Is anyone else struggling to want to make music? Recently I feel like I’m in a funk.
Not struggling to make music. I’m used to that. I mean struggling to bring myself to make music.
I mean like, turning on my gear, or picking up a guitar, and just feeling overwhelmed at the effort of doing… anything.
At first I thought it was brain fog from my last infusion cycle. But I think it’s been too long at this point for that to be it.
Maybe it’s just [waves arms around, indicates entire planet]. Or maybe it’s depression or work burnout. But I’ve been depressed and burnt before. I don’t think it felt like this.
Is anyone else feeling this right now?
I’m used to writer’s block and performer’s block but this is like, volition block. I’m used to my enthusiasm outstripping my craft. This is the weird opposite of that.
Combining more than 1 or 2 pieces of gear feels mentally insurmountable. My notekeeping has gotten completely away from me and is usually incomplete or even wrong when I go back later. Everything sounds boring or out of key. I have zero ability to commit to permanent decisions.
I get maybe an hour a day during the week to make music but it usually takes me about two hours to get into a flow. It’s totally frustrating, but I cherish that hour each day regardless of the lack of output. The process alone is like therapy after a long day at work. It also keeps me familiar with my instruments. I just focus on the process. Once in awhile something worth a damn results and then I lean into it. That said, it’s difficult not to feel overwhelmed, but the key is to keep trying without the expectation of achieving a particular outcome. Also, a new pedal…
I’ve been in a similar rut, and have been before. It passes, but it’s frustrating while it lasts. I’ve been forcing myself to sit down and noodle around with one thing for 25 free minutes. It’s been a week of this. Then, last night I made a wacky FM patch on the DFAM, ran it through a spring reverb and tape delay in Ableton, and…now I’m excited to get done with work and pick that up. Sometimes it surprises you like that.
I have felt this all year. I moved into a new flat and haven’t been able to finish anything this year. I just keep procrastinating and promising myself that I’ll get around to it later but I can’t manage to pull myself together to organise what is required to get back into it. It could be just the fact that I’m getting old but there’s more to it than that, a deep feeling that it’s all hopeless and that nobody cares and that none of it matters anymore. Not at all what I was planning or hoping for. I hope it changes soon but I’m also having problems with neighbours above who clearly don’t have any interest in music, never listen to it themselves and react / retaliate whenever I play music… feels like it’s all over.
I agree with @Microtribe, maybe consider taking a break.
When I’m not feeling it, I take a break from music and slide into another creative outlet, or just go for some long walks to change the scenery. Usually if I take a break, ideas get a chance to build up inside of me, and I have chance to look at things sideways instead of head-on, and my perspective around techniques will sometimes shift and change as well. Just some food for thought.
Thank you for sharing this, though I’m sorry to hear you’re going through it. It sucks.
About 5 years ago I completely stopped making visual art after drawing more or less constantly for my whole life. It’s spooked me.
But then part of what’s blocking me here is how squishy and unspecific music is compared to making pictures. It’s so damn abstract… I can wrap my brain around a picture in ways I just can’t with a song.
Finding something which you can interface with in a pleasing but nontraditional (or a less routine) manner might allow you to step outside any hardwired preconceptions about the creative process.
Can definitely relate to this, I too have been in a FUNC (and I appreciate this pun).
I agree that it has to do with gestures broadly at everything as well as various personal things that pop up now and again. I usually turn to music as my psycho-emotional refuge in hard times, but it’s extra tough when the music itself feels like just another obstacle.
I’m trying to book small wins here and there, trying to keep my chin up and avoid melting into a gurgling pool of Autechre percussion sounds. Each day at a time, you know.
I’m in a similar place and I started a Simon says thread to try and get people to help me break the mental barrier and option overload. It’s helpful but maybe it’s not what you’re looking for. It seems a bit unclear what’s causing distress so try different things. Lower your overall demands on yourself and set partial goals that are easy to complete. Nobody does difficult things if we can avoid it, we practice instead. The upside is that inspiration doesn’t take any actual time, only the process there does.
I was looking at your Simon Says! (but was too busy with the DnB battle).
But I really appreciated the idea & thread. I’m a big fan of writing & drawing prompts.
I’m starting to wonder if once my B cells get back up to normal levels, I should try to start a New York Nauts meetup… I keep seeing people on this forum saying they feel like no one listens to their stuff or it feels like singing into a void. Maybe jamming in person would feel less like a void. Or at least it’d be a void with a face…
Happy to hear it, I’ll see if I can scrounge something to upload. If you have actual brain fog there could be any number of reasons and it’s worth dealing with that first.
Same. Though it didn’t spook me that much, i was excited to use the opportunity to do music, what i wanted for a very long time. Even if i still haven’t officially published anything yet after 5 years. (and i am completely coming into it without any official education or knowledge, kinda starting from scratch)
It’s a another creative outlet, and yes don’t put pressure on your self to make something serious when having those “nothing seams to work” days.
Also i realised having one machine (dt2 in my case), mnm, machinedrum, a4, synths…, helps out bunch where you can limit yourself and just jam some shit on it for fun and see where it gets you. Copy a pattern into new one replace samples, sounds, add some effects and just noodle until you get some vibe and start dancing in a chair. This might open up ideas in your head where to go from there and push this initial trashy doodle into next step.
Also drop stuff in “Current sounds coming from your gear” thread here on elektronauts, helps a ton. It can inspire you what others are doing, you can revisit your own sketch and it’s a non-binding and unofficial experimentation.
We set our artistic bar to a particular level. We expect that our latest, current or next project will at least meet, and hopefully will exceed, that bar. Failing to meet that bar is an undesirable option. That creates mental baggage.
…postpandemic days…still…and i lost all my music mojo eversince…
from 120 shows a year to zero lately…not really missing a thing, though…
i always had the best gear at my disposal…and nowadays, it could not get any slicker, futuristic and easy to get things going…
but where’s no mojo, there’s no music…
maybe, i give ess another 40 bux today and see what his letest beyond fm synth plugin can do, to just send me a new sonic sparkle…
or bitwig 6 will do the trick…?
dunno…will see, errr, hear…
Like others have mentioned, I think that’s normal. Don’t stress yourself, do something else and see if the urge to make music returns at some point. I also think the “do something else” part doesn’t have to be creative. Why not just go for a hike or spend more time with friends? Read a book, see some concerts or dance in clubs? Or just majorly chill out and procrastinate or play videogames? All of this might inspire you or just be fun.
There’s also older threads on this with the collected forum wisdom:
And who knows, you might be more productive if you dont plan to make any music at all. Reminds me of the Youtube Gamemaker’s Toolkit, who made his first videogame last year and thought he’d never make one again and focus on Youtube after he was done. And then made his next game within months because a cool idea just popped up:
), I start getting into a funk.