Mondayland

On the surface, it might seem that "balance" is a worthy goal. Don't we all want balance in our lives? I'm not so sure. Here's why... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out the Turbo Track Attack... 2. Make more music you love with the FREE Music Machine template... 3. Listen to my in-progress songs in my current Music Machine... 4....

What is your definition of "finished"? After many years saying a piece was "done", then realising it wasn't I had an aha... What was giving me the perspective I needed to know if it was 100% "Done" was the fact I thought it was! This is one of the reasons that in the Making Machine "Done" is separate to "Release" (where we get our stuff ready for release.) So on our PodWalk today I'll get into why...

There is a fundamental "pivot" point in any creative process. You move from a "divergent" approach (adding, experimenting, brainstorming) to a "convergent" one (removing, moving, improving, editing). In the Making Machine this pivot happens when you get the piece you're working on out of "Discover" and into "Draft". Then, to keep your process flowing (and not gummed up) you want to make sure you'r...

I'm no expert in "Burnout", although a lot of people talk about it. But I have a particular approach I use personally with this category of problem... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out the Turbo Track Attack... 2. Make more music you love with the FREE Music Machine template... 3. Listen to my in-progress songs in my current Mus...

In the early stages of the Magic Music Machine I suggest you ignore mistakes, for a bunch of reasons. but when is the right time to turn your mind to fixing mistakes in your music? And what is a mistake anyway? Find out more about the Magic Music Machine here: https://shop.makemusicyourlife.com And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out...

I know there's a lot of people who have had "better results" using reference tracks. And they do have their place as a TRAINING tool. But if that educational resource turns into "training wheels" you never take off...if it becomes THE way you make music? You have a BIG problem, which is going to progressively get worse. And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make...

Why it's a bad idea to delete your music, no matter how bad you believe it to be... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out the Turbo Track Attack... 2. Make more music you love with the FREE Music Machine template... 3. Listen to my in-progress songs in my current Music Machine... 4. Join my WhatsApp channel, to get a regular espress...

"Inspiration shows up when you do." Let's talk about the start of the creative process... Get your Music Machine Trello Template here... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out the Turbo Track Attack... 2. Make more music you love with the FREE Music Machine template... 3. Listen to my in-progress songs in my current Music Machine......

I did a back of the envelope calculation the other day. Through personal and group coaching, writing, making programs and videos I've invested around 20,000 hours helping musicians and producers with their creative process. In PodWalk Season 2 I'm getting deep into what I've learned by sharing the model I've developed to explain it. Because while creativity is chaotic and uncertain, there is a pat...

This is the final episode of season 1 of the PodWalk! (I decided to make the number of episodes per season roughly the same as an album.) So this final episode will be slightly off the beaten track. As I often use various models, ideas and concepts to make progress which I KNOW aren't "true", because they allow me to get closer to the truth... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try t...

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a famous (and largely wonderful) book which changed my life for the better... Until it started to create barriers and obstacles. And then I noticed the same in more and more of my clients and students who had read it. (Some of whom had read it on my recommendation!) I know what he means by "The Resistance". I too feel the daily struggle. I can see the creativ...

"If I don't act upon this idea NOW - it will be gone forever." This idea is very common amongst creators. But I'm always very careful of any belief which fulfils itself: Believing it creates conditions which seem to verify it. Because you believe it, you don't challenge it. You don't challenge it, so you believe it. This is circular thinking. While this doesn't automatically mean it's false, it is...

Ever fallen down an information rabbit hole of doom? I'm guessing (if you're a human who has an internet connection) that's a YES! Trouble is with consuming information is all too often IT CONSUMES US! (Or at least it consumes our progress, and ultimately our dreams...) So on our walk today I'm going to give you a way of understanding information and how it relates to knowledge. If you're anything...

You might think that coaching and teaching are the same. I wouldn't blame you, as until I trained as a coach I didn't know the difference. But they're SOOOOOOO DIFFERENT! Both have their place and fulfil different functions. But I can promise that while there is a LOAD of teaching everywhere all the time...there isn't enough coaching in the world...yet. 🤓 And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd...

This was supposed to be the next PodWalk subject - Teaching vs Coaching, but it ended up as a little autobiography on how coaching saved my life (when I look back on it - literally!) If you're struggling in any way, I hope my story will help you realise - there is ALWAYS a way forward... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out the Tur...

The modern world requires that Artists of all kinds are also business people. So if you are to build a business around your Art, it's essential to understand how a "solo artist" business is different from almost any other kind of business... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out the Turbo Track Attack... 2. Make more music you love...

The human mind simplifies to make sense of the Universe. Thank goodness it does, because the Universe is a bewildering and chaotic place! But often these simplifications seem "real" which is when we get STUCK. Because what is "real" is way more complex... And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd like to try the SIMPLEST way to make loads of music: Check out the Turbo Track Attack... 2. Make more m...

"I've just got to work on my craft..." is a phrase I've heard a LOT. But for a certain kind of artist, I've always felt it misses the point. Or at least, is only a part of the point, and a part which is in service of another part. This other part is what I'd call "THE ACTUAL POINT"! So what's the difference between Art and Craft? What is "THE ACTUAL POINT"? And whenever you're ready... 1. If you'd...

If what defines humans is we create something new out of something old, then the creative process is the method we use to do this. But so many people say they're not creative because they don't understand that creativity is how we solve problems. Without problems, our creativity is not required. Without problems, there is nothing new. Without problems, there's no path to walk. Problems are what fu...

In our culture, creativity is simultaneously edified and debased through magical thinking. Yes, the creative process is mysterious because so few understand it. Yes, it can feel like magic when things are going well. But that does not mean it is magic! Or that we shouldn't touch it lest we kill the magic. Deciphering the mysteries of the creative process is my ongoing life's work. And there more I...