I am writing this for the people who would naturally like their work, were it not for pressing deadlines, frustrations over audio quality, and the million other things that get in the way of enjoying the process as an artist.
Years ago, I created an online dance instructional website, with the aim to sell subscriptions and supplement my meagre income. I had a good idea, a partner who was willing to help me film the lessons (my wife), a good camera, and a dream.
It was helluva fun.
Somewhere along the way though, I started getting impatient. I’d been working on the videos, social media, and my website for about a year and a half, but I still hadn’t released to the public. I was chomping at the bit to get going.
I’ve written before about how I rushed things, became buried in work, and burned out as a result. Ultimately though, it came down to this: I just wasn’t having fun anymore.
The gut reaction you probably had here was “I don’t have time to have fun, I’m working!” Let me suggest that not only is having fun good for your psyche, it also helps you produce better quality products.
What’s involved in having fun anyway? A quick Google search comes up with words like “lighthearted”, “diverting”, and “amusing”. Translation?
- Lighthearted = Not taking the work too seriously.
- Diverting = Letting your natural curiousity draw you in.
- Amusement = Being able to chuckle at yourself when things go sideways.
Let’s look at these one at a time.
Not taking the work too seriously: I’m not saying “don’t care about your work.” I’m saying “don’t care TOO much.” Don’t care so much that it costs you sleep at night, that it has you racing to meet deadlines, or worrying about bills when you should be tightening up that hi hat.
When I sit down to work, time blurs, and hours can seem to race by. I get so focused on what I’m hearing that it becomes an almost meditative process. There is no room in the subtle business of producing, mixing, and mastering to let fears and ruminations in.
Those concerns will still be waiting for you when you’re done, but they risk clouding your judgement when they follow you into the studio. And doing good work is probably the best way to deal with them.
Letting your natural curiousity draw you in: I have to constantly remind myself to do this one, but each time, the stress evaporates like morning mist.
Case in point: I’ve been trying to produce a realistic-sounding drumroll for a WHOLE WEEK. Every day, I research how different producers made theirs, try to apply what I’ve learned – and it sounds kindof crappy by comparison.
It can get REALLY frustrating. But today when I sat down, I let myself get curious. Why did that reference track seem to cut through the mix better than my version? Is it a volume issue? Do I need more high-end, or maybe widen the upper frequencies?
Letting my curiousity pull me in keeps me from useless thoughts about how hard it is for me to do, so I can get down to the business of just doing it already.
I couldn’t resist.
Being able to chuckle at yourself when things go sideways: My wife is better than me at this one. Her method? When she’s getting really steamed, she imagines herself like a crazy person, maybe the cat lady from The Simpsons.
It’s not politically correct. And it works.
According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, the key to dealing with rising anger or frustration is to distract your brain before it hurls your laptop through the window. If you can break the momentum, you can see it from another perspective. And then you can laugh at how completely silly you are for letting a few mistakes (almost) ruin your day.
“Surely,” you might be thinking, “there are mistakes too serious to be laughed at.” Nope – those are the ones that should definitely be laughed at! I’m not saying you should treat it like it’s not a big deal. But if you can get some distance from the issue, you can deal with it more effectively, with a lot less internal combustion.
The bottom line is we work harder and better when we let ourselves enjoy the work. But if you’re like me, it doesn’t come naturally. My strategy has been to check in with myself regularly, just to see how the work is making me feel. Why not give it a try?
Credits:
“Back of Man Raising Hands Inside Room Full of People With Purple Lights” by ELEVATE from Pexels
“Grayscale Photo of Explosion on the Beach” by Pixabay from Pexels
“Misty River in Forest Illuminated by Sunlight in Morning Time” by Plato Terentev from Pexels
“Photo of an Old Man Looking at a Laptop” by Ron Lach from Pexels