PRODUCER ZEN: STAY MOTIVATED AND HAPPY WHEN IT HITS YOU

Hey Patreon fam,

the response I got to my last PRODUCER ZEN post was really nice. Thank you!

For this month I want to share how I try to stay motivated (or focused), excited and happy about my productions in tougher moments. In moments you aren't actually happy about your music, or your progress on it. Not happy about the result of what you worked on so hard. In moments you want to screw it all. In moments you feel down and you feel like you just can not do it right. Simply when you feel down because of what you work on isn't (yet) what you want it to be. 

Trust I have those moments. You heavily grind on something for days (or weeks), and in the end you feel like the result just doesn't stand up to things you did before or simply just doesn't sound how you really want it to sound. 

These can be very frustrating moments. Even more in case you compare your own creation to others. Comparison can be a tough one. One can benefit from it in form of inspiration, or using it as a guide helping to take more optimal decisions, or using it generally for "hearing education". But it can also just bring you down. Comparison does super quickly bare the differences in works. Try to remember; in the end it is about what you choose to reference with. So your reference should be something you really love for what it is and what you want in your music. 

But let's try to move on. With this post I want to present some ways I personally deal with such situations. I hope this to maybe be helpful for you too, to lift your mood in times you feel down about your production or your music output.

My general attitude is to not let such situations become a burden on the shoulder, but to simply try turning them around as quick one can. To turn them into a challenge, to accept to work it out better. Or to simply accept them as an experience you will grow from. So here you go:

1. In an "acute" state of frustration to me it simply helps most to go outside; take a break, have a walk or do sports. For me the most optimal solutions come up within those moments, once I get active outside and am not in front of my computer and try to force a positive result when I feel absolutely mad about it. 

2. Maybe even take a full day off, doing exactly what you want to. Treat yourself, get your mind off work and re-charged. Get some cake or ice-cream. Go watch a movie or read a book, see friends or family etc. So you can jump back on it solving it with more motivation and energy the next day.

3. I personally also found that educating myself on something new does often help me to turn the corner. Some of my best ideas actually come from learning new things. Reflect what is it you are experiencing that causes your frustration: what exactly is the issue? Then just do some research on this topic, arm yourself with knowledge, or a new tool and learn it. This will also create resources to better deal with recurring similar situations.

4. It is also worth checking your self-talk in those situations. Negative self-talk or constant negative-thinking about yourself (or what you do) does not serve you on the long run. Frustration (or negative thinking) can indeed be a motor for progress, a motivation, to keep on going and fighting your way out of it. They can also often lead to depression though, if not dealt with properly. Which ofc is something to avoid. Remind yourself that work (or your work) is a journey and the issues you are going through usually are temporary. They will pass when you move on.

5. Try to keep going forward with your work, even when the steps are small ones and take your time with it. It is also okay to take a step backwards, when that helps you to build up new motivation. Just being stagnant generally doesn't serve you. When, after trying various things to change it, you still feel super angry about the production and you can't just get it worked out, maybe consider to turn off at the exit and scrap the whole thing. But ensure you see it as a "learning project", not something you broke on. When I do scrap a project I do not delete all data but do render separate parts / stems from it. They did not work in this track, but might work in a new one.

I hope these thoughts can be of help for you. Try to stay happy about what you do, even in those tougher moments. They will always come at you, they are normal and happen to at least pretty much anyone I know who tries to create something. 

Sending you the very best regards and have a great weekend!

Flo