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-- Did I loose it?

Did I loose it?

I used to have inspiration to spare, ideas and a ton of energy. I had some amazing tracks (at least they were to me at the time), even managed to get a few indie releases, regardless of the amateur-ish sound that I made in FL v2.7 on my 200$ stereo system speakers using a celeron 600 PC.
That was 10 years ago.
Today, it's a whole different story; I now work in a home studio, use quality gear, from monitors to synths, I've switched to cubase and have a beast of a PC to run limitless plugins... In these 10 years I've also got the production down pretty well, and I'm no longer having any problems getting my tracks to sound pro, even doing some mastering occasionally.... I've also stacked quite a few releases on dozens of labels, and in some cases even made some good money from it all...
....so why is it that today, when I finally have all I dreamed about 10 years ago, I'm having so much trouble making tracks I actually like? Why is my biggest problem finding the will to make music?
I feel like I've, in the process of learning to present my ideas with a quality sound, lost that which is the most important: That drive, energy, enthusiasm and passion I had in the beginning.
Some would argue that "energy" goes away after a while, but I personally know more than one professional producers who still sit in that studio as they were the 1st day they fell in love with making music. What am I missing?

Don't get me wrong, I still like doing it, and I still get the occasional burst of energy to make a good track every now and again, but these are few and far between. Most of the time I find myself looking for excuses not to make music, and when I force myself to do it, it feels forced and the result is rarely what I'm satisfied with. Ironically, most people tell me it's all in my head, and the tracks sound great (and they still get released), but as most experienced producers know; the longer you produce, the less important other people's opinions become. You become your strongest critic, and if you don't like the track, nobody's gonna change your opinion.

So... am I just loosing that creative side of me? Or am I doing something wrong?

What drives you?

P.S. I'm sorry for another thread of this type, I know they aren't exactly rare and I don't usually discuss this sort of thing with anyone, so hopefully you don't mind.

Thanks in advance.

it could be that ceriten things going on in your life may be getting in the way,like for example I've been out of work for a while now and my productions are shit i mean i just cant write a good tune anymore.
sounds crazy but its true

it may also b you need to look at making other types of music or try buddying up with people go to clubs again if you can.

you may be just in a music rut don't be surprised to think it is just simply you have grown a bit Bord of it.

1. Cut yourself off from sex
2. Sell your most prized (and used) piece of studio equipment
3. Try to go to art galleries and watch peoples reactions to new art
4. Draw out your entire songs in crayon before you've even opened the DAW
5. Get a monkey, train it to play the tambourin. Then dress it up in a tiny black suit and
6. Shove it up your ass.

quote:

Originally posted by dj_alfi 1. Cut yourself off from sex

LOL. This is true.

Some kind of sublimation thing going on?

quote:

Originally posted by Vector A LOL. This is true. Some kind of sublimation thing going on?

Definately. The choice I made, to stay abscent from sex until i have written my master piece, was a choice I made alone, and I can guarantee that is the one and only reason. I know it's can seem like a mean-spirited thing to do, denying the women of the world of the awesomeness that is my schlong, but it has to be done if I am to write the master piece that my work will be - A Techno Symphony in D Minor.

It can be hard at times though. Not so much the writing of the music, that goes easy, but chicks are practically lining up outside my house, or well, they're hiding in the bushes. Ready to prounce on me like a hungry cougar on a poor mountain goat, finally getting some long needed meat so she can sustain her system for just a little longer.
I hear them talking sometimes at night. They have meetings and contests to see who will win the chance of being first. From what I've overheard it's a little like Survivor meets The Bachelor. Damn, I'm gonna go put down some tracks right now brb.

Do you still listen to new music?

No, I only listen to pop music from the golden era - 1996-98. I find anything else to have a degenerative effect on my creativity.

There was a thread on here a while back which discussed the phenomenon of production experience killing artistic creativity over time - that there is a somewhat direct link between production/engineering side of things having detrimental effect on your musical invention.

Can't for the life of it remember what is was called but it got pretty deep and there was at least some merit to the theory. Most of that merit centered around getting too caught up in production aesthetics and methods, which are an inadvertant constraint ideas and being open to diversity during creation.

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN There was a thread on here a while back which discussed the phenomenon of production experience killing artistic creativity over time - that there is a somewhat direct link between production/engineering side of things having detrimental effect on your musical invention. Can't for the life of it remember what is was called but it got pretty deep and there was at least some merit to the theory. Most of that merit centered around getting too caught up in production aesthetics and methods, which are an inadvertant constraint ideas and being open to diversity during creation.

This.
It's kind of what I intuitively felt happening to me. Like I'm getting more technical and less creative. I've spent so much time perfecting and polishing my workflow, finding the best tools for the job and the best techniques to get what I want, I guess I sometimes feel "trapped" by my habits. It almost feels like "cheating" in a way these days, like my knowledge of music theory and experience help me get "solid" results even when I'm not in the mood to create.
But how do you force yourself to leave that "comfort zone" that took years to perfect? I tried a few times and the results were less than impressive TBH...

quote:

Originally posted by LfmC But how do you force yourself to leave that "comfort zone" that took years to perfect? I tried a few times and the results were less than impressive TBH...

Start by acknowledging that you didn't "perfect" anything - you just improved in certain areas (that goes for everybody, not just you). Second, learn to accept that venturing into new areas, genres, styles, techniques, or whatever is going to be fraught with failures and some successes - don't fear it, dive into it and embrace it. Less than impressive results are a natural part of the learning process, but the second you stop pushing yourself is pretty much the second that your creativity starts dying.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Start by acknowledging that you didn't "perfect" anything - you just improved in certain areas (that goes for everybody, not just you). Second, learn to accept that venturing into new areas, genres, styles, techniques, or whatever is going to be fraught with failures and some successes - don't fear it, dive into it and embrace it. Less than impressive results are a natural part of the learning process, but the second you stop pushing yourself is pretty much the second that your creativity starts dying.

Great advice.

One thing that we should all bear in mind that it's a very different position to be in when you have to "be creative on tap" - i.e. sit down and think "I am going to be creative now". Keeping it organic and passionate is one of the hardest things to do when you're "trying" to be creative. What dave said above is a great way to inspire yourself and not get trapped.

I find it helps to listen to something that really inspires you, like a favourite classical piece or a producer that you want to be as good as - nothing like competition to spark some creativity.

HAve you tried kicking back a couple of beers (whatever floats your boat) while producing? Can often give great results. Only just don't overdo it. piss drunk+knobs&faders=disaster.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN One thing that we should all bear in mind that it's a very different position to be in when you have to "be creative on tap" - i.e. sit down and think "I am going to be creative now".

To expand on this -- stop thinking that there's something "wrong" with a momentary lack of inspiration or creativity. Being frustrated about something like that almost seems arrogant to me. It means you expect yourself to be at the top of your game all the time, which I seriously doubt any musician can claim to be

In my experience it's a lot easier to get past writer's block if you stop thinking of it as a problem, because every time you open your DAW it suddenly becomes an attempt to "cure" a dry spell, instead of just coming up with some ideas for a song. When you're trying to "fix" writer's block, suddenly your standards become much higher. You won't really like any of your ideas that don't immediately impress you, and it's a lot easier to give up sooner. Just give it time, occupy your mind with other things, and you'll get back into the groove eventually.

Well something tells me you followed a passion to the wrong place.

I wouldn't care if I worked in a pro home studio or not and got paid good or got paid shit.

As long as I'm not translating the most intense emotions I possibly can into my music (likely a bad way of saying it), I'm not accomplishing my true desire. I imagine throughout the process of honing your craft, you started to hone the wrong craft. I'm not sure exactly what I'm saying either. Speaking ambigously in a philogical sense I suppose.

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