Why You Can't Finish Music Anymore

Howdy! Today we're going to talk about why you can't finish music (and other lies you tell yourself) and cover 6 ways to turn your tracks from ideas to finished products.
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▼▼▼TIMESTAMPZ:▼▼▼
0:00 Bandzoogle
0:27 Sound Familiar?
1:35 Howdy
2:37 A Tough Love Letter To Myself
3:35 A Frog Too Big To Swallow
6:33 The Highlight Paradox
7:27 The Great Lie Of Greatness
8:32 Done With Not Being Done
10:06 Cut Distractions
10:42 Pick And Stick
11:27 Simplify Everything
12:09 Option Paralysis
12:41 Set A Time Limit
13:23 Giving A Few Less F**ks
14:19 Closing Thoughts
Stay classy!
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#musicproduction #musician #tutorial #beats #writersblock

[@VenusTheory]

So now the big question: what are you going to go finish this week? 🤔 🎸 Bandzoogle ► bandzoogle.com/?pc=venustheory

[@JohnSmith-pn2vl]

just awesome channel, pure gold

[@TOEC]

I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Well...not "a bit", it's probably more like "cripplingly so", but through all my struggles with music, I think one of the biggest barriers to finishing something I deal with is just not "hearing" a finished product in my own work. Whether this is a lack of creativity, or lack of experience/skill, or something else, I'm not sure, but when I pull up a project (and at my level of skill we're talking about things that are usually just a simple melody that's all of 10 seconds long), I just don't have a clue what I want the final product to be.

[@profet1385]

Prolly nothing xD

[@cryptout]

Buy more gear, watch more tutorials 😅. Man that book war on art sucked but still struck a cord with me. Your video does the same thanks!

[@ragnarroeck]

I'm sitting on a few tracks and will upload them, I know they could be done better (mix / master, both not my expertise) but that's where I am at at the moment and the other option you described too well in this video. More important (to me) than pristine endproducts is that I have the next idea.

[@yooniimoto]

“Done Is Better Than Perfect. Because Perfect Is Never Done.” Thank you Cameron, this word really resonated with me.

[@Morphox]

Couldn't agree more

[@OneGod4allSouls]

this is something to remember.. being to perfect killed my creativity... thanks 😊

[@AZImusic]

I needed this quote

[@DUniquemusic]

so true ..

[@ASTROMEGA]

Quote is so true.😉

[@glovebunniesvideos4278]

It may sound dumb, but one tip that has helped me is, when you have multiple songs you are working on, put them into a spreadsheet. Name your columns like writing, sound design, mixing, mastering, etc. and make notes for each song as to where it is along the timeline, what issues you have, and date each step. This helped me realize how close I was to some songs being finished and some needing more attention than others.

[@gravity00x]

thats exactly how i finnish my stuff. but that only helps if you are DETERMINED to actually pump that thing out. It doesnt help if you have no desire in actually finnishing anything.

[@vasasv6848]

I also have my lists and sheets to document this stuff. It really helps me.

[@helpmeforget...]

That’s a really good tip. Thanks

[@ianskinner633]

That's a good idea. It confirms to me that this is the most left brain channel I've seen yet. (A very good thing)

[@TehAwesomer]

The spreadsheet also helps you organize when you're getting ready to submit demos, and psychologically helps you feel a sense of accomplishment when you look at what you've done. It's also a good place to keep track of any (esp. unlicensed) samples your tracks might contain.

[@r.kapaun01]

As a 'past composer', I recently realized I 'missed' my window. However, I don't care. I have been doing this since the late 80's. I won't 'sell my gear' (made that mistake in the late 90's). I will keep making music because, that is a big part of who I am. I have decided to make my music for me. Because, I like playing, I like mixing and I honestly don't care if 'anyone on social media' likes it. It calms me. Making music focuses me. It opens my mind to new ideas and thoughts. I am in my 50s. I need extra stimulation and music is that drug. Its ok to 'suck' today. Just keep playing, working and make music for yourself. Think of it as therapy. Calm mind, deeper thoughts, pride in your personal steps and efforts. Also, who the heck knows what will be 'popular'. I think in the end (in my opinion) do the work. Create the music. Nobody can 'foresee' the next big thing. I only have 165 subs on KZbin. That is NOT a failure. It is 165 people that enjoy my work enough to actually click a button. That is more than just me. I am happy with that. How is that a 'fail'? Will I get 'rich', will I be crazy 'popular'? Nope... Will I keep playing, and producing music. Yes, after all, it's a piece of 'me' that I wanna share.

[@spiralnet]

I agree with and identify with a lot of that (except I have far fewer listeners). I am still in my 50s (just) and have a bit more spare time now so I can enjoy the process of making music, mainly because it’s just a big part of who I am and what I get satisfaction from.

[@G8tr1522]

you geezers running sequencers with almost no audience, you guys are probably the most inspirational thing to me. That I have not missed my window starting in my late 20's. In an industry that extolls youth and 'the next thing', I have deep respect and admiration for those who toss that aside and keep their nose down, zero thought given to how popular their art and persona may become. I like the orchestral stuff btw. Not my thing, but it sounds polished and professional.

[@Malvenu418]

Amen, brother! Been doing this since the 90s and have all but quit because of self-doubt and the whole, 'I'm too old now and all used up," thing. But as you say, music is a big part of who I am. Thanks for reminding me of that. Much inspiration and luck in all your future efforts!

[@thesilverfish]

Same.

[@ASTROMEGA]

It's sounds like some sort of club here. ..and I am definitely part of that club!

[@Leo9ine]

Learning to use presets was a huge help. I used to think it wasn't original enough. But you know what the piano is? A preset. So is the acoustic guitar. The sax. The violin. The majority of musical history was made on "presets", and yet those songs live on for their true merits. Composition, lyricism, meaning, performance, emotion, melody, and so on.

[@zekiel2574]

Well yeah it’s like bro how much time do you want to spend organically creating each sound, timing each individual frequency?

[@borisCHoppz]

It’s how you arrange the sounds not how you make new ones and arrange them. Besides, there is NOTHING new under the sun. Or use the MJ method - don’t let your son go down on me.

[@thefloop2813]

That's actually a pretty damn inarguable point that has never crossed my mind before.

[@jonr4651]

I try to find the one closest to the idea in my head then just make minor tweaks. Usually it goes super fast.

[@Tedtt655]

@@zekiel2574 I mean yeah bro why would you want to be an actual musician when you can just play the computer without any skill or effort .

[@timdanyo898]

The key for me in overcoming creative block is to look to the exterior world for creative input. That doesn’t mean looking online, watching KZbin, or scrolling social media. It means walking out into the physical world and experiencing life in a new way and finding meaning and inspiration in the creation itself.

[@VenusTheory]

Such an underrated tip haha. Hard to have something to write about if your only life experiences have been being chained to your desk making drum loops 😅

[@dydeelosis8674]

So true There comes a time when you no longer feel good enough internally or spiritually in front of your computer screen to be able to create or move forward. We have to go back to the source of creativity.

[@christopher.stewart]

indeed, new experiences... putting oneself in challenging situations, out of the comfort zone, where growth happens... then one finds plenty to express as their being evolves... that which needs expression holds the energy fueling the creative process... alternatively, linking the music to a narrative structure... then there's a story to tell, and so again, plenty to express...

[@timdanyo898]

@@christopher.stewart spot on. I believe one of the main contributing factors to the current musical mediocrity is that much of the music created is occurring in an experiential loop that loops in on itself to the point where it cancels itself out or references itself so often that there is nothing left to hear.

[@christopher.stewart]

@@timdanyo898 so one should be grateful for the weirder and apparently undesirable stuff that unfolds in their life... nurturing uniqueness...

[@meddle333]

The best advice I got for this is to record the first thing you think of, dont allow yourself to judge yourself, as soon as you get bored or frustrated save it and move on to the next song, and don't listen back for AT LEAST a week or two! Those few things honest to god changed everything for me!

[@meneermankepoot]

"done is better than perfect, because perfect is never done" Thank you for that one. I dont know much about my making music yet, ive been trying to learn from tutorial and having it "technically correct" than just doing whatever i think sounds good. Going to scrap all that and just focus on one song next week. Learning as i go, laying fundamentals, sticking to them, and then only at the end doing some minor tweaks

[@meneermankepoot]

Thank you :)

[@two2ixmusic]

FACTS

[@atrus3823]

I've experienced this same phenomenon with many things in my life: when you start out, everything is exciting and new-there are no risks. As you get better (especially if you've received some recognition for your work), you start to feel pressure to uphold some standard and do it a certain way, but this can lead to paralysis. A sort of tangential aspect of this that can exacerbate the issue is that often when you start out, you gain confidence quickly (often too quickly), and start to feel like you can do anything, which accelerates your learning and productivity, but at some point, you will have encountered a few major defeats-these can start to weigh on you. When you couple the fear of repeating these defeats with the pressure of upholding your image of yourself, it can be crippling.

[@hhashfromthe4222]

felt that a lot! how did you get over this? any tips? thanks a lot for sharing.

[@atrus3823]

@@hhashfromthe4222 I didn't! I still struggle with this. The only thing I find helps a bit is trying to change my self-conception and attitude. Realize that it is your ego that is addicted to the idea of being good at something. Try to focus on the work and serve the project at hand. Try to have a growth mindset and be less fixated on particular outcomes and instead focus on growth. Are you improving/learning? Then your current accomplishments, failures, or ability don't matter. As far as actionable steps go, I just talk to myself about it, in my head. Think about it anyway I can and hope it sinks in. Surround yourself with people and media that reinforce this message.

[@davidsinclair699]

I love the statement that "done is better than perfect because perfect is never done". No one sees all the minutiae of the decisions that you agonise over. Give a few less f***s. Believe that your good is probably a lot better than other peoples very good, and complete. If you are right, great. If you are wrong, so what? Your next piece will be better.

[@gornemant4639]

As a beginner in music production, I think it can sometimes be very frustrating and discouraging to listen to music, as you feel you will never be able to match that level of production. I think just settling with the "it's good enough, I need to move forward" approach really is a great way to actually make progress and not get stuck in the fear of creating. All the points you made in this video were absolutely spot on and I think I needed to hear someone say them, especially coming from a creator I admire and who struggles with the same things I do. Thank you for this video! 🙌

[@VSTLifeCom]

One technique that I sometimes find useful, especially for genre-specific music, is to layout the structure of the overall track right at the beginning. Map out all the different sections, parts, and changes in energy (builds, drops, etc) before writing any actual music. You can even use existing music as a guide if you are trying to master a certain genre/producer style. From there, it becomes a process of filling in the blanks, and these constraints help avoid decision paralysis.

[@carlkiessig]

A similar technique I do is to use the stems from a good song (get them from remix comps) and use that structure as a guide, even the instruments themselves. This way you can always come up with something to do next and take the track further. Usually the end result sounds nothing like the original. The most important thing is that it gets me to finish tracks and therefore practice finishing tracks in turn making me better at it.

[@insidechocolatewithjimothy5313]

Clever

[@4m0nr3]

That's a great tip I am going to use right now. Thanks!

[@ARTISTIC-WORDPLAY_dotcom]

Mapping out all the different sections, parts, and changes before writing any actual music restricts your creativity because you force yourself to stick to the template.

[@neilingle794]

That is an interesting methodology - I don't necessarily agree with it, but putting in a structure certainly can help you get creative when you 'fill in the blanks'. I think it's a good idea to write out a skit before the structure, as it's relatively quick to write a short piece of music to 'prove the point' of your idea - then you can go ahead and construct a framework. I think the worst thing anyone can do is start from the beginning and work to the end (although of course this is subjective - some may love that). Because invariably you'll get towards the end tired, bored, and as a result, unwilling to put as much technical and creative effort in. Much better to flit around, play with various passages, and then see how they knit together.

[@LonnonFoster]

"Do more, think less" is something I'm constantly reminding myself to do, and it's always more difficult than endlessly thinking things to death. Thanks for sharing your own experience; your courage is encouraging. :D

[@dasgettopikachu7878]

You really manage to take a look at the hell in my soul and read it out loud. I guess I'll try to finish some unfinishable tracks, even if it's only for the purpose of learning from mistakes, but there's no way I'm deleting the garbage.

[@ChrisStarkGtr]

One of my mentors once told me, "Learn the difference between 'perfect' and 'perfectly acceptable'", which is really just a variation on your parting advice to us. You have a way of delivering just the message I need to hear, so thank you for being a constant voice of encouragement. Aloha from Hawaii 😎

[@denistunguz]

And most importantly ... ENJOY the process while writing music. Don't focus on the final result, stop thinking too much, just enjoy the process and the journey of exploring ideas and let your emotions flow through sounds.

[@etherealbonds]

THIS!

[@alexbiddell8710]

I had kind of a couple of epiphanies recently that helped me pull my head out of the sand, so to speak. Most of these things you have already said in one way or another, but it bears repeating. 1) Comparison is a killer It hit me when I watched an Eliminate video where he compared his own tracks to Virtual Riot's and made himself seem like trash in comparison. Keyword: in comparison. In reality, Eliminate is an incredibly talented producer who leaned into his goofiness and unique production style that spawned a following and great-sounding music. I cannot sound like Skrillex, but I can sound like myself. I tend to gravitate towards granulated sounds, repetitive loops with distinct variation, cinematic instruments, saw arps, glitch textures, etc. As a result, I've leaned into more IDM-style music and I've really enjoyed it. It gives me a canvas that blends my love of jazz, EDM/bass music, ambient, industrial, post-rock, and various others to come together for fun new tracks. Granted, I've yet to finish, but this video was kind of the kick in the pants I needed. 2) Screw "the perfect mixing strategy" I've learned a lot watching my favorite artists make tracks, but the most inspiring recently has come from Mr. Bill. His workflow bears a striking similarity to my own, which validated my ideas as his music is some of the most inspiring to me. In one such video, someone asked him for his opinion on gain staging. He basically said "I don't. I just mix into a limiter until it sounds good." He threw about 10 hours of KZbin video mixing tutorials from my head and tossed it in the trash. I've heard about gain staging, I like the idea, but I just don't do it. Never have and I probably won't ever now. The point I got was that the mission is to make a song sound good using the tools and how you know to use them. If you gain stage, cool, if you don't, also cool, but the point stands. 3) You are always the worst critic of your own material I've been blessed to have amazing friends who love what I do, no matter how bad I think I suck. This happened with a song I worked on with a friend who sang on it. It's still not finished, but I'm going to put a band-aid on it, complete the structure, and call it a day (as per Dr. Theory's orders). Every time we'd talk about it, she'd share how proud she was of it and how she would always show it around to friends and they would marvel at it too. Of course, I'm the scrooge who's complaining about all the changes that are needed, but her pride would inspire me and I would love my baby all over again. Kind of weird how that works, huh? All notes aside, Cameron, you are quite possibly one of my favorite content creators on YT to date. You strip away the crap, give genuine ideas and reviews, and you sound good doing it. Believe me, there are too many creators out there who don't have a fraction of the personality, wit, and intelligence that you put into these videos every single day. You are appreciated.

[@Rhekluse]

Dude. This video is literally me right now. Top marks for acknowledging the flood from Social Media. Thank you for sharing something as important as this.

[@markthomas7263]

The my favorite thing about this video is that it affirms that this issue is not exclusive to any person or group. Just your sharing and taking about is therapy for us all. Thank you.

[@marlyparsons388]

The fear aspect is on point. I often dont move out of the loop phase because of fear around 'failing' or ruining the idea. very odd but also very human. the giving less of a shit mindset is something iv been doing for a while now and in general have found myself feeling more excited and willing to work on old ideas! great video mate

[@Maskaradas]

sometimes I feel that music is a reflection of our inner world. whenever I surrender to these ideas and actually give myself some good love, the music that comes out feels much more effortless and things seem to flow much better. Just like the saying "If you want to change the world, change yourself first"

[@ephjaymusic]

Cameron, just so you know, if I saw all your half finished projects, mixing struggles, and the dilemmas you fight with during production, I would definitely appreciate you and your music 1000x more mate. ❤️

[@christopherhay3358]

I can turn an idea into an arrangement and enjoy adding effects and ear candy, but just find the mixing stage a real grind. When it stops being fun, I move onto another project and end up with folders full of songs which are 80 to 90% finished.

[@alancarmody8848]

Pick out the best songs and pay someone else to mix them

[@sunl0unger]

omg 80 to 90% thats almost done. I am done with my projects on 15 % lol

[@Sweetmanthanks]

I just finished a project and noticed this was one of the rare times I didn't want to trash the whole thing after 3 weeks. I usually hit the wall right before I start adding solos, saturation and color to the mix.

[@kwakuasantefrimpong8784]

You just described the last two years of my creative life. Been trying to finish my first EP since 2020. I have been able to finish music for others during that time, but just not mine. I appreciate that you took the time to share with us your struggles and your solutions. Thank you!

[@KB-pd9yh]

Are you in Ghana? I'm in Ghana myself, and I'd like to get to know other people that make music

[@jermaineflowers1538]

Don't forget that major artists have an entire production team. If they sing and play guitar, they have a professional drummer, a bass player, a dedicated mix engineer, and the track is mastered.

[@polmorgan3533]

I either find i sit and write mediochre tunes or something good just comes out of nowhere. I find I often have a good riff idea then cant find any other themes to go with it. Thanks for your posts mate always informative and entertaining.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

I find the video aspect a problem, If I'm making music I feel I have to screan capture for a video I'll probably never get round to making.

[@afrosheent3arcmichael69]

Same here. I noticed that a lot of songs are based around one idea so I try subtracting to form it into a song. Marshmallo almost Never changes chord progressions.

[@MetroVOfficiall]

"DONE IS BETTER THEN PERFECT" One of the best quotes I have ever saw, thank you

[@revevague6256]

Pressfield’s “War of Art” is a great resource when you’re stuck; glad you referenced it. Excellent points about deleting social media and limiting distractions. So much of writing is showing up everyday; Picasso said “inspiration exists but it has to find you working”. Sometimes the process is laborious, painfully slow and isolating; but that’s often when the great ideas hit. There’s no better feeling than stumbling onto a phrase/verse/melody that you absolutely love and can’t wait to develop. One of most important lessons I’ve learned recently is to put the work into the arrangement and song-craft and to not sweat over the production choices. I’d rather hear a great song recorded on a 4 track cassette machine over a mediocre one recorded at Abbey Road. Kudos.

[@AnthonyMcBazooka]

Using less tracks is really a great advice. I recently listened to a lot of Italo Disco again and only few songs have more than 16 tracks. And they're all absolute bangers even 40 years later.

[@j.du6]

Great tips. My core struggle is too many options, but if I artificially restrict myself I feel like perhaps I could have chosen a "better" option. I then remind myself that's subjective, and good enough is good enough.

[@vocalpointstudios]

Exactly. I remember the days of my old 4 track PortaOne and having (at best after some ugly extensive bouncing) 10 tracks (4+3+2+1) Being severely restricted to that layout forced me to get the best I could get quickly and once the 4 tracks were filled - it's over - its done. But now with unlimited tracks, unlimited plugins and no boundaries - nothing gets done. I waste copious amounts of time overthinking every next instrument I could add or second guess every decision. This leads to basically nothing getting written, recorded or finished. More is not more - more is less.

[@thisismynamenow]

You know this was actually great for artists who don’t have a ton of tech! It helps us, at least me, remember that you don’t need all the extremely fancy gadgets to make great music. Sometimes less is truly more. And although I’ll get the fancy stuff someday, it’s not as urgent as other people make it seem.

[@ultrafex1]

Oh gosh, that intro hits hard, it’s like you’re in my mind 😂 Great video as always, thanks for the upload ❤️

[@GroundSound]

Perfect timing, immensely relatable. Thanks for this ❤❤

[@donhearl]

Just thinking the exact same thing!!

[@HowlingUlf]

I thought so too ... until I realized for how long this perfect timing period have been stretched out by now! 😱🤣

[@samprock]

Keeping music art live is an art! Thanks for reminding this!

[@lackofbones]

hey! young producer here, hoping to find my way into the professional music industry. i don’t usually leave a comment on videos like these, but wow is this the most relatable video i’ve ever watched. every single thing you said described my thought process so accurately that even i couldn’t get it as exact. that quote at the end hit very hard, and gave me a new perspective on what it really means to make music, or create anything in general. i’m glad you decided to make this video, because i will walk back feeling much more inspired than i was before.

[@TachyBunker]

I agree on a lot of points, except maybe the Simplifying advice. If you have a cluttered mix, don't try to simplify it, try to finally learn how to layer. I have about 30 synths going simultaneously in all the music I make (so doesnt count percussions, samples, etc), and theres always a place for everything. To layer something well, it needs to be a useful and characterful layer.

[@tomas9474]

30 synths? I love this idea. Can you please give some link to your music like this?

[@MaxKusari]

Damn, thanks for this. Right now, I am more productive than ever and just went out of this hole months ago... but even now, its a good reminder how it really works and that we just have to chill more about our stuff. Since I mostly abandoned social media in terms of watching all these artists putting out tons of super good stuff and be intimidated, I feel way better... especially if you suffer from perfectionim, too.

[@antonyath2950]

Hands down , best video i saw in the last 20 years of my music production. Explains all that ...frustration and agony. The real reason killing creativity and leaving songs unfinished. Now i know that i am not alone ! Thanks !

[@PhilippBaumann]

Big THX for this motivation!! "Done is better than perfect. Because perfect is never done." These sentences are the essence for me. Less perfect, but finish something! Thank you Cameron!

[@NomadicJurassic]

dude nailed it. that it. don't care so much when sketching. then come back and fill in the 'blanks later'. exactly. you are basically the therapy that helps so many producers with there mental health. Venus Theory MD. thankyou for what you do and how you communicate it.

[@realm-music]

You just described my world at the moment. Hearing this from yourself and seeing all the comments, it also helps to feel one is not alone with this struggle. Many thanks for sharing your thoughts. Glad to see you enjoy a bit of Derelicts in your spare time! :)

[@cover7195]

Lately, I have been working on album with the concept of just making music knowing that it will feel unpolished to me, caring a lot less about my judgement of my own music and just caring less about making some spectacularly good music. And, OMG, I have been much more productive than usually! I even let myself make some music on the spot, just going with the flow, something that I would never let myself do usually! So, your video just confirm to me that I should just almost always work like that for all of my projects and just trust myself a lot more with my decision and with my music. So thanks man! We are all the harshest critic of ourselves.

[@nelsonmorales8253]

The mental game of electronic music producers changed my approach to writing music. Great book! Also great video. Thank you.

[@oniricPrj]

perfectionism is always a problem. Often times perfectionists are really insecure people holding themselves and their music back. I really liked your video. It is right on spot!

[@saxongroove5898]

Sometimes I'll ask a friend to give me a subject or theme to make a track about. Just having that little bit of direction from the beginning can really help. Having a proper template with groups/busses/routing already set up made a huge difference for me also.

[@vasasv6848]

After setting my busses , groups, automations an so on, to be more productive, my iMac i5 2017 got “overloaded” continuously 😭😅…. So after waiting for the Mac M2 pro , which is not coming this year, I will order an M1 Pro. Making music relaxes me and need to continue 😊

[@Imbamorial]

Rearranged a part I thought I was stuck in (after watching this video), got a few new ideas and put them in to motion. Unlocked a bunch of new ideas and did the "general vomit" and threw them out and started matching. Love your vids and often sharing them with friends. Stay awesome!

[@timetravelvictim]

This video hit me hard. Took a long look in the mirror and broke down in tears. The constant overthinking and self criticism has been my nemesis/kryptonite, not only in my music but in many areas of everyday life. I consider myself a financially successful person, but that doesn't guarantee the freedom to do what you want. Breaking those mental walls is no easy task. It really is about not giving a F**K but still giving a F**K and realizing that nothing is perfect. You just got to get it done. Thanks for lighting a little fire underneath me.

[@TheTrueChrisA.K.]

"Don't think, do" 👈🏼 THIS. Won't even lie, over the past few years, I almost gave up; Over thinking made every thought into a prison, & was unable 2 even tap into this artform that has changed my life... then remembered somethin'. When I started as a teenager, there wasn't that problem, 'cause just did it day in & day out. Tune out the world & pull up the session as a blank canvas 2 paint a picture through sound. Gotta tune out that voice of doubt much the same... 'Cause will drown out everything but itself until it becomes the only thing can hear. Much appreciation on this video 🙏🏼💯

[@ivanl.8201]

I loved the "less is more" sentiment in the video and the warning about over-layering, which is what I do a lot of in my amateurish forays into music-making. One of my favorite songs of all times is "Words" by Low, and, although I am sure they did spend a lot of time mixing and layering those harmonies and overdubbing those guitars in the song, it still shows that one doesn't have to introduce a gazillion of sounds and instruments for a song to be an absolute masterpiece.

[@Childhoof]

Good ideas here, the ONLY thing I would advise against is deleting all of the tracks that you're not feeling in the moment you're going through your WIP folder for 2 reasons: 1) your opinion can be mercurial & change depending on your mood, what other music you've heard that day, external circumstances, etc. 2) you never know when a client is going to ask from something similar to a track you've started & more than a few times I've finished those 'lame' tracks for a project & landed a sync with them. Cheers!

[@ashylarry416]

I actually had similar thoughts the other day. I was making a tune for my wife for her birthday and was able to put it together in about a week. When it comes to my own tracks, it’s takes about 2 months.

[@ozisfake]

patient, gentle, persistence is important! Don’t forget to take breaks and fill your “creative well”. Go learn something, try something new. Travel. Move. Buy a new toy. Meditate. Get some fresh air. Love yourself, never shy away from your creative energy, and only the best art will follow 🖤

[@BAMac964]

Wow...this video is actually the most straight forward and informative kick in the pants that I've ever received as a musician. So many perspectives I never thought to address in my production process were clearly explained (problem and solution). Thanks so much for making such a video!

[@Vindsvept]

I've written and released 2 songs per month for 9 years without a break, with albums and various industry work on the side. Finishing a song makes it a much more pleasant experience to start something new, at least for me. I loved the video, we all get these feelings, and it's annoying to deal with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy.

[@AnalogFlava]

what's your process? 2 songs a month is great!

[@Vindsvept]

@@AnalogFlava Sometimes it's easy and things just move along, and sometimes you have to force it a bit, I still love doing it though. It's my full time job, so I treat it just like if I was hired to do it. Personally for me, having a release schedule is really important and moves things along naturally. I've been in bands in the past where we've sat on songs for a year before even recording them, and that's just frustrating.

[@laserbeard328]

the tone of the intro is perfect, it is beyond relatable

[@kahenstudio3410]

“Done is better than perfect because perfect is never done” I like these idea bro👍 thanks!

[@N1h1L3]

Thank you, seriously, you just gave me the last piece of the puzzle :) This sums up the mechanics behind my 19 year long writers block, linking my ANS problems (stuck in fight or flight mode after years of chronic stress) with my creative black hole and the sudden fear I'm faced with when trying to go back into that creative/safe state. No problems working for 3rd parties. I specialised myself in mastering and transitioning to working fully in the box during those 19 years, so I fortunately didn't waste my time.

[@ropedragon9709]

It's funny, because you describe the kinds of anxiety I have in making music, but I really am only beginning. I feel like you can bring with you a lot of the perfectionism you have from other disciplines into your music, even if you are just starting out. In my case, I'm a perfectionist in my academic writing, and obsess about it being the best I can possibly make it. I'm now trying to deprogram that part of me when it comes to my music.

[@hleet]

"Done is Perfect, perfect is never done" Great one 😆

[@Stakkeroid]

Definitely feeling the ”the more I learn, the less I finish anything” problem… great video!

[@jayneubauer3401]

one thing I started doing when I was working on my own solo CD about 3 years ago was limiting my choices to 3-5 VSTi's. I, along with a lot of people, I am sure, have WAY too many options and choosing sounds from hundreds of instruments can be debilitating. So, before the project even starts I choose mostly just 3 instruments and go from there. It forces me to really dig in to them. For example, try doing an atmospheric piece in Vacuum Pro! Great video, and something I struggle with far too much. And I can identify with something you said about projects for other people are SO much easier to complete than our own. I am sure someone here can delve into why that is. Maybe it is just as simple as you said, you "don't care" as much. Sure, you "care" that the product is good enough to continue to get work from said vendor/company, but when it is bare, your name is the one on display, there is a whole other level of "caring"..... I guess...... who knows.......

[@DmitryPuffin]

We started weekly challenge with couple of friends by selecting randomly genre from our list and trying to lay down a track in that genre. That really helped me to get my hands on things techniques that I wanted to try, but I also had a deadline, so it wasnt just pointless clicking in a DAW. I started to use presets more, because it was more efficient and saved a lot of time. I optimized my workflow, so I don't need to do same things again and again, made some default FX combo presets, set up proper template. Not all pieces came out great, but in this half of the year I finished more music than during last 2 years combined.

[@ChristopherJGould]

Great video. Life has taught me one thing - *always be an amateur in ANYTHING you do. Life is far sweeter that way. Now, THIS is why I think we all have gigabytes of unfinished work-in-progress. It's simple - unfinished is far less scary than finished. It's always a declaration of how good *we could be*, rather than how crap we really are. Personally, I would far rather enjoy being crap, than fear being good. In the end - really - none of it matters.

[@seanemmettfullerton]

This is brilliant! Thank you, Cameron! That inner critic/second guesser can be the most evil troll of all. We shoot ourselves in the foot at the starting gate :) And yes! The Vomit Phase is soooo crucial. Work fast and allow every idea out on the table. Sort it later... I'm a reformed OCD polisher, so it's waaaay too easy for me to scrub away the authentic character of a guitar or flute or inspired vocalist. Dude! You are super awesome! Thanks again! sf

[@greenfear8272]

Such great advice. I've had an album 70% finished for 4 months and it's purely fear stopping me finishing it. Needed this. Thanks Cameron. This is what makes your channel a step above most other music channels.

[@patrikknoerr9777]

I still haven't revamped the old stuff I love made in 1993. With almost 30 U of Rackspace, I amount to nothing. At least I have nice evenings working through the manuals and battling the UI and quirks. Amateur style. Yesterday, I got my D20 sequencer to work. Yeah. Should have done that in 1990. Got the D20 last week. 30+ years behind in my schedule. Most of the time, I'm stuck in loop hell. Didn't expect anyone else could have that problem.

[@Lu_Woods]

I need to order new belts for my Fostex so I can revisit my past ; )

[@patrikknoerr9777]

@@Lu_Woods Same for the disk drive of the D20... Gone to meet its maker. It's an ex-drive belt. It has ceased to exist. Disk Access sounds like formatting on the C64. Without the spindle spinning.

[@montblanc_777]

so relatable... "If it sounds good, then it is good" quote of the day

[@TeslaOsiris]

One thing I started doing to help curb writer’s block: I let a roll of a D12 die decide the key I’m going to be in. And if I’m feeling especially adventurous, I’ll roll in a D6 roll to decide on a mode, or a D8 to decide what note or chord I’ll start on.

[@VenusTheory]

Looks like I need to get some die on amazon next haha

[@jshstuff]

After seeing L. Dre’s video on making a beat every day for 100 days, I decided to do the same. I’m almost on day 50 now and I can totally resonate with the idea of just caring less. Since I need to make something every day, I end up caring less about making it perfect. That means that I can make something without the fear of it being bad. Because when it does turn out bad, that’s fine because tomorrow I’ll be making something new and yesterday’s won’t matter. I think this is exactly what I need at my stage.

[@dydeelosis8674]

this will help me maybe get through this session started in January which has now reached 100 tracks. I fell into just about all the traps you mentioned. Your YT channel and your teachings are gold, thank you for all you do 🙂👍

[@yuyiya]

You're so right about fear! The old story about "fight or flight" presents a false dichotomy; in reality, it's "fight, flight or freeze" - because fear is what paralyses us. So, to stop spinning our wheels, we just need the 80/20 rule, aka the Pareto Principle: 80% of the work is done in 20% of the time. And when we realise that the other 20% of the work probably doesn't even matter, we can then use that time to make another 4 products. Songs, or whatever! For me, "perfect" is "what works", not "what can't be improved". Near enough IS usually good enough! Great to see you sharing that you, too, doubt yourself, and sometimes get frustrated feeling you're not achieving your goals. Wow, this successful person is NOT a god or hero?! Of course we show off our successes, and bury our failures! Who doesn't want to look good? And when we succeed, we want others to enjoy what we've made that's giving us joy, so naturally this is what we will share with them all. We can tell ourselves that we don't share our failures even with our best friends, because we don't want to bring them down or put them on the spot. But really it's just a fear of looking BAD 😢! When it's actually kinder to be vulnerable, and show them that we might have to fail 50 times before we succeed once. That's being real. That's being honest, with everyone. 😊 So, from my view of what perfection is, and the need to fail repeatedly in order to succeed, it does make sense to say that: "practice makes perfect"!

[@mingomarrero]

The more gear and plugins I buy, the more time it takes for me to improve my music. One thing I do that helps me is that I finish the track before I start working on a new one

[@dreadlordbeats]

I started producing music only a couple of months ago. I set only simple rule to follow for all of my tracks: always finish a song before starting a new one, even if you don't like the ideas you came up with. And lo and behold, I end up finishing all of my tracks and even the ones which in the begining, sucked major ass, ended up being tracks that I like and got positive reviews for. Hope this helps some of you guys out there.

[@ASOTFAN16]

You're literally the first person I've found that mentioned the idea of deleting old projects that you don't (and probably never) like(d)d in the first place. It's like cleaning up your room. Most people feel a little more comfortable in a clean room, and not having those old projects kinda cleans up your mind a bit because you don't have all those old projects to think about.

[@VenusTheory]

Yeah I used to be a believer in 'keep everything' but idk, after a certain point it's just a pile of clutter. If you don't feel like the world still needs to hear it after a year+, you probably won't ever feel that way.

[@ASOTFAN16]

@@VenusTheory I used to believe in the exact same thing, thinking those old projects could one day still be useful for something. But it's actually quite nice to start kinda fresh. You know, remove the junk you never look at anymore

[@THeDrKEvO]

I like that idea of just having a day to listen through everything on old project files, and see what sparks joy, Marie Kondo style. I’m not ready to delete anything though…Personally, I think I’ll just dump everything else on an old back up hard drive or something instead - still declutter‘s, but I know it’s not the same

[@yuyiya]

​@@THeDrKEvO no, it's still digital hoarding! 😂 I should know, I've got floppy disks! 😮

[@yuyiya]

Yes! Clean up the work space, too. A clean desk makes no distractions ...

[@metubetomuch]

Good advice. Not just for music. Your concept of not trying to be perfect before moving forward is basically a life lesson.

[@lukeautosymbol2668]

You make the most valuable videos I've seen about music production. Lots of production KZbinrs focus on the technical side of things, but I don't think that's the problem for a lot of people: it's actually about getting things done. And you've nailed that idea with this one. Thank you so much.

[@stal1963]

Thank you for this video. I am experiencing the same challenges, no matter whether I am writing or ceating music. As a beginner you are much more enthusiastic. Just take an idea and finish it without further ado. As a more advanced artist you become a perfectionist and compare yourself with others. That is also the reason why children are more creative. They do not really care, but are happy with what they are creating. If you look at music artists, most of them get worse in their creativity when they get older. I have the feeling that I have already entered so many more unchartered territories as my younger me. This makes it really difficult to come up with new ideas. With other words: It is more difficult to find new creative ideas. In addition we are swamped with all the staff already out there. Bands like the Beatles or Kraftwerk were pioneers in their respective fields. Thus, almost everything they experimented with was innovative and became a huge success. The only way from that problem from my viewpoint is daring to enter new ideas outside your own comfort zone.

[@VenusTheory]

Absolutely - creating like an amateur is something we should all aspire to regardless of our state in our career path.

[@iambazii]

This is just what I needed to hear. Thanks a bunch for this Cameron. Your thoughts on reality vs expectation were spot on. It's always refreshing to know that we aren't alone in our creative struggles, but also that we don't need to stay in the struggle either. Keep up the amazing work my man ✌🏽

[@4m0nr3]

Man, I'm halfway through the video and you literally pinpointed exactly what I couldn't put words on. It soothed my pain. I warmly thank you for that.

[@Turtlpwr]

Second time I’m watching this video and I’ve gotta say how grateful I am for you making these videos; along with all the work you put into them. It’s been beyond helpful and inspiring and is helping me finally get off my ass after an 8+ year creative desert

[@plssmellmycheese]

wow. all of that was so spot on. not preachy, just well put, clear and resonant. thanks👏🙂. interesting, all the points also applied equally to my other creative endeavours...drawing, furniture making, house renovations. so a really good set of general principles...again many thanks!🤘

[@Outr7]

From the beginning i limited myself using garageband ios & created many weird ambient music . I had fun but moving it to a full daw like fl & cubase it was a hastle. But I think limiting yourself with the basics & sound designing from the start made it easier . Wish mixing wasn’t in the way of actually getting stuff done but only using two to three plugins & coming up with weird stuff is fun .

[@emmanuelwolfmusic410]

You really hit on the problems of putting a song together, I do procrastinate so much with this, as I want perfection, what I hear in my head never comes close to what I hear in realty. Thankyou for voicing what many of us feel inside. Sometimes you have to be yourself and put something out there that is unique regardless of others.

[@areality40]

Cameron, I've been watching your videos for awhile now. Everytime I see a video, I feel like a grain of sand compared to you as if you were the planet Jupiter. What I mean is, you have such a clean, crisp look and voice. Great, great advice about the struggles of being a creative, and your own personal experiences with getting sidetracked with videos or new plugins... that's all me too... And though I've been working with all this stuff and always thinking in circles (and never doing much more) about getting into sync libraries and submitting my music, I beat the hell out of myself and just don't get anywhere. Your advice about simply listing tasks, choosing a piece of a the day to work on music, and even piecing out small periods to work on projects is excellent. You know, we're all our own biggest critics, and our own worst enemies too. And I love your ideas about just playing around to come up with something out of the blue that is outside one's own regular workflow. Really, really great reminders from your video on things I can do to alleviate my overwhelming overload of overthinking and under-doing (if that's even a word). Thanks again for all you do. I don't feel so bad now and am starting to piecemeal my music tasks one by one, and learning to redirect my sidetrackings back to the project at hand. Would love to do some collab videos with you at some point. I will be making regular videos soon focusing on music and the struggles along this fun and interesting journey.

[@innerstatejt]

Love your content Cameron. Was really happy to see you had my “Mental Game” book in your collection! Keep up the incredible work!

[@VenusTheory]

Ha no way the legend himself. Great book - currently re-reading it actually!

[@innerstatejt]

@@VenusTheory Awesome! We should have a chat & shoot the shit sometime. Once again, I love what you’ve done on this channel!

[@IonStream]

Cameron, it's extremely comforting knowing other people, yourself including deal with all of this. Everything you said felt like you were reading my mind haha. Churning out music for other people/studies has been absolutely fine, but when it comes to my own music under "Ion Stream" it has been so tough. The knowledge accumulation, the fear aspect that your tracks should be better than when you knew absolutely nothing etc, and it really puts an immovable object in front of your creativity and mindset. Some really great tips here that I'll certainly be paying more attention too, especially trying to care less about what other people might think, that seems like the big one!

[@kisaragi-hiu]

I know it's fear that makes me procrastinate or stick to what I'm already familiar with, but putting it in terms of "I just don't care as much" (for work that actually gets done) is really nice and actionable. Thank you!

[@jarednewman5966]

Dude. Thank you. Your integrity shines in your videos

[@mageprometheus]

Thanks for the tips. My biggest downfall is distractions! I'm learning Dorico but get distracted to write some AutoHotKey scripts to improve the workflow. Same in Reaper. The joy of being a retired software engineer.

[@VenusTheory]

Haha the 'puzzle solver' mindset is definitely hard to break out of when it comes time to create. As a very logic based / 'need to know how this works before I use it' person I can totally empathize with that. I think the key is trying to turn those focuses onto the actual music or use them to build up a catalog in other ways - probably the key to my entire career in sound design and such!

[@DavidDAVID-di8dt]

Stop thinking, DO IT ! Done is better than perfect, beacause Perfect is never done ! Thank you for these excellent mantras.

[@Darthimpakk]

0:55 - "sitting on a 'works in progress' folder so old, they're probably getting ready to buy their first car"...THAT'S ME! have a mount of stuff unfinished and at times I wanna give up. But thanks for this video because it relates to me so much. Cheers!

[@AttcThe]

Consistently empathetic and useful advice - merci beaucoup!

[@johnardbeg6381]

I find that doing yoga during the breaks, helps freshen my mind. And when the weather permits a brisk to mile walk.

[@ElectronisoundsAudio]

As a sound designer and KZbinr, I really identified with this one! Really well done, Cameron! 😁👊

[@DanyrePendrag]

This made me realize to just post the songs and just keep going and practicing not worrying about what other people think even though it’s my biggest problem

[@chansonbeats]

The simple aspect of what you've named "the highlight paradox" was a big lesson for me, wow. But what I also wanted to mention is, generally the distractional life we are living in nowadays. All this distraction through social media, leads to not being bored anymore although boringness is what an artist really needs to become creative.

[@malycblanco]

This is all I think about when questioning myself why I don't finish, or maybe should I say "Finalize" my songs. It may be abstract for a lot of artists, so thank you for bringing it up into understandable little ideas and solutions

[@nicoincertezza5763]

Write without fear, edit without mercy - thanx for this great video!

[@susanneaubert8907]

The intro was so accurate I blushed