Getting Lost in the Details

2 min read

close-up photography of turned on audio mixer
close-up photography of turned on audio mixer

Let's face it... We have all done it at some point...

That moment when you create something and you think for a second that you have reached the end, but another idea suddenly pops up in your head:

"But still... What if I tweak this part right here? How would that turn out?"

"What if I add this thing to that part? It might improve the end result."

"What if I turn everything upside down, just to see how it goes?"

And the list goes on... and on... and on...

Sounds familiar?

I bet it does!

If you are into the creative 'business', you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

And that's precisely what I did for a very long time.

Instead of making music like a human, I would always do it like a robot, being careful for every note to be precisely quantized, for every sound to sit precisely at “X” dB gain, for every bit and small detail to be volume-automated in order to be heard and so on…

In fact I would lose so much time and energy on it, that I would always end up stopping to work on a project, and often even dropping it altogether...

Instead of letting ideas flow, I would always focus on sequences of notes, on faders and VST plugins, and so I inevitably started hating the entirety of it all.

And it actually makes sense really, me hating it.

Because that is simply not how music should come into existence.

As I have previously stated in another article, music is about emotion.

Music makes you feel things.

It’s not math. It’s not science. It doesn’t have to be precise.

Yes, the technical part is important too. But as far as I am concerned, if you create a song that is technically flawless but unable to speak to anyone on any emotional level, then you have failed at your craft.

Emotion doesn't come from perfection. It comes from being human.

And being human is being flawed.

That that is completely normal.

By the way, if I gave you the impression that I might be free of this hassle, know that I'm actually quite far from it. While not proud to say it, I sometimes still do find myself getting lost in the details even today.

But at the same time I also try my best not to. And I'm slowly getting better at it.

Perfectionism it's a hell of an enemy to fight against, let alone to beat. So it takes time until you slowly learn how to work around it.

But I have faith that I will continue to improve in the future.

So, as a conclusion I will leave you with a quote that I pray will stick with you when the time comes.

And while I am not sure of its true origins, I can at least confidently validate the truth behind it:

"A work of art is never finished, only abandoned."

—And this really sums it all up.

That is why you should not get lost in the details.

Because you will simply never reach the end.

Because there is no real end in sight...