Others said it too but I will reiterate. Sometimes setting goals help. Like let’s say you don’t know how to play the piano, just take an online course or one of those apps teaching piano. That way you will have “homework” or deadlines to do things. It might help to keep you engaged or even inspired!
1 Like
6 Likes
Mate I went from obsessed to completely falling out of love with it. I sold all my stuff, didn’t do anything for like a year. I really thought it was just over and done for me which was devastating. Freaked me out that you can draw so much purpose from something then have it switch off like that
eventually the interest came back now I’m obsessed again. You probably have an unfulfilled desire regarding music as a passion. A lot of the time it’s a lonely game. When you are composing and performing and mixing and mastering your own stuff and building your sets and god forbid you’re a lyricist. the home studio has allowed 1 man to become an entire professional studio for comparatively cheap, but that doesn’t mean you have more time to do every job. It’s an oversaturated labour of love, do the things that you enjoy, find people who enjoy doing the things that you don’t and just do your thing man. or just don’t do the things that you don’t enjoy at all, who cares. Why/how did you get into this in the first place? Failing all else shut it down and go live life for a while. There’s no prizes for grinding this out
7 Likes
I just remind myself that it’s okay to have music as hobby rather than a passion. I still have high standards for myself, but this allows me to put it to the side when I’m not feeling inspired. I always come back to it. A lot of people bundle their entire identity into being a musician or artist, which can lead to unreasonable expectations. I have many passions - I don’t feel the need to box myself into one.
PS - I also hate dealing with selling gear. I’m totally fine with having put away for when I’m feeling inspired.
4 Likes
That’s a great attitude to have and I also hate selling gear. I have so much I don’t use and feel bad just having it boxed up or put away, but I don’t need to sell it, per se. I do have to put it away though, because it’s a never ending rabbit hole of options if I don’t.
1 Like
I have two answers depending on how you feel about it.
Answer one: It’s a hobby it doesn’t matter if you stop, you can always do something else and come back to it. I stopped playing guitar for about 5 years at one point I also stopped making electronic music for around 15 years only recently getting back into it. Sometimes it’s your identity being challenged. You want to think of yourself as a musician (A gigging musician in my case) and it challenges your sense of who you are if you stop. It was like a period of grief for me even though I’m glad I don’t play in a band anymore.
Answer two If reading that makes you think “no way I want to get it back” then my favorite quote is: “Inspiration always finds you working” by Jonny Marr. If you get out of the game then inspiration stops coming. In that scenario you just have to find something to get you doing it regularly. For me it’s the sample challenges, for you it might be something else.
2 Likes
Music can be a passion without having to make music. I believe this is one of the things which has happened with the availability of means in the last 20 years.
For example… There are a lot of people who love film, and because of this thanks to the blurring of lines between “consumer” and “pro” products have gone out and spent a bunch of money on a nice video camera, mics, rigs even… but actually haven’t thought through at all about how they would make a film, or if they have the means to do so, or even the desire.
Same thing goes for music, photography, podcasting, anything really… to have a passion for something does not mean you have to make it. You may love poetry, but that does not mean you have to be a poet.
Ultimately it depends on being honest about motivations, in my opinion. Many years back I could potentially have had a crack at making a career of sorts in music, it was hugely risky, and frankly due to the financial situation I was in I went a different way. Some other people I know and was friends with at the time did decide to pursue it, and they all had varying degrees of “success” (sic). But anyone I ever met who did kind of “make it” (sic again) had that real burning desire to do so.
I am not saying that only people who have this should “make music”
I personally love the “doing” of it, whether that be playing something on a keyboard, writing stuff, whatever - but with no expectations of having anything widely appreciated etc. For others, it may be having a concept and trying to achieve that, for others it may be the joy of playing with others, and for others still it may be an interest in the technology itself and what it can do - and a plethora of other things, and any combination of them.
In the end my advice would be as I said above - if you are struggling for motivation, then really look at and understand your motivation. Then you can at least springboard from an honest place.
I do struggle to wrote in words thoughts about music, hope this all makes some kind of sense
6 Likes
I think it depends on your goals.
On my end, since I have stopped trying to “reach goals”, I have been experiencing my best growth ever as a musician. Sometimes I get some work done on songs for an album project. Sometimes I just sit down and try a fun new routing or sound design/composition trick. Sometimes I just noodle around and it feels soothing.
So, I’m not sure it helps, but maybe some people would like to hear it: your music making does not need to go anywhere. And if you are anything like me, maybe letting go will give the best boost possible. It still does not create a routine in my case, but it makes me much more engaged with my music and I feel more fulfilled.
6 Likes
This kinda resonated with me in a way.
Part of the reason I want to make music (in a music production sense in a daw and what not) is because I get to be making music. It’s something that I was actively discouraged and even forbidden to do growing up and now it’s like I get to be able to make it and have a bit talent that I thought I always have to boot. I don’t feel like im forcing myself but whenever I do get down with it, it feels like Im fulfulling an obligation to myself.
3 Likes
I see only a problem in not wanting to make music if it’s your actual job and profession.
Nothing wrong with shifting interests.
1 Like