Turning music into a chore is how I became a musician
6 hours ago
- #productivity
- #music creation
- #routine
- The author took a three-month sabbatical in summer 2020 to finish an album, which transformed their approach to music creation.
- Previously, songwriting felt like a rare, unpredictable event, but during the sabbatical, they dedicated extensive time daily, improving technique and output.
- Music-making shifted from a sporadic hobby to a structured, routine-driven process, involving collaborations with online communities during the pandemic.
- The author broke down music creation into systematic 'chores' or mechanical tasks, such as jamming, recording, editing, and filing, leading to high productivity.
- They discovered that the satisfaction of a session doesn't correlate with the quality of the output, and many favorite tracks came from frustrating sessions.
- By the end of the sabbatical, the author finished 40 tracks, released an EP, and continued producing music after returning to work, finding joy in the routine.