Why Every Artists Needs Them
Every time I sit at my desk in my home studio or when I’m in a bigger studio I always work on the lighting before I get started on anything. It’s not something I think about but over the past few years I’ve noticed that before I even sit down I’m always looking to get the hue of the lights right. At home I have an air purifier that comes with mood lighting that changes every few seconds to a different color. Even if there’s no water in it I make sure to turn it on and then I get to work. As little as it may seem this has become my ritual and every artist (creative) needs one. It primes your brain to focus on the task at hand and allows you to escape into your work. Here’s a couple of reasons why I think you should have one.
You Create Your Own Inspiration: Ever had a session where you showed up to the studio or maybe sat down to write a song and for some reason you can’t focus? More than likely you didn’t prep properly and now you’re searching for inspiration. You couldn’t write anything not because the “vibe” wasn’t right, even though that can play a role too, it just that you weren’t in rhythm with your normal routine. Think about the last time you cranked out a song or two in almost no time. It seemed like time stopped and the words just came rushing out of your pen. You couldn’t even keep up with all the ideas spewing out of your head. Now, here you are in the studio with a producer, plus their engineer, and you can’t even find a top line. Though the environment has changed, I want you to think a little deeper about the difference between the control room and your bedroom. What happens when you’re home that gets you going? What’s the one thing you always do before you start writing? Think about it. Think a little more. Boom! You always watch a show on Netflix just before you write. Oh that’s it! The inspiration you always gets comes from the stories that you just watched. Now, you need to get into the a ritual of watching a Netflix show just before you show up to the studio. You want to keep this habit because the next time you’re feeling uninspired you’ll know just what to do.
It Tells Your Brain its Time to Focus: One of the biggest problems most artists have is concentrating. Between the text messages, emails, DM’s, selfies, and vibes you’re dealing with a lot coming at you. You’re going to have to find a way to lock in so that you can execute creating a great song. If you develop a ritual that puts you in a flow state to create the distractions pretty much go away. Concentration is almost like a muscle. The more you use it, the easier it’ll get when it’s time to do so. I’ve only worked with a few artists that can come in at any time and crank out a great top line, song lyrics, and record great takes at any moments notice. Most need something to happen to get them in the mood and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you know what to do when it’s time to kick it in gear.
Creating music is easy when you’re in the mood and we’re in an industry that thrives off of inspiration. Instead of waiting for the right moment, beat, melody, or idea to come create the inspiration with a ritual. Wouldn’t it be better to take control of when those genius moments come rather than sitting in a room hoping that you’ll think of something? Create a ritual, creatine a routine. It’ll put your mind at ease to know that you have a tool you can use to give you that jolt you’re looking for.
Just make sure your ritual doesn’t affect your health…
