11
3 Adjustments to Keep Balanced As A Creative Artist
As a professional music producer, keeping your sanity in this crazy digital media age can be an exhausting task. In addition, making real money in this game, can prove to be even more daunting, and if you don’t take the appropriate steps to keep your vision and musical agenda in focus, you may find yourself putting in way more unnecessary work than you have to and enivitably feel burnt out. Over the past few years, I have found some small adjustments that have proved to be beneficial to my creative “headspace” and hopefully you find some relevance for your situations as well.
Being Selective with your Creative Time
Since I started my production company, the ISH Productions, my initial goal was to make music that I enjoyed, and inevitably turn that music into a money making career that would eventually put food on my table and pay my bills. Starting out, I worked on everything I could get my hands on. From hip hop production and beatmaking, recording up and coming artists/ band demos, to scoring music for commercials, independent films, and tv shows.
Basically, If there was any amount of money involved… I was available. I felt like if I turned down even the most meager money making opportunity, I wasn’t being a smart business man, and as long as I kept on making at least a little bit of money, I would eventually have a substantial stash of capital to work on those “bigger” projects that I always wanted to eventually. I came to find out though, that this business model wasn’t necessarily the most beneficial way to go about making that real money, because after all was said and done, I was spending an extraordinary amount of time working on projects for money way below my standards, and was feeling drained for all the hard work I was putting in for below minimum wage.
The way I changed this was to redirect my focus and revisit my intentions in the first place about the music that I wanted to be a part of, and stopped worrying about the money aspect of it all. I mean, I still needed money to keep my studio afloat, but I became way more selective of the projects I took on and the clients I chose to work with. I started setting my standards a little bit higher, and began utilizing the time that I would have spent on unfulfilling/underpaid projects, on more beneficial endeavors like marketing my own business and music that I was proud to show off. Eventually this lead to a catalogue of material that was based more on quality and musical integrity, which eventually attracted clients that were willing to pay me money that was actually worth my time.
Do I consistently follow these standards all of the time? No. Depending on the nature of a project, or the benefits I may get out of it, I do adjust during some of the “slower” months, but I try to enforce them as much as possible.
Some of my standards are as follows
•No speculative deals – These “spec” situations, in my own personal experience, have never really amounted to anything substantial. Most of the time if a client tells you that they don’t have money upfront and is promising you money on the back end of a deal, chances are they aren’t putting a lot of effort in promoting there music in the first place, and your likelihood of making any money back is slim. I feel like, unless the artist is someone you truly believe in and has a sound so special that you just cant turn it down, your time is probably better served elsewhere.
•Get it in writing – Some of the more annoying projects that I have been a part of stemmed from a lack of communication. When I was just starting out, I always had this stigma that if I hit a client with a contract or paperwork of any sort it would ruin the creative “vibe” and would come off as too professional too quickly. After all as a producer, it is important to have a positive relationship with an artist to truly be creative and free. But I learned, at times the hard way, that not discussing certain aspects of a project at the jump, actually created more of an ill vibe than if I had just put my expectations in writing and brought them to the table before any production even started. Having contracts and preliminary consultations about artist/producer expectations is a great way to save some headaches down the road.
•Price Menu – I have found it beneficial to have my standard pricing for different types of sessions already mapped out, so I am not taken by surprise. Think of different package deals that you have come across in the past or anticipate in the future. For example, your hourly rate for recording vocals may be different if an artist wants to also lease or buy an instrumental for you. Plus these package deals may also entice clients to spend more money and time with you without feeling like they are getting ripped off.
Creating “Sacred” Space
As a music producer, your studio, whether it be in your home or at another location, should feel like an extension of you. Where other areas of your life may be chaotic and disorganized, your studio should be clutter free and represent the ideal environment to get those creative juices flowing. It should be the place you go to escape all of the other madness.
Recently, I read an article in Tape Op magazine that mentioned how in India, the only places that you are required to take off your shoes were at religious ceremonies/locations and in music studios, due to the fact that these were considered the holiest of places. I found that quite interesting and started to really analyze the way I situated my creative space. Now I’m not saying that I take my shoes off before I lay down some drums, but I do recognize the sanctity and beauty in the place where I create my music, and try and create an energy that reflects this.
Some things that may help create this type of energy may be the following:
Remove things in your studio that just seem to take up space and don’t really have anything to do with the creative process i/e: Papers, boxes, empty crates, broken equipment, etc. Eliminating this type of clutter can make your creative space feel more open and inviting. Have things on hand to set the appropriate moods for certain sessions. Dim lighting, candles, incense, etc. are great ways to spark the creative senses and spice up the session.
Keep your business out of the studio. The majority of the time “business” talk is the antithesis of the creative vibe. Contracts, legal banter, and even brainstorming sessions on upcoming projects can cloud the area in which you make music. Keep your studio space strictly for working on music. This separation has enabled my studio to really become that place of refuge.
Forming the Right “Band” of People
Before making music on my own, I was fortunate enough to grow up playing in bands. One of the more successful bands that I was a part of, Philip’s Head, taught me a lot of things about the importance of working with other like minded musicians and creative people. There was a real family vibe to our creative processes, bouncing ideas off of each other, testing them out, and having fun in the interim. This friendly and inspiring creative atmosphere didn’t come immediately though. We went through a bunch of different musicians and lineup changes trying to find that perfect “fit.”
Sure we were looking for talented musicians first and foremost, but the right fit had more to do with the interaction between all of the members of the band, and less to do with how skilled you were on your own. Musicians usually have an easy way to determine the “connection” between other musicians, and practice it regularly. The process is called “jamming.” Jamming is an opportunity for a group of musicians to grab their instruments, plug them in, and just play. Improvising and vibe-ing off of one another. The key component of a good jam session is listening. You could be the most gifted musician in the world, but if you can’t put your ego aside and listen to other members’ creative contributions, you will undoubtedly fail as a band.
This give and take mentality also hold true in the production realm of things. As a producer, you are almost undoubtedly spending tons of time on your music, which leaves very little time to promote, market and manage your career as a music salesman. In this business, teams are an essential element to your movement. Reaching out to some friends or even “jamming” with other producers and creative teams can help you better manage your time and help out on those bigger projects you keep putting off.
My affiliation with the company Pixel Mobb is an example of how the right creative minds can help execute those bigger projects that you wish to tackle without losing your mind. For example, when I am working on music for specific artist now, I can reach out to my “band,” and ask for assistance in putting together a video package, developing album art, or designing a website.
On the flipside, they also know they can call on me to create voice-overs for commercial they are working on, or develop a custom jingle or instrumental for their prospective clients. This enables the team to create more quality custom projects for clients, and cross promote to alternative markets that would almost be impossible to do without the right team.
In conclusion, your ability to stick to your standards, setting up a creative workspace that works for you, and reaching out to other creative people to share in your goals, can help you achieve more in the long run, even if it takes a few “jam” sessions to get it right.
Become a fan on Facebook of Frank G’s the Ish Productions or follow him on Twitter.
5
Pay The Writer, or Anyone Else Who Works for You
This is my first post. I will keep it short and sweet. Some may call me a visionary, some call me crazy. Some people will say I am a wonderful warm hearted loving caring individual, some may call me a self absorbed abrasive asshole. Either way. They are probably wrong, and right.
Value is measured in many ways. Not just monetarily, not just time based also in intangibles. That is something you can’t always prove but you know it works, we all know it works. Until you don’t have it. For example we don’t know air is around us until it is removed from us and we gasp heavily at that realization. If you are a creative of some type at some point someone will question your price, your worth and your value. If they are making money directly or indirectly and you have a hand in it. You are valuable. Most wouldn’t go a moment without pay. Why should you? Never forget that. Charge what you are worth, it is your job to supply the utmost in superior work, it is also your job to find clients who understand this and willing to pay for it. Nothing more nothing less.
“It can’t be that expensive, it only took you 15 minutes. Ya, it took my 7 years to figure out how to do it in 15 minutes.” A recent quote I read somewhere on the net.
Have a wonderful life now. Always do your best no matter what.
Harlan Ellison (who wrote for Star Trek, the Outer Limits, Route 66 and so many more) puts it in total perspective for everyone. An old video but still very relevant.
Image on Flickr by Gierszewski
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1
Artists Make Results, Results Make Artists
Whether a martial artist, cartoon scribbler, baseball player, or anything in between, the bottom line in everything we do in life is that we are judged on our results.
No one cares what the budget was, what issues we ran into, what obstacles we overcame. None of it. Simply put, everyone judges each other on the results they produce. If you hit a lot of home runs, you are a home run hitter. If you sell a lot of deals, you are a great salesman. It becomes a life resume per se.
We are what we Produce
For creatives like us, we are in a unique position. Usually, when it comes down to it, we have more control over our results then we’d like to admit. Sure, clients can be naive, and budgets can be downright insulting, but the truth is, at the end of the day, we still have results.
We have found that these results are all that matter. Artists make results, and the results make the artist. Simple as that. So, painstakingly at times, we have ignored the constraints of a budget, our personal sanity, and our emotional loved ones. We do this because we want the best results possible. We know that good results are worth the effort, cause the return on the investment is well worth the initial sacrifice.
Free Work
No one likes to work for free. No one likes to feel like they are always giving and never recouping anything in return. For a creative though, such is life. No one will believe you can do anything unless you show them. No one wants to hear you talk about your talent. They want to see it with their own eyes. Due to this, creatives are forced to make a choice between a rock and a hard place. Work well below your worth, or work on your own dime, and then hope what you create can bring in more clients.
For those contemplating if doing free work is okay, here is my take. I have done a bunch of ‘free work’ over time. Below is an example of a free project we did, and what resulted from it.
TV Commercial Production
Advanced Martial Arts Commercial – When we first decided we wanted to get into commercial production, the obvious issue was having a commercial to show for it. So I went to my closest resource, my jiu jitsu school. I told my instructor, and great friend, Brian that we wanted to make him a free commercial, as long as he would air it. He knew of my video work, so he was on board right away. Not too hard to get free work I must say. We produced the commercial, our first, and it took weeks. It was our first foray into greenscreen, and my partners very first video shoot. However, after a month of ups and downs, we had something to be proud of. Since then, here is what resulted from that project.
- Performance Jiu Jitsu – Brian’s instructor saw the commercial and wanted one.
- Elite Martial Arts – saw the commercial and wanted one.
- Elijah BJJ – saw the commercial and wanted one.
Not only that, but Elite Martial arts also became a great client for us. We started to handle their print work, website redesign, and were introduced to their entire network of schools as well. You can say Martial Arts has become a niche for us.
All from one free commercial.
Go All Out
The other lesson about doing free work is to understand what it means. It does not mean you should half ass it to get it done cause it’s free. That is not only wasting the client’s time, it is wasting your own. If you are not getting compensated monetarily, then you must get compensated by getting a great piece of work.
A great example of this, continuing off our last example, is Elite Martial Arts. A year after their commercial, because of the work they brought, we wound up doing another free commercial for them. We could have made it easy on ourselves, but we did not. Instead, we took it to the next level. If it was going to be free, it had to be our best.
We went in with the RED ONE package having worked out a deal to get that paid for at a ridiculously low cost to the owner. Each of the people in on the project were determined to get a great show piece out of it. We filmed in a high frame rate to slow things down, and tried to mix up the angles. Check out the results of our rough, soundless cut…
Now, any Jiu Jitsu school on earth would be happy with that for free. All we needed was to add sound, and titles. However, we wanted to go the extra mile. So instead, we decided to really go all out in post, playing with time remapping, color grading, and adding in motion 3D titles to spice it up.
Here are the final results…
Results make Artists
Now which one would you rather have as your ‘free work’? Do you think it helps to have an okay piece that you can tell everyone you did for free? Or do you think it helps to have a sick showpiece to get you more work in the future?
The bottom line is, free or not, it’s the results that will make who you are. So no matter the sacrifice, in the beginning, it is up to the artists to make results. Simple as that. Go all out, and make results. Then take what you learn and make more results. Don’t worry about the budgets, time, and all of that jazz. That is for later. For now, it is time to build a portfolio and reputation you can be proud of.
Everything else will follow.
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