How I Make Music
My creative process
Everyone who makes something has a unique creative process that allows them to produce their product. It’s what creates differences in film, art, and music. For me, I have a creative process with music0 that I’ve only fully developed recently. In fact, for the first year or so that I was involved in music creation I had almost no process at all. This led to sloppy outcomes and a complete lack of consistency. I just kind of sat down and slapped things together when trying to produce a track and hoping it sounded good. Writing lyrics was even worse but for the opposite reason. I spent so much time trying to get them to flow perfectly or rhyme that they didn’t come off as natural at all. It was discouraging at first because I felt like I lacked the creative potential and talent to make something I’d be proud of. However, just like any skill, with each failure came a lesson I learned which only led to improvement.
These days my creative process is very relaxed. I start by listening to instrumental tracks, closing my eyes, and just letting the melody take me away. It’s a truly surreal feeling, when I get into that mindset all my stress melts away and all I feel is the rhythm. Once I get myself into that mindset I start looking for inspiration. My music always ends up carrying the emotions that I feel in that moment and I never try to change that. If I’m feeling sad I embrace it, If I'm feeling angry I let it shine through, and if I’m happy I let that feeling take me away. No matter what I’m feeling I allow it to fully take over in what im creating. It allows diversity in what I make while still maintaining my personal touch. As much as I love producing, I really have more fun writing lyrics and singing. In recent months I have severely changed my writing process, So much so that there’s no actual writing involved. When I’m ready to record I crank up my volume, get in front of the microphone, let the track play and just sing the words that come to mind. If you’re a fan of modern hip-hop, you may have heard of an artist that goes by the name “Juice Wrld”. I can say without a doubt that he is one of my favorite artists and biggest musical inspirations. The biggest way his personal style has affected my music is the way he records. He just goes in the booth and freestyles everything, it creates a very natural feel in his lyrics.
Being meticulous with your lyrics or even how you're singing really sucks the fun out of the entire process. Making music is a spiritual thing for me, I let my inner emotions and thoughts shine through. It gives me an outlet for frustrations and worries, but more than anything, it’s fun. I personally believe it’s something you shouldn’t have to think too much about. It’s all about expressing yourself in a way that can be enjoyed by others. My advice for anyone looking to get into music would be to always be yourself. Don’t try to sound like anyone else and don’t try to copy someone else’s flow; don’t take it too seriously either, remember that you’re doing it because you enjoy it. Don’t forget to have fun. Let your music be your music. If you do that, you’ll love what you create.
-Braden Schmidt 11-9-2019
*My SoundCloud*