Jan. 25, 2021 by Kris

Episode # 34:

Using Boundaries to Create FREEDOM as a Producer and Songwriter

Sure, the title of this episode does sound bass-ackwards. Using boundaries to create freedom? BUT, hear me out. 🙌

If you’re an artist, I’m going to assume you’ve been hit by a little thing called Blank Page Syndrome. You know, that dreary beginning stages of staring at a blank page before the songwriting begins. The options are limitless. Do you write a love song, or a party song, do you start with a loop, or build a kit, or track guitars first and the list goes on and on.

The fact that you can start anywhere is honestly too much to handle. Especially if you have perfectionism lingering around and you want everything to be perfect straight out the gate---which, spoiler alert, isn’t how great art is made.  Have you ever heard the saying the best writers are re-writers? 👊

This is called decision fatigue. By having too many options we often get overwhelmed and are therefore not able to gain clarity on our main objective. It's said the average person makes 35,000 decisions every day! 😧

The number of successful people who claim they save their brain power by minimizing their decisions is astounding. Some of which include, Steve Jobs (RIP), Mark Zuckerberg, Obama, and even Dr. Dre all minimize their brain power by consistency. Not having to choose what to wear; black turtlenecks, great shirts, grey and blue suits, and the same shoes, respectively, eliminates daily decisions.

What I’m getting at here is if you’re having trouble when it comes to creating music, you might just have too many variables at play.

The ability to jump right in, that’s what I want for you. That’s how I feel we should all be able to create. Even Joni Mitchell said, “You could write a song about some kind of emotional problem you are having, but it would not be a good song, in my eyes, until it went through a period of sensitivity to a moment of clarity. Without that moment of clarity to contribute to the song, it's just complaining.”.  To me, what Joni is saying is that she honors the craft, and doesn’t just expect the first thing that comes out of her to be what the listener will resonate with.  This is why I think we need to use Boundaries to create Freedom as a producer and songwriter.

So what’s the digital applicable version of this? 🧐 

• Pre production. What’s your game plan? Who’s your client? Do you have a reference track? What’s the instrumentation going on in there? What’s the tempo and key of that? How about the arrangement? 

• Blueprint. Where you want to go, the same way an author writes an outline before a book.  

• Setting the stage before you go to perform. This can be done by setting up a template ahead of time, or simply by doing all this footwork before you start creating!
  

Learn how to produce the EASY way and turn your home studio skills into cold.hard.cash. 💰  

Watch this FREE webclass before it goes away!👇🏻 

Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Please consider rating and reviewing my show!

This helps me support more people — just like you —  learn how to produce their own music!  Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. 

Subscribe now!