 264 00:17:59,540 --> 00:18:00,871 Nobody wins music. 265 00:18:00,871 --> 00:18:02,632 Nobody wins the best song. 266 00:18:02,632 --> 00:18:03,686 You don't need to 267 00:18:03,686 --> 00:18:05,757 Defeat other people to get ahead. 268 00:18:05,757 --> 00:18:13,070 In fact, if you're a part of a community and one person starts having some success that particular artist might bring up the community. 269 00:18:13,070 --> 00:18:14,960 Everybody benefits from this. 270 00:18:15,001 --> 00:18:19,623 Most of the time when people are mean to each other, it's usually due to their own frustration. 271 00:18:19,623 --> 00:18:24,085 You might see that every once in a while, but don't take it to heart too much. 272 00:18:24,085 --> 00:18:28,526 People are tend to be venting about really what they're feeling about themselves. 273 00:18:28,526 --> 00:18:32,668 And if you're nice to them and you're friendly to them, even when they are nasty to you, 274 00:18:32,668 --> 00:18:39,151 you might help get them out of that cycle and it might make them see things a little bit differently and then become supportive of what you're doing. 275 00:18:39,151 --> 00:18:44,433 But if you're going to be mean back to them, um then they're gone and they're done and now you've made an enemy and someone that's against you. 276 00:18:44,433 --> 00:18:45,493 And it shouldn't be like that. 277 00:18:45,493 --> 00:18:46,834 We should be supporting each other. 278 00:18:46,834 --> 00:18:56,448 I think I felt that competition feeling in the past, but in the last few years or decades, I've really been thinking more about like rooting people on and celebrating their 279 00:18:56,448 --> 00:19:02,180 victories because I've found that there's always a time in 280 00:19:02,180 --> 00:19:10,842 Every single project, no matter how much experience I get, no matter how good I think I get at doing a certain thing or a certain genre, there's always a time in every project 281 00:19:10,842 --> 00:19:18,504 where I'm loaded with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, I should be better, I have no right, I'm a fake, I'm a phony. 282 00:19:18,504 --> 00:19:21,165 This happens all the time, every single time. 283 00:19:21,205 --> 00:19:27,527 So when I see people that have finished music, it's evidence to me that it's not impossible. 284 00:19:27,527 --> 00:19:31,588 It reminds me that if they could get through it, then I probably can too. 285 00:19:31,588 --> 00:19:35,849 One thing you're going to learn about making music is how little people really care about it. 286 00:19:35,849 --> 00:19:40,270 So it's nice to shower people with some of the support that you'd like to feel. 287 00:19:40,270 --> 00:19:41,741 Make them feel good about their work. 288 00:19:41,741 --> 00:19:43,791 They're more likely to feel good about your work. 289 00:19:43,791 --> 00:19:45,172 And now you're supporting each other. 290 00:19:45,172 --> 00:19:45,972 Now you're teammates. 291 00:19:45,972 --> 00:19:46,870 Now you're working together. 292 00:19:46,870 --> 00:19:48,433 This is how communities grow. 293 00:19:48,433 --> 00:19:50,333 And it becomes very motivating. 294 00:19:50,333 --> 00:19:54,794 It's so nice to see other people succeed because it shows you that it's not impossible. 295 00:19:54,794 --> 00:19:57,215 And those are people that you know that you've connected with. 296 00:19:57,215 --> 00:20:01,392 You can learn from them and you can help each other as they say. 297 00:20:01,392 --> 00:20:04,493 rising tide raises all boats, right? 298 00:20:04,493 --> 00:20:07,444 So as the water goes higher, so does everyone in that water. 299 00:20:07,444 --> 00:20:11,135 So get in the water with other people and root each other on. 300 00:20:11,135 --> 00:20:12,775 Join communities. 301 00:20:12,775 --> 00:20:14,986 I would recommend my music production club. 302 00:20:14,986 --> 00:20:18,397 It's a really cool community of music producers of all kinds of genres. 303 00:20:18,397 --> 00:20:23,419 And we're always sharing music, supporting each other, giving each other ideas, sharing resources. 304 00:20:23,419 --> 00:20:29,016 We meet on Zoom and we make music together and share our ideas with each other. 305 00:20:29,016 --> 00:20:33,479 And we learn and we realize what we're doing well, what we can improve on. 306 00:20:33,479 --> 00:20:36,402 We get ideas from each other and inspire each other. 307 00:20:36,402 --> 00:20:46,799 It's so important to find a community of people that you can interact with because you are going to get into these times where it's tough and you have self doubt and it feels like 308 00:20:46,799 --> 00:20:48,050 no one cares. 309 00:20:48,050 --> 00:20:50,834 But when you get into a good community, can. 310 00:20:50,834 --> 00:20:56,108 find some support and you can help others that are struggling too and that can sometimes be the exact thing that helps you. 311 00:20:56,108 --> 00:21:02,473 Sometimes seeing somebody struggle with the very thing you're struggling with does make you feel better because you realize you're not alone. 312 00:21:02,473 --> 00:21:09,558 It allows you to see your problems from an outside perspective and understand that you can get through it together. 313 00:21:09,558 --> 00:21:15,823 Having a community of people can really make a difference in this difficult challenge of making music. 314 00:21:15,823 --> 00:21:17,796 So those are some things you can do. 315 00:21:17,796 --> 00:21:26,384 If you are getting stuck and you want to be more prolific, I can't stress it enough, you never know what's going to happen each time you make music. 316 00:21:26,384 --> 00:21:32,169 And every time you let an opportunity get away, we really just don't know what we've lost. 317 00:21:32,169 --> 00:21:34,251 And that could be some of our best music. 318 00:21:34,251 --> 00:21:44,099 Next time you're struggling, next time you're not sure, just sit down and put in a little bit of time, try some of these principles, and I think it might help you get a little 319 00:21:44,099 --> 00:21:45,212 further along. 320 00:21:45,212 --> 00:21:45,972 Good luck to you. 321 00:21:45,972 --> 00:21:48,133 Thanks for watching the music production podcast. 322 00:21:48,133 --> 00:21:49,293 I'm Brian Funk. 323 00:21:49,293 --> 00:21:52,094 You can check out my work at brianfunk.com. 324 00:21:52,094 --> 00:21:59,737 I've got lots of tutorials, free Ableton Live packs, packs I sell, stuff you can use in your music, hopefully stuff that will inspire you a bit. 325 00:21:59,737 --> 00:22:02,808 And if you want to join a cool community, check out the music production club. 326 00:22:02,808 --> 00:22:05,499 We're having a lot of fun over there and it'd be great to have you. 327 00:22:05,499 --> 00:22:08,100 Thank you very much and have a great day.