How to Defeat an Overwhelming Sense of Pressure

There hasn’t been much going on  at the website lately, as you might have noticed.

Don’t worry. I haven’t quit and I didn’t die.

In fact, I’m recharged and ready to rock.

When life happens and everything piles up at once, there are two things you can do.

1. Fail

Steven Levitt, one of favorite economists and the author of Freakonomics, has the motto of embracing failure.

Fail quickly. Because it’s useless to keep doing something you’re bad at if you know you’ll never improve.

Find something else you’re good at.

Failing doesn’t mean giving up. It means refocusing your efforts.

If you suck at mixing electronic music but excel at metal mixing, then concentrate on your strengths.

If you like creating an “album sound” out of a bunch of different tracks, then maybe you should concentrate on mastering rather than mixing.

Whatever it is that’s dragging your audio efforts down, just let it go. Fail fast and quickly, Find something else you’re good at.

The other thing I recommend is a little less drastic.

2. Take a Step Back

Sometimes you’re so involved in your work that you’ve lost sight of the big picture.

You need to take all variables into account.

Like mixing a solo’d snare drum won’t help your drum sound if you don’t put it into context with the rest of the kit.

If you become OCD over one single thing, then the session as a whole won’t matter.

That’s when it’s time to take a step back. That’s what you need to do when you’re mixing.

Take a step back and collect your thoughts and plan ahead.

Get a fresh perspective, a second opinion or a break for your ears.

A break can help you see your mix in a different light. A second opinion can give you a different perspective of what works and what doesn’t.

And finally, a break might be just the thing your ears need.

Come back recharged and ready to rock. That’s what I’m trying to do. What about you?

If you need help seeing the big

Image by: wwarby

If you liked this post, share the love: