So I have been absent from this site for a good month now, and I have an issue I'd like to start a thread about and hopefully it will spark some good convo about the issue as well. I'm simply in what feels like the biggest musical slump of my life. I just graduated Berklee, have some killer tracks I did while there, and got a stable job at a music publishing firm...relocated, basically living the "normal" life (though it's still in music, thankfully). I have ZERO motivation for some reason now!

I've gone through bouts of this before but it's never felt this bad. Some of the things that I think may cause this little "condition":

- comparing to artists you love (in my case, BT, Sasha, and various indie electronica artists)
- having an 8-hour/day job at a desk staring into Finale and transcribing from audio (publishing job)
- falling out of sync with one's health, aka unable to afford membership to YMCA to swim 1500meters each weeknight (was my therapy during frusturating production nights)
- knowing absolutely nobody in the new town you relocate to (lonliness)

Sorry if it sounds like bitching. I only recently got my internet up and going after having moved, and this was one of the first places I headed so I could try and touch base with the electronica community again. Anyway, does anyone have any tips for how to pull ones self out of slumps like this? I mean I have killer ideas and then I get home, start a project or I'll make a breakbeat for a DnB track, and just when I am about to start doing effects or start creating pads and programming, etc...I just downright stop and go play like Doom or Quake or something and end up in bed at like 10:30 (I get up at 6:30 most mornings now).

I do recall a thread just before I moved that delt with something similar. Figured I'd make a thread for others who are going through this. Perhaps we can all help one another.

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Arudius
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Composer/Producer
[email protected]
http://arudius.blogspot.com

you'll get back eventually man, just dont force it, if you try to force something usually it wont work out as great as you want it to.let it come to you.

listen to a lot of trance and attempt to get back into the swing i say

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Found Atlantis - Mixography [mix archive/mokumentary/my soul]?
i writed a song.

I agree with the above post, don't even think of producing for about a week or so and just listen to trance constantly (or as much as you can). Eventually you'll get it back

The vacation effect...I'm hoping that it will work. Trying my best to just let go and relax now that I'm all settled in, but I feel almost *guilty* for not doing something for producing when I get home at night. Hahaha it's like production OCD or something. Mind you, I've learned a few little tricks

Glitchbeat

...like this little diddy where I spent most of the time making just the 1 bar loop from samples I created and spliced together using Peak. Then used about 8 plugins in Logic after doing some mangling in Live 5. I felt great since it only took me probably about an hour from conception to finished experiment. But..damn..I want to get back into the shit again, nice and heavy! Grrr...

Anyway, thanks...and more on this issue if anyone else is going through it as well! :P

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Arudius
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Composer/Producer
[email protected]
http://arudius.blogspot.com

i know the feeling, i havent worked on my own song for a good 2 months, been doing so many remixes though...

Hey,
Don’t worry about that feeling; everybody gets it from time to time. The tricky part is to know how to recognize it and be prepared to deal with it. It's like any other situation in life, if you're hungry you go eat, if you're tired go sleep, if you're unmotivated that's probably because you didn't clearly set out your future goals, be that short or long term or you're just plain exhausted.
Ask yourself what is it that you really want to achieve?
It seems to me that you being tired kills motivation completely. It’s like that with anybody… Take time off, and even though people say listen to this and that, I wouldn't. Go somewhere quiet, rest your brain and body completely, just forget about it for at least a week.
Then sit down and set your goals. Once you have that it's much easier. Devise a plan of attack, how you're going to get what you want, step by step. Finally after that, you can start on the journey of achieving.
Cheers and good luck

Effero

P.S. Do most of your composing in the morning on the weekends, it's always much more productive and pleasurable when you're rested.

Last edited by Effero on Jul-24-2006 at 14:56

quote:

Originally posted by LuckyKarma I agree with the above post, don't even think of producing for about a week or so and just listen to trance constantly (or as much as you can). Eventually you'll get it back

Is that my Black Microkorg in your Avat?

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MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/djsentinelmusic

quote:

Originally posted by DJSentinel Is that my Black Microkorg in your Avat?

It's a 3D model of one I found on Deviantart, slightly modified in iPhoto.

Lol sorry, I though it was black, since I paint-modded my Microkorg to be black.

Makes up for the horrible synth engine :-/

___________________
MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/djsentinelmusic

Watch Oprah, it'll make you realise there are way more enjoyable things to do in life.

yeah
it just doesn't matter
let it go

then do whatever

you will either find yourself naked, in jail, or writing music at the end of this path. Or all three