Everybody is always so keen on silence and isolation.
The idea of going off into the woods by yourself and writing some magnum opus of a novel or a record, discovering yourself in the quiet, that’s a commonly revered story… in the current musical era, the idea usually leads back to that Bon Iver record.
But I hate that isolation, that is not how I operate. For me and maybe for you too, it is the dead opposite.
The more new music I can listen to, the more books I can read, the more interesting movies / visual art I can take in, the more it all feeds into my own creativity.
The Consumption Slump
For a while I was not consuming much new music or art. I’d hear a few new albums when a band I love dropped something new, like last year’s excellent Tera Melos album for example, but otherwise I stuck to what I knew.
seriously - tera melos delivered in 2017
Lots of Hella, Death Grips, FlyLo, Aphex Twin, some of that Alex G (Sandy), a few throwbacks like Modest Mouse and Elliott Smith. The comfort zone.
In the tail-end of 2017 I hit a turning point… I needed something new. So I listened to 30+ new records in the month of December. Suddenly everything has changed - my brain is exploding with new ideas at all times. And the ideas come from so many different places…
I’m Listening to All of The Music Genres
For example, here are some songs that I discovered and loved recently:
Lightning Bolt - Saint Jacques
David Bowie - No Plan
Disasterpie - Beacon
From the noisiest and most energetic punk, to the most vibrant and gorgeous synthesizer music, with some Bowie to round it out. And there have been dozens of other songs that struck me too - from metal to neo-soul and all around.
As these songs and ideas stick in my brain, bouncing off each other, they naturally morph into new concepts. It’s not something that requires effort.
It’s like, the same way if I eat a cheeseburger my body just starts to digest it, if I listen to a few good new albums then my brain starts to digest those too. Within days I will be dying to get into my home studio and create new songs.
On a deeper level, it’s about experiencing life. If you sit in the studio all day every day, you won’t have anything to say with your art, at least for me that’s how it works.
Like David Bowie said, “Once you lose that sense of wonder at being alive, you're pretty much on the way out...”
I need to experience feelings and ideas for a while so that I can then use my own music as a way to express my own thoughts, making music as a sort of reaction to or a building upon what I’ve heard and felt before.
Your Turn - How Can You Increase the Input of New Art In Your Life?
Listening to tons of new music has been one of the most positive changes in my life from 2017, even if it happened at the very end - and I’m thinking that 2018 could be one of my most musically exciting and inventive years since high school 10+ years ago. Fuck yes!
Do you want to try this? If you feel like you could use some more new art in your life, go ahead and give the “High-Information Media Diet” a try. Start a note on your phone where you can jot down anything you hear about - songs, movies, visual artists, books, etc - and try to actually check them out in your spare time each day.
For example I use a simple Spotify playlist to track new music:
Aim to take in one new thing per day, especially stuff that confuses you. It is an awesome feeling to make this a regular habit.
What do you think - is experiencing other peoples’ art a big part of your process? Or does it all come from within? I’d love to hear how you relate to this topic.
I certainly think that this helps. If I look back at the point in my life when I was most creative, my teenage years, this is exactly what I was doing. The daily grind hadn't caught me. I pursued music, books, and movies that I enjoyed constantly. After finding something new that I liked it felt like my mind was on fire. New ideas would come to me faster than I could write them down.
This is definitely something I should be doing now. Thanks for reminding me.
Keep Steeming!
PS
I fucken' love that Disasterpeace song.
Nice! I heard it on the recommendation of @fourfourfun if my memory serves me right.
re: "the daily grind hadn't caught me" -- I really do feel like this practice of listening to tons of new music, stuff I'm not familiar with, makes me feel younger. I mean I'm only 26 so I still feel pretty young by default but even so, it puts me in more of a childlike/adventurous mindset and its fun on that end.
also also -- I finished Diaspora -- mind blowing, dude! clutch recommendation.
Yep it’s me! I keep wondering whether I should get Fez for my iPhone. I own it pretty much everything already! Just love that soundtrack and feeeeeel.
@fourfourfun has excellent taste. I'm a huge synth/electronic/chiptune head.
I think that is the biggest sign that this system is deeply flawed. So many people have forgotten how to play. What it was like to just enjoy yourself when you were a kid. To pursue something not for profit, but just for fun. I've been rediscovering this for a couple years now and I can tell you it makes a difference in how I feel.
Yeah, Diaspora just really makes you think about all the possibilities that await human kind. It seems to start off with all limits completely gone and then it shows you what that could really mean.
When I hear FUD about AI and cybernetics and our robot overlords of the future, I hold on to that book.
" It seems to start off with all limits completely gone and then it shows you what that could really mean." -- ya you feel like you're starting at 100% and then you end up at 10,000% lol
I read that people stop listening to music around their 30's? I certainly have seen people end up just locked away at a certain point of time.
I've seen friends happily following around bands from their much loved 90's youth that are pretty much doing run of the mill fan service tours. A music community that I'm on got excited because The Avalanches came back from out of nowhere into a place where they weren't that relevant any more. Plus also wondering why a certain podcast series didn't sound like it did in the early 00's (it had evolved to keep up with changing times and artists).
I'm not fussed, I'll carry on moving along and listening to fresh sounds. I'm generally in a place where I'm getting new music thrown at me though, so it's probably different for others!
My issue can be writing about it. The Zabiela review I've been doing took me, like, two weeks of courage to drag over the line. Something about trying to fit it into a difficult life and also overcome a mental block of "omg this is such a big thing to review".
I'm doing good at taking in new TV though. Always picking something new for either me or the kids to watch. Otherwise it's Paw Patrol and Doctor Who forever...
As a music reviewer you are probably on the high end of "listening to new music" for sure lol. I cant imagine being one of those people who follow the same band around all the time... I mean I love some of the same bands as I used to, like my old favorite band Tera Melos is still great, but I can't imagine literally following them on tour as a fan for years or something. That would be not the move.
I've met Phish heads with multiple ipods of live recordings... ergh, not for me. It feels more like a religion than a fandom at that point, like "join this crowd and obsess over it and your identity will be secure"
I love your point about your music being a 'reaction to' or 'building upon' what's gone before. A true artist is always building upon an existing legacy, even if they are 'reacting against' music that they hate.
I go through phases of absorbing lots of media. Listening to music, reading books etc.
But then I tend to go through another phase where I am not wanting any sensory input. I am very tuned in to an inner voice that is leading me to express what needs to be expressed. There was a period of about 3 months last year where I was productive in producing psychedelic trance music, In between I would go on long bush walks and listen to classical around the house as background music. Not much else.
I have been playing fingerstyle guitar for a long time whilst doing no study or listening to other guitarists. I believe discovering the instrument itself has been inspiration itself but now I am starting to enter a period where I am craving to use my left brain a bit more, apply some 'proper' theory.
There are times where the relationship between 'absorbing' and 'producing' seems a lot closer in time. For instance on a trip to the country I got really into the Steve Earl song 'Copperhead Rd', so much so that I used it a very similar format for a song I wrote about my feeling about moving to the country.
I would say in addition to absorbing more art, absorb more experience. New places, people, emotional experiences can all be catalysts for that creative 'reaction' to take place (perhaps why breakups seem to often trigger creative output). I'll be writing a post about art as a reaction to geography as soon as I finish this reply if you are interested.
Cool @harlequincham you've got a lot of different ideas for how to "react" to other artworks... it sounds like you have a very creative mind. The way you fluctuate between ideas reminds me of the "white belt, black belt" concept outlined in a book called Zen Guitar.
Hey cheers Matt. That Zen Guitar book looks amazing. I've been looking for a new guitar guide!
Steemit provides real value again!
I operate this exact same way.
The thing is...I don't know anyone very close to me who experiences art and music in this particular way; tied to their own expression/inspiration to create, rather than simply a product to consume/enjoy). If they do, we don't ever communicate about it.
I can go for months without hearing anything that piques my interest. And, sometimes, even if I try to force myself to tune into some sound or another, I just find it grating, redundant; it doesn't work.
And then, I'll have times where things start to stick, and click, and bring inspiration and new ideas, and it all starts to feel like a natural flow again. (Maybe I'm simply describing a mild case of bipolar disorder, but I've never been diagnosed, and it's not tied to a plummet or rise of emotion.)
Maybe it's just a naturally occurring creative resource, in life, that I haven't ever realized exists, freely, for me to hone my use of. And now that you've brought it up, it makes me want to try harder to take advantage of that.
I honestly feel like I've been looking all my life for someone who 'gets' this process, and actively, intentionally partakes in it. It's just such an indescribably fun experience once you find yourself floating within all the inspiration it brings; the connections that come, the paths it sends you wandering down that you never would've ever thought to tread otherwise. To share that with someone else who understood, and reciprocated from their own unique perspective, would be amazing. But I sure can have plenty of fun on my own, too!
Thanks for sharing the insight. Writing from Charlotte, NC here.
creative process is super different from person to person, that is one thing that makes it so crazy. glad this one resonated with you.
You're exactly right. It is different for everyone. It's such an intimate personal thing and shaped by so many unique factors; and that's what makes it so beautiful to experience. It's not just the result that is, it's the whole process itself. I like your music and your inspirational references. The last one by Disasterpiece is my favorite, and Bowie goes without saying. He wins against everything, always.
This is such great advice! Putting yourself in creative headspace generates more creativity. I have a little challenge with myself to do/see/make something creative every day so as to not forget that that’s where everything else stems from. :)
That daily practice is awesome, if you do something every day you can't help but get pretty good at it.
Awesome sound. You strategy is on point...I often enjoy working on a project, walk away from the project to inject fresh and new ideas. If possible check out my music...could possibly work on a track together someday!
Cesar
TruRossiMusic
Cool Cesar you and I have the same approach there, I gotta walk away pretty often to get new perspective too
Listening to other music certainly helps me, especially reaching out of my go-to genres into something new. I really like your music choices, would you be interested in joining the nowplaying community? I think you would have some good songs to share with the rest of us steemians :)
Glad you enjoyed the choices, I dont think I'll be able to directly participate but you should do an interview for the Musician's Guide to Steemit which I am leading, we're gonna have a section for interviews with all the leaders of the music related projects on steemit. You on Steem Chat or Discord?
That sounds very cool! I do have a discord account and would be happy to participate! What discord channel can i find you on?
Minnow Support Project discord (aka PAL - Peace, Abundance, and Liberty) is probably the best one to find me on. If you shoot me a message there I can share some more detailsss
Your post reminded me of this:
One of my favorite quotes to live by.
Lovin' the eclectic taste. Thank you for the good read!
I was drawn in when you started this with Bon Iver... That man is my idol. Good writing, Matt!
Very nice blog.Added by amazing music ,content.It is thie best blog of friday.Carry on your activity.
I Thank you
excellent music.
Listening to music everyday and not just new music but anything and everything is very important. Everything we hear influences us even if we don't like it.
listening to music we don't like is maybe a super underrated way to get better idea of what we DO like. super agree.
Found this today and thought of your post, your music. Music reference, you might like, might not. https://steemit.com/music/@asonintrigue/the-insane-warrior-a-series-of-unfortunate-events
Okay now this too: https://steemit.com/music/@asonintrigue/new-music-this-week-third-week-of-february-2018
What I'm trying to say is @asonintrigue, follow them, you should.