how do you keep yourself motivated?

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mono

the invisible visible
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 20
since I'm at this job with working times from 10 to 7 i barely can motivate myself to make music in the evenings. all i do is kick back and watch movies. also i'm working with the computer all day long, so even thinking about turning it on gives me the creeps on my way home.
i'm already getting my hardware fit again and plan to reduce it back to the basics, sampler + turntable. maybe that'll get me back into digging more as well.
how do you juggle a 9 to 5 and that 2nd life?
 

misch

Member
ill o.g.
i went through this for awhile, working a manual labor job all week and just being blasted when i got home, just looking at the monitor made me blurry eyed. i would get so amped/inspired thinking about production all day, but it was hard to work on stuff at night. sometimes i would power through, or just make it simple like chop a break or two, sample stuff and leave the bigger stuff for the weekend. but it came down to cutting hours and eventually going on unemployment for awhile and killing it heh. its rough but if the inspiration is there, you'll find ways to get it done.
 

classic

I am proud to be southern
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 90
You have to stay active, you have to have other hobbies outside of music, (gym , music travel) the other hobbies will feed your creativity as far as music goes. Also when your doing music you should have goals. Like a long term project(6 months) short term project and just making beats. That way if you dont feel like doing one thing you can be creative in other aspects.
i figured this out about 3 years ago and i havent had a slump since. The goal is to spend about 1 hour a day on something music related.

class...
 

dacalion

Hands Of FIRE!
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 259
anything concerning music from production techniques on youtube to music videos on mtv or bet usually does it for me. Its different for everybody, but whatever gives you ideas on making music is a good start.

dac
 

Sucio

Old and dirty...
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 304
Definitely do something other than music.....go to the gym....play xbox (works for me). Slumps usually happen because you're forcing yourself to make the music.

I took this week off....due to my move to a new place n all...but I'm at the studio right now working on something with the team...so it's new fresh motivation.
 

UNORTHODOX

Father Timeless
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 44
Remember why you make music. Remember the feeling of makin your first beats.
 

mono

the invisible visible
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 20
thanks fellas, appreciate the input. i definitely need hobbies besides music. as i already go to the gym, i might consider buying an xbox now^^. no for real, why not. and classic, that thing about goals was a good tip too. i never work on projects, just on tracks.
 

skidflow

Boom Bap is precious art
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 220
The goal is to spend about 1 hour a day on something music related.
I can feel whatcha talkin bout righthere because It takes me a week to make a beat now. I sit down...start working. The minute I feel pressured to come up with something, I stop for the day and comeback to it when my mind is fresh another day. My beats have gotten better using this process.
 

classic

I am proud to be southern
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 90
thanks fellas, appreciate the input. i definitely need hobbies besides music. as i already go to the gym, i might consider buying an xbox now^^. no for real, why not. and classic, that thing about goals was a good tip too. i never work on projects, just on tracks.

Yep man no prob honestly thats a bigger issue i see with alot of cats on ill. Alot of cats dont want to grow musically.

Its real easy to get a block if your still making beats the same way now as you did 5 years ago. I creative block is just a symptom of a bigger issue, if your having problems coming up with tracks, you probolly need to put yourself outside your comfort zone.

If your working on projects, or collaberating with other musicans or in a band or llearning an instrument all these things will feed into your creativity. For me personally its all about being musicial it dosent matter what it is, some days i may make a beat, another day i may practice the piano, another day i may sit down and write some stuff for musicians, Hell i even go to step pratice with my frat brothers to get inspired

Either way all if it comes from the same place. If your doing the same thing day in and day out eventually you get tired and blocked

Sorry for the long response, dident mean to get that long...
 

Relic

Voice of Illmuzik Radio
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 83
^^^ I was gonna say that or smoke crack, those will get you up and moving....


Listeing to and competiting with cats around here makes me better.
Everytime It hink I have got something that will win something or is perfect I get crushed causing me to keep upping the ante in myself everytime I sit down to do something.
You can actually hear it when it come to betas I put in to beatthis's or even and especially the sample flips, some of the smaple flips have made cats lose their minds when they hear them at my studio, but on here they barely get a "pretty good" lol!
Thus the quality of what you shoot for helps and can be motivating as well.
 
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