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.

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