Practice with the goal of transformation
When I think about what I’m going for when I sit down to work on music, I think about the effects that I want my work to have: on the music I’m working on, sure, but also on me.
Obviously I’m going to transform the music I’ve been entrusted with; that’s why people send me their music.
But I think that probably the more important transformations that can happen when I’m working on music are within me. If I’m approaching my work with a spirit of play and experimentation, and with joy, then I can transport myself somewhere else while I’m working on it. And when I return, I’m a little different than before I left.
I’m working with an excellent band right now who have the best line in one of their songs: “I write these stupid songs / because therapy’s expensive.” It’s funny, but I think also it’s true? There’s nothing that takes me out of my day-to-day worries like working on music. And those positive effects linger! A good night of working on music, and being able to listen back with pride the next morning to the results of my work, can buoy me for days.
By causing these little transformative moments in myself, day after day, year after year, decade after decade, I’ve changed as a person. I look at the world differently. I think that I’m kinder and gentler, and more curious. The first two could be attributed at least in part to aging — but the last one is generally the opposite of how people age. And I really do think it’s because of a practice of working on music regularly.
Forever young — jamie
Subscribe to Jamie's list
a daily-ish email with a 60-second thought on diy music production