You’re excited, you’re keen, and you’re ready to lay it down, but in the back or your head there are a swirl of massive doubts. Recording sessions are emotionally taxing because the final notes played will be published and will forever define you, your brand, style, and stature. Some pretty weighty issues that weight down the mind causing some apprehension.
Even for the seasoned professionals where performance anxiety, self-doubt, and a whole host of creative frustrations can hinder creativity and confidence. In this post, we’re going to look at some practical and helpful techniques to meet these challenges and navigate ways to stay grounded while working through the creative process.
Reframe It
Let’s take a negative and turn it into a positive. Fear of judgement and failure are often where performance anxiety comes from. You’d have to psych yourself out to get past this type of emotional rutting scenario. Cognitive reframing is one powerful technique to use in shifting your mindset from fear to one of excitement.
Check it out, the symptoms are almost basically the same, racing heart rate, sweaty palms, butterflies. This is where you talk to yourself and say, “I’m going to lay down some great tracks” rather than “Man, I’ll probably mess this track up.”
Also, with plenty of time put into rehearsals before a recording session, coupled with cognitive reframing, you will have more than likely have a productive recording experience.
Here are three techniques to use in helping to reframing your mindset.
Breathing exercises. ‘Box breathing’ is good for putting yourself into a calm state of mind. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and then hold for another 4 seconds.
Visualization technique is great at setting the stage in your mind’s eye for a successful record session. Focus on the ‘feel of things’ rather than how it will sound.
Mantras. Positive affirming mantras are great for building confidence. Saying statements like “I’m not here to impress, but to express”, “exploration brings revelation”, and “relax and let the music happen”, are some phrases that can get you going in the right direction.
“…self-criticism in excess can murder creativity and destroy confidence.”
As musicians, we often get in our own way. We’re also our own worst critics. There is a value to self-awareness, and it is vital for personal growth as an artist. But self-criticism in excess can murder creativity and destroy confidence.
Also getting stuck in an echo chamber full of negative thoughts, with the ‘inner critic’, can dampen any forward momentum. So, to get the jump on the devil, so to speak, here are some techniques to help in moving forward in a positive manner.
Practice non-judgmental awareness. Record yourself during rehearsals and listen to the playback without judgment or critique, but with curiosity, it will help you to embrace your personal style and flow.
Set realistic expectations. The goal is not to be perfect but to be expressive! As musicians, perfectionism can creep in, but we are human after all and the imperfections, believe it or not, are what give us character in our playing styles. No one is really into machine-like perfection, or you might as well let AI have all the fun, right?
Limit comparisons. When it comes to your unique voice or playing style, you do you! Stop measuring yourself against others, this only stifles your progress and presence in recording sessions. You are a unique individual and there is only one of you, so you do you and keep it real!
A recording session sometimes can feel like trying to capture lightening in a bottle, with all the meticulous retakes and frustrations in trying to ensure that a flawless take is recorded. Progress also is often kicked to the curb, too when creativity takes a nosedive into the pavement.
But all that aside, a recording session should be about exploring ideas, creating textures and emotions. The creative process should be embraced and not sidelined by a focus on the final output.
In preserving the creative flow try some of these techniques.
Strategically take breaks. When feeling stumped, stuck, or pissed off, walk away. Remove yourself from the studio and take a stroll. A change in scenery is great for resetting the mind and just doing something completely different will have the same effect. Either way it’s a great way to reboot creativity.
Use “creative warm-ups”. A great ‘grease cutter’ is to just have a jam session before the record. This will help loosen up, reconnect and fire things up.
Keep a creative journal. Write it down. How was the recording session, how did it feel, what emotions went down, what breakthroughs happened, and what ideas came up during the session. This is great to look back on and great for building self-awareness while observing personal growth and milestones.
“Living in the moment and being mindful of the moment is where it is at.”
Some quick pointers for a supportive studio environment.
Communicate Openly. Don’t hold back. This is where you want to share your emotional state of mind with your bandmates and producers. This act alone will help foster trust with the crew.
Set Boundaries. Know your personal space and let everyone know in advance. If the feedback coming across the soundboard feels overwhelming, you should be able to ask for space or restructure the setup constructively without blowing a gasket.
Create rituals. Nothing freaky but just something to set the vibe. Wear your favorite T-shirt or Knick knack, light up some candles, go bare foot, or play a specific tune before a recording session can help get you grounded.
Living in the moment and being mindful of the moment is where it is at. You know, fully engaging with the music going from moment to moment. Kinda like a Zen thing.
Try some of these techniques to be mindful of the moments and get into your Zen mode.
Mindful Listening. Before you go to a recording session and get into the booth, listen to a good piece of music and give it your full attention. Notice the nuances and the details in the piece. Work through it in your mind.
Body Awareness. Take a step back and check yourself out. What’s your posture like? Are you tense? What’s your breathing like when you’re playing?
Practice Gratitude. This is where you remembered why you got into music and why you started in the first place. Remembering the passion and the excitement will reconnect you with your purpose.
Last and Final Word
Recording sessions are interesting by the fact that you are putting down a piece of history. This is just not a session of technical precision and abilities but also of emotional vulnerability. Something that your fans can appreciate for the times to come.
By embracing your imperfections and cultivating a strong mental resilience along with nurturing your creative spirit, the studio that you’re releasing your essence of ‘being’ into will transform into a capsule of discovery and personal growth.
Remember this. Your music and your creativity are an extension of your humanity. You’re not being tested for perfection.
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