Rest! It Is Part of the Creative Work
Hey friends,
Sometimes making music feels more like work than fun. When that happens I step away. I go outside, spend time with my family, get some sport in. None of that has anything to do with music, and that is exactly why it works. A few days later I can see where I was stuck, and I feel creative again. That feeling is the whole point.
Then it became my job
Since I went self-employed, creativity is what I make a living from. Most days that is great. But it makes stepping away a lot harder.
When I take two days off now, a small voice starts up. You are not being productive. Somebody who does this for a living should be able to sit down and deliver.
Getting past that voice is one of the most useful things I have learned. The break is not a gap in the process, it is part of it. Your muscles do not grow while you lift, they grow on the rest days. Creative work is the same.
And sometimes you do the opposite
For the latest Melodic Minute episode I felt uninspired and did not step away. I opened a template I know inspires me and just started exploring.
A break gives you distance. A familiar starting point gives you momentum. When the blank page is the problem, remove the blank page.
What you can try
Step away on purpose, and decide when you come back. A break with an end feels different from avoidance.
Move your body. It works better than any productivity trick I know.
When you do go back, do not start from nothing. Use a template, a preset, an old sketch.
Change one thing. New instrument, new key, new room, no plan.
Those phases come back, and that is fine. What changes is how long they hold on to you.
If you want to support Melodic Minute and help keep the series going, you can find me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kvndra
Stay creative,
Milan (KVNDRA)
