I have a bad habit of overworking my music. It causes my perspective to get skewed and makes it difficult to see things objectively. I keep tweaking and eventually lose the good thing I had going.
Part of the problem is having too many options in the production environment. That’s why I prefer simple tools and raw aesthetics to avoid getting caught up in the details. Clean and technical is boring to listen to and boring to make anyway.
The sharper my senses, the faster my workflow, the better I know my tools, the more focused I am… The better the chance of noticing important things, making the right connections and honing in on something special.
I focus on getting the basic structure of a project fleshed out as quickly as possible, and then gradually pay more and more attention to the details.
Collaborating helps keep me accountable and locked in on the important ideas. If I’m starting to lose perspective, I step away from the project and work on something else for a bit.
But you know what? Sometimes the initial draft really isn’t great. Sometimes changing it is the right thing to do.
The real challenge is in being able to see each situation as what it truly is.
Some of my best work came from ideas that got flipped upside down. It’s just that it is a consuming way to work. Art is not supposed to be easy, but I’d still rather get it right the first time.
Having situational awareness is key for making the right decisions. Don’t float blindly from one thing to the next; direct the creative process. Have the confidence to stick to your decisions — or not — depending on the situation.
Sometimes it’s best to let loose and see what happens. Other times it pays off to stay disciplined and keep things under control. Over the years I’ve become better at judging these situations. It just comes down to doing lots of work.
Still, there are always projects that don’t go the way I was hoping for. That’s life. With consistent work, the ratio of wins vs failures keeps getting better over time.
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