We produce art because it makes us feel alive and through it we make ourselves immortal. The story that you can earn money by producing art is a myth.Yes, it's true that there are professional artists: full time composers/musicians/sound engineers etc... but at that point producing an output becomes like flipping hamburgers in a fast food restaurant, creativity dies and what you do stops to be art (been there, done that for ADV) If you need a real income to pay your bills, then it's better to be a waiter, a postman or an Amazon driver: this way you can keep your artist'soul free to fly
That's testing new EQs and compressors, no? Ok... I guess that's what we call "making music" these days though. Works for me!
I do it because it has made me a millionaire and still counting. Also, I'm fucking delusional and a compulsive liar.
I do it because, back in the 80's, electronic music sparked something inside me. Ever since then I've been driven to just work with the material, make shapes with it, enjoy it's texture and simply live my life through it. A while ago I realised there was a whole industry based on telling folks that 'the reason you are not finishing music is x,y or z' but the reality is, at least for me, it's a way of living/understanding. It's not necessarily about finishing stuff or selling things but more about the art, the act of doing and exploring your emotions and ideas through sound. It's pretty sweet. So, long live the DIR with hundreds of project files of unfinished works .. it's about the craft, the sheer joy of learning and becoming adept with tools that allow you to express your soul with a fineness and fidelity. Oh and unison midi packs. Last edited: Dec 19, 2023
hard one to answer and i made a thread a few months back kindof in this line of thinking. my outlook has gotten maybe a bit more positive since then but still definitely struggling with the "why" question. i'll attach the link to that thread if you wanna take look and lmk if u have any insights.. https://audiosex.pro/threads/really-struggling-with-the-low-chance-of-success.72095/#post-725770
I make music because i cant stand to work a "normal" job. I tried many types of jobs in my young adult years, teaching, office work, outdoor work etc, but i just couldnt do the routine, im not programmed that way. I have always made music, since i was 12 years old recording friends punk bands on a 4 track tascam, so i just put all of my focus into it, and with a bit of luck was able to turn it into a full time career.
Of course - It doesnt have to be a 'performance art' .. something that requires an audience (and the larger the audience, the more successful the thing). It's certainly traditional where the notion of successful music comes from though .. bands that have made it big and tunes that everyone knows etc. But honestly, the craft of expression through sound transcends that historically and in anything approaching sane terms. The form is not there for the soundclouds or the interwebs in general - to hell with all that. Just enjoy what you enjoy and above all do not expect to equal some polymer mix-bus-pro-sea-shite that pretends to be something you are remotely atuned with. Just walk away from all that. Last edited: Dec 19, 2023
For the dopamine shot at the beggining of the arrangement and the serotonine shot at the end of the mixing process. Now that he is older enough I can even mix it with oxytocine for the joy of sharing the process with my son. Like you I don't really care about being known, I just enjoying every ride. Keeps me balanced. The other day I counted 2 hours of ready to release music just for the lulz.
I thought I could sum it up in a word, but based on your answer I guess I was wrong. The 'addiction' for me isn't trying out new stuff (although it can be fun) but no, I'm still using Ableton Live 10 on a win 7 OS, because they are merely tools that mean nothing without creativity, and it is expressing creativity which I get immense pleasure from!
Making music is just what I do. It's like a drug...I'm chasing that feeling that the best songs give me. That soul feeling. That feel good. And when I somehow hit it with a good melody, a funky bassline, drums with character, and an arrangement that pulls me through the entire song...I love just sitting there and listening to it, appreciating it. I love it. And I will never stop doing it. Sometimes, I don't even make a whole song. I just find a chord progression and play around with it for a long time. Then I don't even save it. Because I found the feeling. Or better yet, the feeling found me.
