There is no way that I am the only one here that occasionally hits a roadblock when it comes to DJing and producing. There’s just times were I cannot produce anything of quality, and I just feel largely uninspired. I’m not going to force myself to try to produce something, because we all know how that would turn out.
If anyone says something like “I never get tired of it because when you find something you love you never get tired of it, music is my life…” I will slap you back to 1955. Say hi to Marty McFly for me.
But seriously, there’s nothing I love more than making music, but there’s times where I just am uninspired, and don’t feel like producing. How do you guys handle this?
(I’d like to take this opportunity to say that y’all isn’t typically a word I would use, it just felt like the right thing to do at the time)
I know I find most of my inspiration from listening to the music that inspired me to write/DJ music. Also, I find a lot of inspiration from books, pulling apart their themes and characters and emotions.
And it’s kinda cheesy, but the world around me inspires me a lot. Random conversation can end up pretty poetic.
Take a break! I took a year and a half off and when I came back I landed a huge residency in Miami. If it’s a chore to do it then don’t do it. I always said when it’s not fun anymore is when I quit. So I did and when I felt like it was time…B00M! Back in action.
Another option is to change the game…Maybe try a new genre or sell some gear and change it up. The goal is to make music fun and enjoy it, if it’s a chore say F it and go total silence monk style.
I find the best thing for me at a creative roadblock is to explore different kinds of music. I had a dry spell for about six months until I started listening to some old Howlin Wolf records I had lying around. I really got into old, gritty blues and suddenly I was inspired again and writing every day!
I usually try something different, something that i’ve never done before. Then i take that experience and try to express my feelings from that in my music.
the way i see it, the only time i’m not inspired is when something becomes boring, stale even, playing the same genre the whole time bores me so i switch it up and stay inspired!
After Is tarted mixing a few months back, I found the best thing to do when I find my mixing to be absolue crap is to take break.
I picked up Starcraft 2 a few weeks ago. At first I was worried that it would take over mixing (and eventually producing) as my primary hobby. But I found that it is the perfect balance as something to do when I do not feel like mixing.
I also take time to listen to music that I still love to lsiten to (Protest the Hero, System of a Down, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, etc.)
Doing all this helps me clear my mind for new ideas.
Gianmarco
(I would also liek to take thits time that I have been using “mate” a lot lately, even though I am in no way english)
Looks like the overwhelming theme here is to try something different. Sounds like good advise to. I have other things I do running, bicycles, motorcycles, backpacking, etc… that all get different amounts of quality time from me because I’ll get tired of doing one and switch to the other.
If I had followed that same advise when I was your age and not taken two residencies plus a bunch of other stuff for one of the clubs in the 80’s I might never had quit then.
Indeed. The problem is, I just realized, is that I don’t even have any other hobbies. That’s kinda sad.
But anyway, I have been trying to spend more time with my friends too, because I’m leaving for school this Friday.
I like the idea of trying to produce in other genres, but that kinda feels trying to paint for the first time after I had been drawing for several years. If that makes any sense…
The biggest thing I would do is take time off, as gay as it may sound, put DJing and producing COMPLETELY out of your mind and focus on school, girls, new friends etc. are you gonna be a freshman in college this year like me? if so, where are you going?
Anyways, get an xbox or something and just relax, in time, something will spur you to think… “fuck yea! i really miss this shit! i need to get back at it” and you’ll be as good as new.
This is gonna be my 3rd year in college and I… erm… just earned enough hours to be a sophomore. Lol. Hey if I have to spend the next decade in college that’s fine with me! I go to Eastern Illinois University.
Last year I lived in the dorms and I had loads of free time (I dropped a few classes) and during the week all I would do is produce, and when I got tired of that, I would play Call of Duty. When I got tired of that, back to music. (Coincidentally, I now hate Call of Duty and it’s a miracle I still enjoy producing)
Ahh i see, lol, I’ll be a freshman at John Carroll in Cleveland. I’d go out and just mix it up, get away from producing in every way possible for a while, sometimes when I’m looking for inspirational, i’ll play like a 4 hours long set in room just to think about what i’m hearing, what melodies, basslines and such i really like and I feel like I could alter and mold into my own
…and if I may ask, are you the one paying the loans at the end of your college stay? lol
when i hear a noise i want to sample, i sample it and make a track out of it. the more annoying the noise the better. can go months before i hear something that grabs me.
I feel this urge that I should be producing all the time though. It’s kinda like my brain is depended on it. If I don’t at least open FL once a day I’ll feel like a wasted a day. I’m weird.
And yes I am paying all the loans, which is really uh… it’s just super. I had to take private loans and government loans, which hopefully I’ll pay off before I retire.
Lol. I try to stay away from Facebook games.
I said I wanted to find inspiration, not tweak out! :eek:
And you know what the garbage part is? You have to wait for that to happen. No matter how hard you try, you can’t make that come to you. Man that pisses me off!
as for your urge, you need to curb it somehow, because the more frustrated you get, the more of a chance you’ll have of saying fuck it, i dont wanna do this anymore
other than taking a break, listening to and/or buying new music generally helps as far as DJing goes. get a couple of new tunes and go crazy.
when it comes to producing, I’ve yet to find the ultimate recipe and I guess everybody has their own approach. it’s just as you said, creativity cannot be forced - but there’s so much stuff flying around the intarwebz, generally zapping though youtube for a while will trigger someting eventually.
I go to Eastern Illinois University.
