Staying motivated and in love with the game is vital to any musical career. This means keeping your inner critic in check, knowing when to analyze. You can put a lid on the inner Ney-Sayer!
Most, initial boundaries are erected within the mind game. They drench important energy reserves, keep you from diving into the unexpected, hindering you from welcoming the unknown.
But they don’t have to.
You can control the way certain notions arise within a process. Embracing different facets of your own, creative character. We’re talking about basic strategies here, aimed at keeping you focused. Neutral. Open minded and especially hyped about your own stuff.
Ever watch MMA? Even if you’re a sensitive type, be aware that your mindset is a force equal in strength and importance as craft, knowledge, talent. And you have to surround yourself with factors that support that mindset. Call it camp, call it team or call it whatever you like.
Here’s a checklist of things that will help you silence that inner critic. Won’t work for everyone equally, but even if one pointer sticks, you can use that in and beyond your next release campaign. So let’s get cooking.
Strategy #1 – No past, no future, just now
A huge intervening factor is the way we, as creatives, perceive our individual career paths. This temporal perception can put enormous amounts of pressure on certain releases. It can influence production phases, and it can do more harm than good. If you don’t know how to control it.
Being in the zone means acting upon current realities. Not past victories, nor future possibilities. By zooming in on what’s going on around you, right now, you actively enter a sort of shielded corridor. You keep out that stimuli that can push you off track.
This could be worrisome thoughts on distributive matters like playlists or blog placements. But also hopes of being perceived in a certain matter. Remember – you have very limited control over the way people consume culture. You can try to contextualize in a way that makes sense, but people create their own meaning. Always.
So, try to adapt a mindset of strong, present focus.
Strategy #2 – Go hypefishing
There are individuals that work hype-wonders. They aren’t interested in possible downsides. They don’t talk about skip-rates, sometimes they don’t even know what that is. Most importantly, they have consistently been there to hype output. They love good music and honesty in craft.
Surrounding yourself with a camp of people that offer positive reinforcement is vital. In any game or craft. While it’s important to keep a realistic view of things, some creative periods just demand raw, constructive energy and just that.
Think of it as a catalyst for other greatness. Visualizing the up-sides of a current state will undoubtedly rub off on to other facets. Humans listen to each other. Trust each other. Positive reinforcement, even on the basis of over-the-top hypedness, can actually lead to a very real enhancement.
Now make a list of people in your surrounding that live and breathe positivity. Now set up some coffee, or even better, listening sessions.
Strategy #3 – Develop media immunity
This can be hard. But it’s vital. Develop media immunity, meaning indifference towards what is said about whom and where.
We know how solid blog placements can lift audience growth and overall metric performance. That’s why we included that in our feed. Still, there’s a huge difference between staying informed, and deeply craving for the buzz to start.
The inner-critic loves to evaluate buzz or lack thereof. You can save yourself a great deal of self- criticism, by simply blending out large parts of this sphere. And not just connected you or your craft. Having phases where you refrain from staying up to date – media wise – can work cathartic wonders.
This isn’t a shot fired against the consumption of music-related media, not at all really. Just be aware of the way your personal media mix influences your mindset. Sometimes that can be overlooked, while being passively taken in.
0 be the first one to show some appreciation for this!