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What To Do When You Get Stuck When Producing Music

4 Steps to Keep Creating When The News Overwhelms You…

There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty “out there” right now.

There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty “in here” for me right now too.

But when you think about it, nothing is anymore uncertain now then it is ever been.

WE CAN NEVER REALLY KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

Any idea we can is simply delusion.

I mean, even though I’m not planning to I could literally in the next moment drop down dead – hopefully I won’t but I could.

This is my solution.

When I find myself facing enormous amounts of uncertainty and fear about what’s going on out there…

First Step: Remember Nothing Is Certain

I remind myself that absolutely nothing is certain. When I simply can’t predict what is going to happen in the next second, let alone in the next week or the next year.

That is the only thing that is certain.

That is the only reality that makes any kind of sense. I do not know what is going to happen.

Second step: Feel Gratitude

I absolutely and utterly through my whole being grateful to this moment right now.

Grateful to have the gift of experiencing this moment right now.

Whether this moment be good, bad, beautiful or ugly.

Third step: Shift Your Focus

I commit myself to shifting my focus away from the “fire-hose of doom” as I call it and towards how I can create and contribute my unique value to the world even if that creation and contribution seems somewhat ridiculous in the face of all this doom and gloom.

Final Step: Commit to A Daily Practice

to actually commit daily to creating that contribution and values.

Hopefully this will help you too. I will do everything I can to help you create and contribute your value to the world.

I hope this has in some way help you overcome that fear and uncertainty that is all around us right now.

What do you do to overcome the “firehose of doom” and keep creating?

From Zero Music to Music Finishing Machine

In the winter of 1999, I walked into the ageing studio, looked at my reflection in the ageing monitor and wondered just how much worse things could get.

I hadn’t finished a single track of my own for 2 whole years. I was down to my last pennies, and I was working part time in dead end coffee shop job just to make ends meet.

So why wasn’t I finishing anything?
What was I doing differently NOW that had me stuck?
How could I’ve started off so well & ended up here?
No confidence, no excitement, no music?

And then it hit me.

I’d been killing my music before it had a chance to live.

You see, to make anything – you have to use 2 approaches…

One where you become “the dreamer” here you have all kinds of wild ideas – you increase your options, throw stuff at a wall to see what sticks – basically let it all hang out. And the other where you become “the editor” – here you choose between your options, refine them and correct mistakes.

Now what’s crucial to understand is they’re both necessary to create anything. But they’re also in opposition.

You can’t be dreamer and editor in the same moment.

I’d been attempting to do both at exactly the same time. I’d have an idea – and reject it immediately. I was killing my music before it had a chance to live & breathe.

So if you’re currently stuck or slow – you might be doing the same. This was my solution – and what I suggest you try:

When you’re at the sharp end creating – do everything you can to simply let it happen. Be the dreamer and avoid editing yourself. let it flow as it does without worrying too much if it’s good enough.

Then at the end of each session – make sure you’ve recorded what you’ve done and at another time & another place – listen back with a pen and paper and become the “editor”. Make a list of things to change and try…

You see – when I did this – used the dreamer during my sessions & editor out of them a number of wonderful things happened:

1. I had more fun
2. I made fast progress
3. I actually finished music –
4. and so practised enough to become a better producer
5. So my music was better

So just for the next 7 days – try separating your creative process like this to see how it works for you.

And this principle of separating the dreamer from the editor is one of the reasons my Magic Track Re-Animator cheat sheet works so well – because it’s baked in to the 9 step process.

If you’ve got any music you’re stuck on or bored of – and would like to make more quality music fast then this process is a simple way to do it.