Make Art, Not Content.

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⎯ About Zach ⎯
If you're new here, welcome - I'm Zach. This channel documents two decades of my journey as both an artist and a creative entrepreneur, starting from a music hobbyist and working into client work for companies including Disney, Dreamworks, Tencent, and Flashgitz. I hope my journey inspires you to create more art and take time to pursue the things you love 🙂
Instagram: / zachheyde

[@ZachHeyde]

Want to work together IRL? Go here👇 www.zachheyde.com/

[@ZachHeyde]

And here's Cheska Navarro's awesome KZbin channel: www.youtube.com/@cheska_yo

[@leftthechatsound]

💯Just make what you like

[@cheska_yo]

Zach!! LOVE this video and the location change! 😇 I realized that the simplest (and fun-est) way for me to help potential clients and other composers get to know me was just sitting down and talking to the camera. It's not the most revolutionary idea, but when humans connect with each other IRL... it's just talking. No B-roll in your face, no cinematic lighting, no color correction. Sharing the journey this way removed the pressure of trying to better myself as a composer AND make super optimized content, just like you describe. By putting composing first, I've been able to have experiences that I can later share after thinking deeply about it. And without composing, I wouldn't have anything insightful or interesting to share! 😊

[@ZachHeyde]

So well said! Good ideas > good production

[@CamSullyPiano]

Thank you so much. I’m a young composer auditioning for grad school right now and this really helped me realize that I don’t need to overcompensate. I will focus on creating art that I enjoy

[@ZachHeyde]

Glad to hear it - you got this 🙌

[@JeffSchneiderMusic]

Such great points and insights! Ironically, this was the first video of yours I’ve seen. What a great introduction-glad to be a new subscriber!

[@ZachHeyde]

Thanks Jeff 🙂

[@KPComposition]

Really nice to see these sorts of videos and get this confirmation. I recently stepped away from commercial music production because the social media and content creation side just killed me. Now I'm working towards composing for games and I realised I already started down the same content path. It definitely feels more natural just composing and recording myself doing so as opposed to creating a highly edited video, but you're so right that even simple video formats like start to take away from the natural creation process. Wise words and really important to hear, thanks for sharing ✌🏽

[@ZachHeyde]

Glad this resonated and thanks for sharing!

[@tremologarage]

I'm also working towards composing for games so I had to check out your channel. You've got a new subscriber my friend, it's really fun to see others with the same passion as yourself working towards the same goal! Looking forward to following and learn from your content :)

[@KPComposition]

@tremologarage thanks so much man! That's really motivating to hear. Checked out your stuff too, it's so nice!

[@yngwieestorco]

Thank you, Zach. I'm planning to be a content creator as well. I have no real score yet. Just started composing 2 years ago. All I have are rescores and compositions. I just want to video myself doing these and share it to others and I want to see my journey as an aspiring film composer through looking back into my future videos 😅

[@vigh4696]

Good thoughts, I have been thinking about this myself and trying to get somewhere what you describe it to be. Thanks for sharing this and also introducing us to her content, very inspiring.

[@gyurtomusic]

You seemed so familiar and I just now realised, aren't you Zach from Frank & Zach Piano Duets?

[@ZachHeyde]

Yes 🙂👋

[@gyurtomusic]

@ZachHeyde Man, you two are amazingly talented pianists. Such a shame that that channel is not active any more :(

[@Pax30001]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@timdemoss]

yeah, fabulous! thank you Zach :)

[@aharown-yt]

I appreciate the authenticity. Wish you the best of success. For what it's worth, also agree with all that.

[@shannonjamesbeck]

Great points!!

[@CalebPayneComposer]

I really like what you said about not being perfect when creating content and art. There have been plenty of times when I have written some really good music and then I put a pressure on myself to make the next one even better. This is also really contradictory and unproductive as when this happens, I tend to fall in a sort of writers block. Thank you for your wisdom Zach.

[@ZachHeyde]

Glad it resonated 🙏

[@nikolaytrofimov4175]

Thank you, this video actually appeared right in time for me. Lately I've been questioning my decisions with uploading my music on youtube channel with DIY cover arts - it's little effort (maybe a bit lazy too), but I wanted to make it that way, rather than just slapping the album cover on every track.

[@CB-Music]

Very well said, Zach. It's nice to be reminded that music is "the true thing" I love, not making videos or necessarily racking up clicks (although it's nice to get a few every so often 😀)

[@DiegoLealComposer]

Thank you for sharing, Zach! 🙏🏻

[@ChromaCat]

Exactly! I wonder when do all these music creators actually create music when they have 300% social media presence. Do they have 50 hours a day while I only have 24? It is just impossible. This is why for now I have justedfocus on making music, even though sometimes I really tempt myself to make talking videos and so on ,but I only want to make my craft better.

[@envrie9423]

I've been contemplating how I want to move forward with my platform(s) this year, thanks for the encouragement Zach! Also congratulations on 100k Subs, that's HUGE!!

[@ZachHeyde]

Thanks man 🙂🙏

[@BusyCLMusic]

Hi Zach, I like the refreshing change of scenery! I didn't know you were in LA. Hope you and your friends/family have done okay in the fires. I agree with you 100% with the points in the video. We're composers/artists first and foremost, "content creators" last. I'm trying to embody this in my KZbin channel uploads myself with keeping the editing/production to a minimum, but it's a hard balance when you want to get your name out there and have the "look" of someone who is a trustworthy professional. But always I try to put the music first and just have the KZbin stuff be a natural result of making good music. My plan for this year is to try to have a new track uploaded each week, just the music with no real video behind it. This is mostly to encourage myself to get my practice/production time up and I'm happy to say at this point I have plenty of examples uploaded to show myself I can do it. Then my next plan I'm trying to start next week is, the first Wednesday of each month making a video talking about my experience/things I learned/takeaways from the previous month. And if people appreciate it and want to watch, that's great, and if it gets no views, that's fine too.

[@ZachHeyde]

Love it - and thank you, we're safe 🙂

[@GabrielComposer]

Last year in September I was commissioned to write a piece for someone. I had never done it in my life before. I was excited and nervous and had until this January to complete it. I also at the time wanted to start doing content creation. I told myself that I’d make this video and I’d post at least one piece of newly composed music on my channel once a month. Things quickly started to fall apart. I was either working only on my commission or working on other small pieces that still aren’t even completed and likely won’t. I couldn’t balance the two. I struggled to truly focus on what was in front of me and finished the commission with about 3 weeks left. To my surprise I entered that piece into a competition and it won. It will be performed by a full orchestra and honestly that whole process showed that my Art is what makes me an artist. It’s not the LED lights that I have (and haven’t even put on my keyboard) for a cool set up or the napkins from last nights meal next to my manuscript paper. It’s not the rushed music I make (although some of them are good art is a process that takes time) or the content I want to make. It’s what I can make. In my own time. I struggled to find that and I finally have realized it. I haven’t posted on my channel since last year because of this and I’ve learned to be content with it. I’m not gonna start with the fanciest of things and the best of people and the greatest musicians. This is a journey that will never end. Thanks again Zach you’ve done more than I can say on this journey of mine.

[@ZachHeyde]

Heck yeah - thank you for sharing 🙏

[@emodate]

Oddly enough this and Cheska's video is doing it for me! Might just be the push I need now! Thanks Zach 🥰

[@amusicaljourney4498]

Fireside chat. I like it. Just sit back and talk about the art. Thank you

[@musatehdas]

This is SO true! ❤

[@GalenDeGraf]

Or another possibility: make content which is itself art!

[@ZachHeyde]

Totally 🙂

[@Bitimi]

I find that creating is not fun when the pressure of "getting more songs out" outweighs truly feeling free to create.. which leads to burnout. Which is basically where I've sat for the past few months. Not a fun place to be for someone who enjoys playing / creating music. 😅

[@ClarityInMotion]

👏yes👏this👏absolutely👏

[@ZachHeyde]

🙌

[@Enderblade18]

A way I've been unintentionally combatting the trap of being a Content Creator is that anything I post is just the art. Maybe a few words by me in the description, but that's it. Just the result, nothing crazy fancy.

[@ZachHeyde]

Love it

[@fullscopefreelancer]

Since when does one need a fireplace in Los Angeles? 😆

[@SDSMOfficial]

I can see you here in thirty years with a grey beard sharing your composer/life wisdom.

[@ZachHeyde]

The grey's coming in sooner than 30 years 😂🙏

[@DanielKolbin]

hmmmm

[@fortissimoX]

Please don't get this personally, it has nothing to do with you. At the moment I'm a bit grumpy, and I've realized how I became allergic to the phrase "content creators". For me, it devaluates the point of videos like this, and sucks the life out of them by just calling it "content". I feel that something like "idea sharing" or "sharing insights" would be much better choice. So anyway, thanks for sharing your ideas and insights! 👍

[@ZachHeyde]

I totally agree!

[@Jerrydbahreini]

Videos don't feel worth watching if you know the person behind it isn't also having fun

[@ZachHeyde]

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