10 Top Tips – Creative Confidence for Music Producers
Being creative equals being vulnerable. If your mind is playing tricks on your self-esteem, change the game with these thought-provoking confidence boosters by musician, music producer and Ableton Certified Trainer LNA.
12 Days of Creativity was a production challenge that took place on LNA’s YouTube channel in December 2022. It was designed to help, guide and inspire music makers to finish their songs in 12 steps.
At the end of each video, LNA shared some of her best thoughts about the mental battles we face as creatives. It's time to go through 10 of these tips to make you feel more confident in yourself as an artist.
Click the headlines below to find corresponding material from the videos.
Production Tip! Even though December is over, all the steps of the 12-day challenge are still up on LNA’s YouTube and website. Feel free to use them while making your next track!
1. Enjoy the process
Focus on the process instead of the outcome and have fun while making music.
You don’t necessarily have to love your song once it’s finished – you can change it later or start making a new one. Either way, you’ve had fun and you’ve learnt a lot, both essential to keep on producing and reaching more goals in due time.
2. Find your community
Children or adults, we strive for validation from people around us. Our friends and family care for what we do, but they might not be the ones to match our energy and give us the validation we are looking for.
Find a like-minded community, whether it’s a bunch of producer friends meeting over coffee or an online group like LNA’s Patreon Family. They know the drill and give you the validation you need.
3. Know your game
Finding your original sound and playing by the rules of the music industry might be a confusing combo.
Knowing the tools, genres and techniques gives you the puzzle pieces you need to start playing the game. After all, you have to know the rules before you can make them your own.
4. Step by step
We all lead a busy life with lots of responsibilities. When we feel there’s not enough time, creativity is usually the first thing to be pushed aside.
However, you don’t have to use hours for producing on a daily basis. Make your drums today and your bass tomorrow. Things don’t have to be ready right away. Short, regular steps will lead to your goal just as well.
5. Fight the fight-or-flight
The feeling of fear is natural for humans. Back in the days it kept us alive, making us fight or flee.
We’re all familiar with the fear of failure, but if you doubt your music, have a reality check. Is the threat real or is it just your stone-age brain trying to protect you? Imagine what you can conquer by proving your brain there’s nothing to fear.
6. Who cares?
We spend a lot of time thinking what other people think of us. In reality, they’re usually too busy with themselves to give us any thought – let alone think about the specific synth sounds we’re struggling to choose between.
It might seem brutal, but when thinking about the big picture, nobody cares. So why not just do it and make your dreams come true!
7. Make a plan
Lay out all your goals and make a detailed plan of how to reach them.
Start with bigger concepts and break them down to smaller ones. If your goal is to publish a song by the end of the year, what are the actual steps you have to take to make it happen? Finish five songs to pick out the best? If so, how much time do you need to make the five songs? Are there new skills to be learnt and how does that affect everything?
When you’re ready with the plan, it’s all up to following it. The more tangible the plan, the better the results.
8. Stop comparing
Feeling jealous and envying others – we’ve all been there, haven’t we?
Comparing yourself and your achievements to others can lead to the feeling of never being enough. However, it’s important to remember that we’re all following our own timelines and have different backgrounds, challenges, thoughts and mindsets. How could your individual journey ever be compared to that of someone else's?
Remember that the feelings we feel as human beings are very common. Even your idols have most likely gone through the same.
9. Be kind to yourself
Creative workflow can be divided into three sections: divergent thinking, convergent thinking and learning new skills. Divergent thinking means letting the creativity flow through yourself with no judgement. Convergent thinking means utilising and developing those ideas further.
Don’t be too harsh on yourself and your ideas. Accept them as they are and work with them to the best of your abilities.
You might not like how the song comes out, but it’s good to remember that our thoughts and perspectives may also change in time. Just think about how trendy the once detested 80s are again.
10. There’s no failure in creativity
So what’s stopping you? You can’t fail!
Photos: cottonbro, Karolina Grabowska & PNW Production / Pexels