To do list : [ ] buy plasma lamp [ ] stop watching videos on how to avoid procrastination and get to work Thanks for sharing your insights. Personally, for me creating a 'to do' list in the morning and being able to put checkmarks really helps me to stay focussed a bit longer and postpones the point where I just start noodling. But I can see why that might work different for others.
As a composer now deeply struggling with insecurity and procrastination, this was very much needed. Thank you so much for your work, your videos are slowly getting me out of creative depression and giving me back my will to compose.
As a software engineer, I am often tasked with creating new applications from scratch. In general, I get a list of requirements from the customer that the app needs to meet. This often results in me creating a to-do list which can be daunting. I've found that by turning this list of requirements into a much longer list of mini-requirements that I can essentially "divide and conquer" the task more effectively. I like the idea of relabeling a to-do list as an aspirational list, but I think that the key is not so much having or not having a list but making sure that the list consists of small enough tasks that each can be accomplished with ease.
I agree. Every time you can check something off a list, the brain releases some dopamine resulting in feelings of happiness and satisfaction. This mechanism can be exploited to reach larger goals. We're really just drug addicts :D
Wow, Samuel - these really hit home for me. I've arrived at some of the same strategies and realizations in recent years, but really could use these reminders!
I appreciate these videos very much. I love hearing how other composers think and work. I'm mostly self-taught and never attended composition school, so I've always wondered what I might have missed out on. And although I'm deeply suspicious of craft, I still want to learn it so that I may choose wisely how I work.
Very helpful. I just started recording my project again. First Small Goal: open the damn project on the computer and just see what you left there last hahah
Some great advice here. Thank you Sam. It's reassuring watching this video knowing I used to struggle with this a couple of years ago and now I've come to many of the same solutions you mention. One good one to add is if you have writer's block or don't know what to do that day my advice is to just study something. Get out the score to the Planets or the Firebird or whatever work you really love and start to go over it. I find after only minutes of doing this I already get an idea from the score for something I want to try, whether it be instrument combos, techniques, structure, etc. Very quickly I'm back in my scoring program or DAW messing around and being creative. Some of my best ideas have come from the days where I initially felt the least inspired.
Fully recognizable! I was having problems with a large-scaled work that I couldn't get a grip and stopped composing for a year, so I started teaching private. That helped a lot by observing a students problems and all the things you experienced but from a "behind the scenes" perspective. Writer's block do exist but strategies to overcome them are individual. My cure for that was to simply start working with simple things, like arranging, note engraving and suddenly writing wrong notes can be the gateway to the compositional universe. All the mentioned advice you talked about I've used to great results! Like a friend told me once: "Procrastination is the thief of time."
Timestamps: -Samuel with a plasma lamp: 0:00 -Intro: 0:16 -Tip 1: Associate a Compelling Feeling with the Task 1:01 -Tip 2: Remove Obstacles 2:21 -Tip 3: Prioritize Cognitively-Demanding Tasks 3:27 -Tip 3b: Go Outside and Take a Walk 5:03 -Tip 4: Break the Task Down Into Smaller Steps 5:21 -Tip 5: Don't Make To-Do Lists 7:15 -Tip 6: There's No Such Thing as Writer's Block 9:50 -Tip 7: You Don't Work as Much as You Think You Do 12:23 -Outro: 14:39
You can also add 30-60 min every other day during your busy working schedule. If you have a gap in your schedule, consider devote efficient time on your composition so that you get better chances of getting your piece ready before the actual deadline and more time for fun! I did that a few times and that saved me a lot of time of going through my piece without any obvious mistakes in your music. A great example about staying one step ahead all the time.
Thank you so much for the video! I am in the middle of writing a piece and a lot of the methods you describe (I.e. break down tasks, don’t make to do lists, start in the morning, desanctify the creative process etc) have helped me a lot recently. Watching this video has helped me recognise what has changed in the way I work as I have spent years struggling with procrastination and I feel it is what has been setting me back Keep up the amazing content!
This is great advice. The part of writing knowing that you would 'throw the work out' is something I still do. It's a way to keep writing, working out ideas (bad or good) and getting better but without the pressure of producing a masterpiece in one sitting. Another thing that I try is copying out music (like a chorale) and write variations, modify it
In my case, the creative process itself motivates me completely. My obstacle is time. I front load my days at 5:00am before teaching public school. I wish I was in a music program with all that time to compose.. that would be a dream for me. These are great insights though… they match what I’ve gleaned from my research into the topic of motivation
Weirdest thing is that we all share most of those problems, and sometimes come up with almost similar solutions, and sharing those common experiences somehow helps those solutions get more formulated for both sides. Me myself found "to-have-done list", "dissatisfaction of writing" and "reduction the project into smallest tasks" the most effective ones. Have always learnt from contents you create. Thanks a lot.
Writing for the bin is such good advice. I wish I had learnt it sooner. It's so liberating to not worry too much. The way I think about it is that the result of a creative endeavour is stochastic, with its quality distributed along a bell curve. Sometimes the end result is really good, most of the time it's alright and sometimes it's really bad. However, in the long run the number of failures will roughly match the number of successes. The point of this metaphor is twofold. 1. It's impossible to always write good pieces, so don't worry about failure too much. 2. If you write enough pieces, eventually you'll write something that's good. In other words, that trite piece you just finished is not the end of the world, it just happened to be one of the inevitable mistakes that comes with creative work. Of course, as artists we want to develop and write good pieces. But we don't do that through raising our highest level or lowest level above a certain absolute threshold, but rather by raising the average quality of our work, by practicing and studying our art. If you do that, then you will automatically raise your highest and lowest level.
strangely precisely the opposite of what you suggest worked for me. Having a set space and tools I enjoy using, like a nice fountain pen, is far more an inspiration for me to enjoy the process. I like the tactility of the tools, I like the solitude, so I am more productive. Also I find it strange when people say they are not productive over long sessions... I find that I am no really in gear until at least an hour in, and I tend to do my best work when the entire day has disappeared and its time to put the pen down, but I know if I do, I'll lose the thoughts that are bursting forth, so I have to get it down now before I forget how I got here.
When I gave up the music business and became a designer, I wen through this entire process in a different area, but the same things apply. Do SOMETHING however small, and, in my case, putting that down impacts other things around it starts the actual creative process. Also what it really all means is JUST DO IT. A journey of 10,000 miles starts with a single step. Try to not become obsessed with success (a successful design/composition/whatever) but just keep at it.
Wonderful video, Samuel. Each of these seven points are essential to not only create a discipline around the creation, but also to know yourself better while composing. Thank you!
Believe it or not, but this "musical motivational" type of video really came in handy right now, and it helped me identify a couple of my songwriting burdens / obstacles I struggle with. It would be very good if you did more "practical" videos like this!
Thank You for adressing this issue! For me, as a composer it sometimes went as a far as wondering if I should be writing music at all when I can't motivate myself to do it because of procrastinating.
Thank you for the video! All the tips functions well to performers too. I'm a conducting student and I'm having a lot of problems with time management.
No. 4 contradicts No. 3a (prioritise challenging tasks, but keep your task trivially simple). No. 6 contradicts No. 1 (remember what's riding on your task, but also, nothing is riding on it) and then also No. 2 (your physical materials matter, but use the cheapest ones).
Great video!! As a conductor, the primary enemy is procrastination. It can be extremely difficult to quantify or estimate how long it will take to study a movement of a symphony, for example. How do you know when you are “done”? When do you know it “well enough”? All your techniques are super helpful and applicable
Question for your next Q&A what sort of pieces do you like to write "for fun"? I myself am a huge paganini fanboy and I love etudes and caprices. Setting a restriction on a piece based around a couple of technical challenges for the player is very engaging (and helpful for my own technique), And I have tons of history to draw from in terms of form, so I can make a first draft fairly quickly. Also showing off is always fun, and the reactions you get from people when you execute a challenging - or at least a piece which sounds challenging - are the best. what kinds of pieces do you write that just make you giddy with excitement?
Hi. Cool video. Interesting perspective in comparison to the typical self-help resources for business people. Hey, what metronome is that you're using? Would you recommend (assuming they're still in production?) Thanks! ETA: I think I found it: Wittner QM2?
How many time do you spend studying other things like theory, analysis, instrumentation or making public relations - applications? Great channel by the way! Greets
You said in a interview you couldn't compose for more than 2-3 hours per day. How do you explain that some composers are able to do it for much longer and other much less? Beethoven 8 hours at once, Mozart 8 hours in three sessions, Haydn 8 hours in two, Tchaikovsky and Strauss 4 hours in two… Great disparity.
To be clear, I do work about 10 hours per day on average, but I do many things besides composing music. Stravinsky performed and traveled frequently in order to supplement his income, as dud Strauss. Beethoven was a lifelong bachelor and did not pursue a career as a performer, besides occasionally playing his own works. I'd say it depends on many factors, including personal circumstances, income, external obligations, temperament, speed of composition, etc.
To be clear, I do work about 10 hours per day on average, but I do many things besides composing music. Stravinsky performed and traveled frequently in order to supplement his income, as dud Strauss. Beethoven was a lifelong bachelor and did not pursue a career as a performer, besides occasionally playing his own works. I'd say it depends on many factors, including personal circumstances, income, external obligations, temperament, speed of composition, etc.
To do list :
[ ] buy plasma lamp
[ ] stop watching videos on how to avoid procrastination and get to work
Thanks for sharing your insights. Personally, for me creating a 'to do' list in the morning and being able to put checkmarks really helps me to stay focussed a bit longer and postpones the point where I just start noodling. But I can see why that might work different for others.
[ ] write left-handed
Literally watching this instead of finishing a piece 🙃
But hopefully not next time 😊
Same 😆
At 12:37 you made the camera aware that it was focusing!
Thanks for the helpful video Samuel :)
Composition as intellectual and even spiritual discipline. I like it. Life is short. We must use the time we have as well as possible.
Thank you, Samuel, for your invaluable insights.
As a composer now deeply struggling with insecurity and procrastination, this was very much needed. Thank you so much for your work, your videos are slowly getting me out of creative depression and giving me back my will to compose.
Good luck!
As a software engineer, I am often tasked with creating new applications from scratch. In general, I get a list of requirements from the customer that the app needs to meet. This often results in me creating a to-do list which can be daunting. I've found that by turning this list of requirements into a much longer list of mini-requirements that I can essentially "divide and conquer" the task more effectively.
I like the idea of relabeling a to-do list as an aspirational list, but I think that the key is not so much having or not having a list but making sure that the list consists of small enough tasks that each can be accomplished with ease.
I agree. Every time you can check something off a list, the brain releases some dopamine resulting in feelings of happiness and satisfaction. This mechanism can be exploited to reach larger goals. We're really just drug addicts :D
i loved the idea of writing for the wastebasket! never heard of that one before, thanks for the great video samuel
good to hear from you, Skylar. Send me an update when you can. I wish you much success.
Very few people give such practical and helpful advice for 'writers block' thankyou.
Wow, Samuel - these really hit home for me. I've arrived at some of the same strategies and realizations in recent years, but really could use these reminders!
I appreciate these videos very much. I love hearing how other composers think and work. I'm mostly self-taught and never attended composition school, so I've always wondered what I might have missed out on. And although I'm deeply suspicious of craft, I still want to learn it so that I may choose wisely how I work.
Very helpful. I just started recording my project again. First Small Goal: open the damn project on the computer and just see what you left there last hahah
Creative stuff actually is easier for me at night.
But more "strict" stuff (practicing piano, reading) is easier for me in the morning.
Some great advice here. Thank you Sam. It's reassuring watching this video knowing I used to struggle with this a couple of years ago and now I've come to many of the same solutions you mention.
One good one to add is if you have writer's block or don't know what to do that day my advice is to just study something. Get out the score to the Planets or the Firebird or whatever work you really love and start to go over it. I find after only minutes of doing this I already get an idea from the score for something I want to try, whether it be instrument combos, techniques, structure, etc. Very quickly I'm back in my scoring program or DAW messing around and being creative. Some of my best ideas have come from the days where I initially felt the least inspired.
Fully recognizable! I was having problems with a large-scaled work that I couldn't get a grip and stopped composing for a year, so I started teaching private. That helped a lot by observing a students problems and all the things you experienced but from a "behind the scenes" perspective. Writer's block do exist but strategies to overcome them are individual. My cure for that was to simply start working with simple things, like arranging, note engraving and suddenly writing wrong notes can be the gateway to the compositional universe.
All the mentioned advice you talked about I've used to great results!
Like a friend told me once: "Procrastination is the thief of time."
Timestamps:
-Samuel with a plasma lamp: 0:00
-Intro: 0:16
-Tip 1: Associate a Compelling Feeling with the Task 1:01
-Tip 2: Remove Obstacles 2:21
-Tip 3: Prioritize Cognitively-Demanding Tasks 3:27
-Tip 3b: Go Outside and Take a Walk 5:03
-Tip 4: Break the Task Down Into Smaller Steps 5:21
-Tip 5: Don't Make To-Do Lists 7:15
-Tip 6: There's No Such Thing as Writer's Block 9:50
-Tip 7: You Don't Work as Much as You Think You Do 12:23
-Outro: 14:39
Thanks, great advise! It will help me get motivated.
You can also add 30-60 min every other day during your busy working schedule. If you have a gap in your schedule, consider devote efficient time on your composition so that you get better chances of getting your piece ready before the actual deadline and more time for fun! I did that a few times and that saved me a lot of time of going through my piece without any obvious mistakes in your music. A great example about staying one step ahead all the time.
Effective format of delivery and great editing, thx samuel
Completely agree with everything. Thanks for the content!
Thank you so much for the video!
I am in the middle of writing a piece and a lot of the methods you describe (I.e. break down tasks, don’t make to do lists, start in the morning, desanctify the creative process etc) have helped me a lot recently. Watching this video has helped me recognise what has changed in the way I work as I have spent years struggling with procrastination and I feel it is what has been setting me back
Keep up the amazing content!
invaluable advice, thank you
This is great advice. The part of writing knowing that you would 'throw the work out' is something I still do. It's a way to keep writing, working out ideas (bad or good) and getting better but without the pressure of producing a masterpiece in one sitting. Another thing that I try is copying out music (like a chorale) and write variations, modify it
In my case, the creative process itself motivates me completely. My obstacle is time. I front load my days at 5:00am before teaching public school.
I wish I was in a music program with all that time to compose.. that would be a dream for me.
These are great insights though… they match what I’ve gleaned from my research into the topic of motivation
Thank you very much for this contribution! Big help! (Of course, not everybody can take a hike in Monaco... ;-) ...)
Procrastination is my favourite occupation. 🙂
Weirdest thing is that we all share most of those problems, and sometimes come up with almost similar solutions, and sharing those common experiences somehow helps those solutions get more formulated for both sides. Me myself found "to-have-done list", "dissatisfaction of writing" and "reduction the project into smallest tasks" the most effective ones. Have always learnt from contents you create. Thanks a lot.
Writing for the bin is such good advice. I wish I had learnt it sooner. It's so liberating to not worry too much.
The way I think about it is that the result of a creative endeavour is stochastic, with its quality distributed along a bell curve. Sometimes the end result is really good, most of the time it's alright and sometimes it's really bad. However, in the long run the number of failures will roughly match the number of successes.
The point of this metaphor is twofold.
1. It's impossible to always write good pieces, so don't worry about failure too much.
2. If you write enough pieces, eventually you'll write something that's good.
In other words, that trite piece you just finished is not the end of the world, it just happened to be one of the inevitable mistakes that comes with creative work.
Of course, as artists we want to develop and write good pieces. But we don't do that through raising our highest level or lowest level above a certain absolute threshold, but rather by raising the average quality of our work, by practicing and studying our art. If you do that, then you will automatically raise your highest and lowest level.
This is crazy helpful! And not even only for artists, some advice is good for usual day to day duties. Thank you so much
Thank you so much for this wisdom. I’m a first year grad student and this was beyond helpful.
strangely precisely the opposite of what you suggest worked for me. Having a set space and tools I enjoy using, like a nice fountain pen, is far more an inspiration for me to enjoy the process. I like the tactility of the tools, I like the solitude, so I am more productive.
Also I find it strange when people say they are not productive over long sessions... I find that I am no really in gear until at least an hour in, and I tend to do my best work when the entire day has disappeared and its time to put the pen down, but I know if I do, I'll lose the thoughts that are bursting forth, so I have to get it down now before I forget how I got here.
When I gave up the music business and became a designer, I wen through this entire process in a different area, but the same things apply.
Do SOMETHING however small, and, in my case, putting that down impacts other things around it starts the actual creative process. Also what it really all means is JUST DO IT.
A journey of 10,000 miles starts with a single step.
Try to not become obsessed with success (a successful design/composition/whatever) but just keep at it.
Thx, very helpful!
Wonderful video, Samuel. Each of these seven points are essential to not only create a discipline around the creation, but also to know yourself better while composing. Thank you!
Believe it or not, but this "musical motivational" type of video really came in handy right now, and it helped me identify a couple of my songwriting burdens / obstacles I struggle with. It would be very good if you did more "practical" videos like this!
this is super helpful!
This has multiple really useful and unique tips! My thanks to you :))
You need to get a Remarkable.
Not affiliated, Just really love the thing.
Saved to watch later
Extremely SOLID!
Love your music analyses but this was both unexpected and very helpful.
So happy to hear that. Thank you for the valuable feedback!
Great tips. I’m going to try some of these. Thanks Samuel.
Thanks a lot! This video comes at the time that I need it most!
Thanks for your help
Thank You for adressing this issue! For me, as a composer it sometimes went as a far as wondering if I should be writing music at all when I can't motivate myself to do it because of procrastinating.
wow great advice!!thx!
Thank you for the video! All the tips functions well to performers too. I'm a conducting student and I'm having a lot of problems with time management.
Your videos are getting better and better, and the content is top of the range among UA-cam creators.
Thank you, Carlos. I am working hard to improve them.
No. 4 contradicts No. 3a (prioritise challenging tasks, but keep your task trivially simple). No. 6 contradicts No. 1 (remember what's riding on your task, but also, nothing is riding on it) and then also No. 2 (your physical materials matter, but use the cheapest ones).
That's life!
Amazing!
It's good to toss in these sorts of personal vids now and then.
Great video!! As a conductor, the primary enemy is procrastination. It can be extremely difficult to quantify or estimate how long it will take to study a movement of a symphony, for example. How do you know when you are “done”? When do you know it “well enough”? All your techniques are super helpful and applicable
Question for your next Q&A
what sort of pieces do you like to write "for fun"?
I myself am a huge paganini fanboy and I love etudes and caprices. Setting a restriction on a piece based around a couple of technical challenges for the player is very engaging (and helpful for my own technique), And I have tons of history to draw from in terms of form, so I can make a first draft fairly quickly. Also showing off is always fun, and the reactions you get from people when you execute a challenging - or at least a piece which sounds challenging - are the best.
what kinds of pieces do you write that just make you giddy with excitement?
This was great!
really great!
Hi. Cool video. Interesting perspective in comparison to the typical self-help resources for business people.
Hey, what metronome is that you're using? Would you recommend (assuming they're still in production?) Thanks!
ETA: I think I found it: Wittner QM2?
that's the one, and yes definitely recommend it!
How many time do you spend studying other things like theory, analysis, instrumentation or making public relations - applications?
Great channel by the way!
Greets
I saved this video to watch it later.
very good...a little question Master...what is the technical difference between form and structure?...thank you in advance
Form unfolds in time, structure is a set of abstract relationships that lies outside of time.
@@samuel_andreyev thank you very much ... dear Master .... very kind!
Q: What is the greatest gift that you can give an artist?
A: A deadline…
With me it’s not a plasma ball…it’s all the UA-cam videos! 🥹thanks! Oh and… FIRST!
Damn it, should I write for a while, or should I watch this video about procrastination?
can't help you :)
Wonderful stuff but I am a little hesitant to "remove" my kids 😉3:29 is golden BTW.
I constantly set the bar low
Ugh… I saved this to “Watch Later” playlist. 😢
🤣
You said in a interview you couldn't compose for more than 2-3 hours per day. How do you explain that some composers are able to do it for much longer and other much less? Beethoven 8 hours at once, Mozart 8 hours in three sessions, Haydn 8 hours in two, Tchaikovsky and Strauss 4 hours in two… Great disparity.
To be clear, I do work about 10 hours per day on average, but I do many things besides composing music. Stravinsky performed and traveled frequently in order to supplement his income, as dud Strauss. Beethoven was a lifelong bachelor and did not pursue a career as a performer, besides occasionally playing his own works. I'd say it depends on many factors, including personal circumstances, income, external obligations, temperament, speed of composition, etc.
To be clear, I do work about 10 hours per day on average, but I do many things besides composing music. Stravinsky performed and traveled frequently in order to supplement his income, as dud Strauss. Beethoven was a lifelong bachelor and did not pursue a career as a performer, besides occasionally playing his own works. I'd say it depends on many factors, including personal circumstances, income, external obligations, temperament, speed of composition, etc.
What's the odds that two lefty composers have the same process of composing?
basically zero
@@samuel_andreyev hahaha that's why we say "0 probability doesn't always mean it's impossible"
:)
For a minute, I thought the video was about an Indian composer named Banish. jajajaja, omg
😂
I'm watching this instead of doing my solfege homework
good job
I can't really see how it's possible to procrastinate composing. It's not (or shouldn't be) a chore, it's a passion and a need.
lmao
very romantic but it's not that easy