As I sit here, I’ve just begun listening to the new Sci-Clone album on Metalheadz for the first time. 

Wow!

As usual, I came in this week facing a blank canvas and no idea what to write. But this music has sparked an important topic.

Over time, the process of making music has become increasingly technical. 

There’s so many tools, so many possibilities and so much information out there.

Sometimes I feel I’m contributing to the problem by talking about these things.

It’s so easy to get lost in the complexities.

To lose sight of what’s important.

Amidst the technical details that often demand all of our attention, we mustn’t forget the true core:

The essence of music lies in its emotional impact.

That’s where it all begins and that is what matters at the end. 

Make it a habit to take a moment to step back from the technicalities and reconnect with how whatever you are doing resonates on the emotional plane.

Don’t just do that with the obvious stuff like when writing melodies or recording something live.

Also think about the emotional resonance when you’re working with the EQ. Or adjusting the mix bus compression. And so on.

In fact, the more technical you are getting with the work at hand, the more you should be thinking about it.

Is whatever you are doing adding to the emotional impact, or taking away from it?

This is what matters.

Here’s something that often catches folks off guard when I reveal them:

I am seldom content with my finished work.

I lose objectivity, I get bored with it, perfectionism is always at work.

I try not to care.

I aim to deliver regardless, and move on.

I don’t always succeed with that (I have a lot of “almost finished” material that is just sitting there).

But I do finish enough to have a steady flow of releases that keeps up my momentum.

(BTW the latest by me and Loxy just came out on Future Retro – with remixes by Tim Reaper, Double O and Basic Rhythm – vinyl and digital – link here:

https://futureretrolondon.bandcamp.com/album/fr012)

Now look.

If you’re struggling with finishing and not getting your music out there – 

Maybe all you need is a mindset shift. 

Manage your expectations.

Don’t aim for flawless outcomes.

More importantly, understand:

You don’t have to love every aspect of your work in order to put it out there.

Go easy on yourself.

Good enough is good enough, and worth presenting.

Does music production become easy with experience?

Well, you surely become better at many things.

But you’re also always zooming deeper.

Further and further into the fractal.

You take on harder trials.

Face more pressure.

Fight your fears.

Push limits.

Struggle.

Easy?

No.

Are you tired of drowning in information? 

Spending hours or days learning something only to realize it wasn’t even necessary for your project or goals? Then hating to admit that to yourself…

Been there, done that. There were times I lost direction completely.

Some time ago I came to a game-changing realization.

I was lacking the ability to properly manage my attention. 

The world I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s was vastly different. That probably contributes to the problem.

It simply wasn’t as necessary to manage attention and filter information back then as it is now.

In today’s paradigm we are bombarded with fragmented bits of information from various sources. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with noise and not see a clear path forward.

Our natural human curiosity towards all kinds of topics makes it worse. 

So, what’s the alternative?

Knowing only what you need to know.

How?

Close the floodgates and learn something new only when the need arises.

For me this could mean spending lots of time to deep learn a new mastering tool I’ve invested in. Or it could mean taking 5 minutes in the middle of production work to figure out how to do something better.

The key is being conscious about what you’re taking in… 

Focusing all learning on something you’re working on…

And not needlessly ruminating on and confusing yourself with fragmented information that isn’t helping you one bit.

This approach helps you avoid overwhelm, gives you breathing space, and keeps your thinking leaner.

It makes things happen.

Because you are always focusing your mental resources on the task at hand and resolving problems related to it.

As with learning any skill, it took some practice over the past few years for me to adopt this new approach. 

I’m still not perfect (nor will I ever be).

But you know what? 

The results have already been significant.

That’s what matters.

The last two weeks I’ve spoken to you about the benefits of doing the work even when it sucks.

It all boils down to discipline. 

So how do you practice discipline?

By doing things just because they’re not easy. 

Yesterday marked the last day of my seven week fast.

No meat, fish, dairy, eggs, nothing with added oils or sugars, nothing artificial, no alcohol or other kinds of drugs (except the gym)…

I do it every year now.

I’m not religious and it’s not about the health aspect or anything like that for me.

I do it to practice self control.

Temperance.

One of the four great virtues of the ancients!

Now more than ever, we are conditioned to prioritize instant gratification and comfort over discipline and hard work. 

We are encouraged to let our emotions dictate our actions. 

Here’s the thing.

Our emotions are terrible at guiding us.

Think about the example I mentioned a couple of weeks back:

I didn’t feel like making music. I started anyway. 15 minutes later, I felt the opposite. And something great came out of it.

How reliable would you say my emotions were in guiding me towards something I really want?

Yeah, not very.

Happens to me all the time.

In music and art especially, we face barriers and excuses at every corner.

So we must cultivate self-control.

Do something difficult simply because it isn’t easy. 

So we can learn the discipline to face things calmly. 

The better we get at it, the less we care about our petty emotions. 

Ideally you don’t even make it a thing. You simply do what you know is right and that’s that.

Most of us are soft (myself included). There’s ways to go and it’s not always fun.

But we reap what we sow.