I know, I know, I know… as musicians, we often like to think of ourselves as purely creative beings. We thrive on creativity, emotion, and connection. Even the mere notion of “thinking of yourself as a machine” can feel stiff or counterintuitive––capable of threatening or diminishing to our artistry.
But bare with me for a few minutes here. While creativity and other right-brained functions are 100% crucial, getting analytical for a moment (to recognize and optimize the systems within our lives and work) can help to unlock even greater potential.
In his book Principles: Life and Work, Ray Dalio writes:
“Think of yourself as a machine operating within a machine and know that you have the ability to alter your machines to produce better outcomes.”
Essentially, a machine is a mechanism comprised of various systems that work toward producing some end goal. This makes you (yes, even little ol’ you), as Dalio says, “a machine designed to achieve your goals.”
By viewing yourself as a system, you can step back, diagnose your weaknesses, refine your processes, and optimize the efforts that you are [hopefully] putting into your music making and career development. Undergoing this left-brained self-examination from time to time can help set yourself up for consistent growth and improvement.
Fear not, embracing this idea does not mean stripping away your innate artistry, your humanity, or your creativity. Instead, it will allow you to recognize and fine-tune all of the various systems that support your music: the habits, routines, and processes that determine whether that artistry will flourish or fail. You can learn to strike the perfect balance between spontaneity and efficiency, leaving more room for your true creativity to shine.
Let’s take a look at several key points to explore, as well as some important questions to ask yourself.
Remember that input determines output
“Garbage in, garbage out” is a universal truth, whether we’re talking computer programming, your diet, or your musical development. If, for example, you’re not practicing or resting enough, your outputs will reflect that imbalance.
Inputs = Practice routines; lessons; collaboration; rest; self-care.
Outputs = Improved skills; better performances; increased opportunities.
ASK YOURSELF:
• Am I feeding my machine with the right (and high-quality) inputs?
• Are there elements of my practice routine that can be changed to focus on skills that will more directly influence (and improve) my live performances?
Diagnose your bottlenecks
Always seek out weak links or points of failure in your system. These are quite often overlooked low-hanging fruit that can easily be targeted, bringing quick growth in valuable areas.
ASK YOURSELF:
• What are some of my technical or musical weaknesses that keep me from playing my instrument as well as I’d like?
• Do I avoid networking opportunities?
• Am I overbooking myself and burning out?
Aim for continuous maintenance
Musicians need upkeep just like any other machine. This includes keeping the musical chops up, for sure, but equally important are your physical health, mental clarity, and regular self-assessment.
ASK YOURSELF:
• Am I warming up and stretching before I play?
• When is the last time I sat and meditated?
• Is all of my gear in good working condition?
• What is one technique or style of music that I am going to commit to exploring more this month?
Automate and optimize
Indie/freelance musicians tend to wear a multitude of hats, juggling the role of creative artist along with those of being our own booking agent, tour manager, merch team, social media content creator, blah blah blah… Day in and day out, we’ve all got so many things going on. It’s imperative to build routines/habits into our professional and personal lives that allow us to minimize some of the decision-making. This frees up more time and energy for the things that you really want to be doing.
ASK YOURSELF:
• What is one unproductive habit that I am going to consciously work to replace (starting today) with a more productive one?
• Can I create a consistent morning practice routine (maybe broken into:
areas of Technique, Improvisation, and Repertoire) that saves me from wasting time deciding what to work on each day?
• What templates can I set up in my DAW to make it easier and quicker to record new song ideas or remote tracks?
• What is one (and only one) ideal cloud-based platform that I can use to store all of my audio and charts, so that I can share them super fast with future fill-in players?
Experiment and iterate
The machine that is you is unique and ever evolving. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to any of the questions we’re posing. On top of that, your answer to these today probably be (and shouldn’t be) the same answers you’ll come up with a year fro now. You reflect, make music, experience the world, change, grow, reflect more, make more, experience more, change more, grow more, on and on, ad nauseam.
Test new approaches whenever you’d like––whether it’s a different practice schedule, a new technique, or a fresh way to market your music. Find out what works for you, and what doesn’t. Then make an educated decision and take your next calculated step forward.
ASK YOURSELF:
• What’s one risk I can take (whether in my playing or my stage set up) that could bring a fresh element to my next show and perhaps connect differently with my audience?
• What if I start the initial stages of writing this song on an instrument that I don’t feel the slightest bit competent on?
• What would it look like if I took a week (or a month) off––entirely away from music––and then come back to my work refreshed and with new energy?
The choices you make and the actions you take (or don’t take) inevitably become vital cogs in the big-picture machine of your musical journey. You’re in the machine while you simultaneously are the machine. Deal with it. Own it. Rock it.
You’re not limiting your musical creativity or passion. Embrace the idea that you are both a multidimensional creator and a complex system. Maximize the powers of both the right and left sides of your brain, and trust that this balance will help you reach your fullest potential.
Which of the above will you try first? Leave a comment below and let me know what you’re going to experiment with.
Happy music making–
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