Getting started.
I’ve always loved making music... But I did not start feeling the need to get out of bed at night to write songs and be creative until I lost my dad and got a demanding full-time office job. Since then, I’ve wanted to make sure my life is filled with passion, challenge and growth.
I took the decision to make an album… To gather and finish all the songs I had written, to learn how to produce in Ableton, to invest in the tools I needed, to make clean demos in my home studio and to take them to a professional studio for further mixing and mastering. And I’m halfway there.
I steer the whole thing like an actual project. I have a schedule and deadlines. I book studio sessions in advance to make sure I get the work done in time. I have a dedicated budget and invest in my gear, my plugins, my studio sessions, my copyrights, my singing classes…
I put myself out there. I created a YouTube channel to share my music, my creation process and my progression. It’s not perfect, it’s clumsy, my hair is a mess and my very first video is overexposed at times. But I share my channel with my friends so they can hold me accountable and cheer me up.
I develop my skills. I’m not comfortable with instruments but I play around until I find a couple chords I like. I spend hours on Ableton choosing my sounds and building a structure. It might take me 50 or 100 hours of work, but I make sure I’m proud of my final product. I learn how to film, how to edit videos. I don’t always know what I’m doing but it’s an exciting personal journey.
At the end of each month, I know I have spent most of my time at work. But I also know it was worth it because it has helped me fund my passion (and travels, and good times with the people I love...) I know I’ve written songs, recorded them, protected them, made a demo and taken them to the studio.
I can listen to my own tracks to remind me I did not waste time.
What I mean is… Don’t waste time. Start doing what you love.
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