I recently came across an interesting theorem called The Law of Large Numbers.
As I read I couldn't help but notice how this theorem seemed to perfectly explain an observation I've made on my own journey as a music producer, specifically how it relates to the idea of finding our own signature sound as an artist.
The Law Of Large Number states:
As the number of independent and identically distributed trials increases, the sample mean of the observed outcomes will converge to the expected value.
But what does this actually mean?
And how does it apply to our music?
When you break it down, this is just a long winded way of saying:
Finishing a lot of songs is what's going to get you closer to the theoretical average of your songs (AKA your unique signature sound).
It's the sublime characteristics and stylistic preferences your listeners will feel but won't be quite able to put their finger on it.
But they know it's your sound.
And when you really stop and think about it, it won't just be one song that defines you as an artist, it will be each individual song in your discography which will give context to the whole.
Like a musical mosaic.
And the harsh reality I had to come to terms with in my 10 years of producing music is that only a very small percentage of the songs I finish will actually turn out to be songs I feel are worth sharing publicly.
Which is why the only way to ensure we make a lot of music we want to share is by producing more music — as much as we can.
It's the only way we'll gain the experience and skill to create the good music in our discography.
In a similar fashion I came up with something a bit more comprehensive, which ties in a similar. A concept which I call it the Principle Of Creative Yield.
I truly believe that the only true metric of success for any budding music producers who hasn't established themselves in a scene is to make lots of music.
This is because your future hits depend on the experience you gain from making a boatload of songs.
Now the question is, how do we begin to create and finish more music?
More importantly, how do we do this without experiencing the:
Creative blocks
Procrastination
Fear
An everything else that comes with it…
After all, producing a well balanced song that sounds complete is already a huge challenge for many beginners.
The challenge is only more difficult when we throw our own internal battles into the mix.
However, today I want to share the most foundational skills, habits and character traits I had to develop in order to build a consistent, reliable and almost infinite stream of musical ideas.
So instead of waiting and relying on the rare occasion when inspiration, motivation and the muse agrees to bless me with a special gift, the following 4 keys allowed me to increase the quantity and quality of my productions.
All while helping me define and steer my own signature sound.
The 4 Keys To Limitless Creativity
There's hundreds if not thousands of skills one can learn and master in music production, but there's 4 that if applied and mastered will make everything else and order of magnitude easier.
I know this to be true because I continue to reap the rewards day after day.
Creative blocks are a distant memory and laughable enemy to me now, but that wasn't always the case.
By mastering these 4 keys, I believe you too can tap into a similar abundant and infinite state of creativity, wonder and musical breakthroughs.
Let’s begin.
1) Become Immune To Creative Blocks
Creative blocks are inevitable, but they shouldn't stop you for days, let alone weeks, months or even years (as they once did for me).
To understand creative blocks it helps to think of your creativity as a sine wave.
When it's high up you're flowing and music seems to ooze out of you effortlessly.
Let's call this state "creative flow".
While the wave is down low, this is you struggling to come up with anything you feel is worthy, things just aren't happening.
Let's call it a "creative block".
Truth is, every artists goes through these ups and downs, but if you really begin pay attention you'll notice this pattern emerges in all things.
It's an undeniable law of nature.
The sun comes up, then it sets.
The tides rise then they regress.
The music plays then it stops in silence.
Contrast, balance, polarity and all the ebbs and flows — it's all there is.
Our creativity is no different.
But in order to become prolific music producers it's important to understand this cycle. It's only by understanding it that we can begin to create a strategy to quickly pull us out of these low points.
And maybe even reach a point where you can avoid them completely.
While there's no way to completely become immune to the swings of these highs and lows, I propose that the next best thing we can do is reduce the height of the peaks and the depth of each valley.
Because from my observations it's the swings from these highs to lows and vice versa which leads many artists to burnout, emotionally, psychologically and musically.
But one thing is certain…
When you learn to surf this cycle you'll be able to brush off a creative block just like any other minor inconvenience in your life.
Now to the important question:
How do we quickly snap out of these creative blocks when they take hold?
Uprooting A Creative Block
To understand this let's go back to our sine wave of creative flow versus creative block.
The obvious difference between these 2 extremes one very clear and concrete metric.
Musical output.
While you're in creative flow you're creating music, and while you're in creative block you're stagnant (state of non-creation).
What's important to understand here is that when we're creatively blocked it's not because we lose function of our limbs and we can't physically bring ourselves to create music or draw in MIDI notes in our DAW right?
This brings us to our perspective shift:
A creative block is rooted in the mind and it's self perpetuated.
So if a creative block is only in the mind that means it's within our full control, because we conscious beings and we control the mind.
Think back to your last creative block.
From my 1:1 sessions with students and my own experience it's clear that blocks happen when we're thinking too much (being in our heads), instead of taking physical action by jamming out or creating music (feeling into our body).
Once you realize that a block stems from within you, suddenly you posses a newfound power over it.
With practice you'll begin to recognize when you're slipping into a block.
How can you tell?
It's when you begin to overthink.
Or another way I like to think about it:
It's often when you begin to think more about the music, rather than actually taking part in creating the music.
So the remedy is simple:
Just keep creating.
If you can simply take one small step, add 1 more note, apply 1 more effect, that's half the battle.
Don't think about the feeling of not being inspired, feeling tired or unmotivated or about making the best decision.
Just make any decision (with it's flaws and all) and keep putting ideas down.
The moment I realized that creative blocks are simply a choice I make, it all changed for me.
Do I listen to my thoughts and fantasies and succumb to this temporary feeling?
Or do I keep creating despite feeling blocked and potentially finish a timeless piece of music which will only help me improve?
The choice seems easy when it’s laid out this way isn’t it?
If you simply keep the channel open and you keep creating, it's literally impossible to be blocked.
2) Tap Into Flow States At Will
Flow states (just like creative blocks) seem to be commonly misunderstood by most creatives.
The vast majority of artist have no sure fire way to get into these states at will.
In fact, most artists believe flow states are simply out of their direct control and happen only when a combination of the right conditions are met or the planets align in a rare astrological formation.
I won't deny the fact that some days seem to feel more open to ideas than others, but to state they're a random occurrence which we have no control over is a stretch.
Not just a stretch but a limiting belief.
In fact, the concept of flow states has been extensively studied and well researched which luckily for us gives us unique insights into the building blocks needed to tap into flow state.
We will create this formula by taking from 2 foundational proven facts:
People who set specific, actionable goals are 33% more likely to achieve them compared to those who do not.
Highest-performing athletes, artists, and creators reach optimal performance when they’re deeply absorbed in the process rather than focusing on the outcome.
Now we can take these 2 powerful facts and create a simple 3 step formula.
The Flow State Formula
Set a specific, and clearly defined achievable goal.
Set a constraint to limit stimulus and increase focus.
With your full attention and focus complete the goal.
Let's add some context to this now.
What would this look like in the studio?
Clearly defined goal: Write 5 variations of a top line melody in the key of D minor.
Set a constraint(s): In the key of D minor and set a timer for 10 minutes.
Take action: Press start on the timer and complete the goal within the established constraints. Full focus, no distractions.
By setting these specific 'rules' to play within we can begin to build a clear and purpose driven environment, which is exactly how flow states thrive in.
The highest form of creativity is found by improvising within a set of restrictions.
— Christopher Nolan
3) Develop A Daily Habit Of Music Creation
In order to actually begin to hear lasting improvement in our music we can't neglect the importance of good old fashioned dedication to the craft.
As a great philosopher once said:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
— Aristotle
And it makes sense right?
The more music you make, the more practice you get at making music.
The more practice you get, the better the music you’ll make.
It's a self perpetuating cycle.
Just as the Law Of Large Numbers taught us, this is the key if we want to establish our sound as an artist.
Remember the musical mosaic?
Ok well that's great and all but…
What if you already know consistency, discipline and dedication to your craft is important but for some reason there's a part of you that you just can't seem to build up the will power to stick with it long term?
Don’t get me wrong, it can be tough.
At one point I was there too, but there are proven strategies that can help you stay consistent and build the daily discipline required to see exponential growth.
Musical Momentum is my 32-page ebook where I share how to cultivate a sustainable daily habit of music creation with a practical time management system for continuous growth as a music producer. Lear more here.
One example I like to point to is a lesson from comedian and writer Jerry Seinfeld.
Jerry understood the importance of consistency and the effect it had when it came to mastering his skill of writing jokes.
So instead of just keeping a mental tally of his devotion and dedication to his craft, he brought it to life into the physical world.
He did this by creating a game called "Don't Break The Chain"
The game is simple.
Get a calendar (a physical one) and every day you sit down to create music, draw a big bold X on the square for that day.
It's all about creating a positive reward loop by not breaking the chain that will slowly begin to emerge as you mark it day by day.
The reward of course, seeing the length of this chain grow longer.
But why does this exercise work and what makes it effective?
1) It makes your discipline visible, tangible and an obvious priority in your everyday life.
2) Every day you mark an X your brain releases dopamine (this is the reward) which makes this habit addicting when you begin rack up a couple of days and week long streaks.
3) It gamifies your productivity and builds powerful momentum for long term creativity and productivity.
The secret of this exercise is that it's interacting with our senses and our physical environment.
The physical act of drawing the X, the smell of the sharpie and the sticky clear coated paper of the calendar — it's all very real.
The physicality of it all helps when it comes to making changes in our habits, because many times in order to change we need something impactful to snap us out of our current habits and patterns.
This is exactly why vacations are great for ushering change, reinvention, reflection and they help us break old patterns.
Try this exercise if you struggle with sticking to a daily habit of creation.
4) Optimize + Systemize Your Creative Process
Systemization and optimization is one aspect of the creative process that many artists seems to neglect but makes a difference — even more so when the time you can dedicate for your music is limited.
The best part is, implementing systems in your creative workflow doesn't have to be complicated and the ROI is massive.
Optimization allows you to do more with less, which saves you time and precious creative energy.
One easy way to start is by creating standard operating procedures (SOP).
Think of an SOP as a automatic action you take after a certain task is completed.
I recommend starting with SOPs because you will feel the changes almost immediately and it will help you streamline repetitive decision making task we often don't realize we're doing because they've become habitual.
When these once repetitive task no longer stand in your path you'll be free to spend that creative energy on other parts of the process that intrigue you and excite you more — which makes creation so much more enjoyable.
Here are some ideas to get you started on creating or identifying your own SOPs:
Set your own custom patches as defaults on VSTs.
Make templates with preselected sounds and instruments.
Organize sample and midi libraries.
Learn to use hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts.
Train yourself to preform specific actions (rituals) when you hit certain milestones in your songwriting process.
These strategies will slowly trim the fat off from your process and you'll notice your sessions flow a lot more smoothly.
That's not all, one of the biggest benefits is that you'll begin to enjoy the act of creation once more and it will help you stay committed to your craft for longer stretches of time.
Reigniting Your Musical Creativity
While there's plenty of more exercises and strategies for each of these 4 keys, these are enough to get you started in the right direction.
Once you begin to live in this new plane of awareness and begin to realize that we have far more control over our creativity than we previously imagined, we'll be able to see first hand how the Law Of Large Numbers manifests itself in our music.
Most importantly this positive creative momentum will fill your days with excitement, anticipation and an newfound eagerness to sit down to make music.
Hope this was useful and see you in the next one.
— Hermes
P.S. If you're serious about finishing more authentic music, evolving your sound, and building creative momentum, here are 3 ways I can help:
→ Creative Foundations Vol. 2 (Free): A 17-page starter guide to help you consistently finish more music. Inside, you'll discover the proven 5-stage creative process I teach artists—so you can overcome blocks, organize your ideas, and develop a sustainable songwriting flow.
→ Signature Sound Workshop (Waitlist): My step-by-step mentorship program to help you finish more music, develop a recognizable sound, and build a body of work that’s true to you. The beta version is open now for a limited time.
→ 1:1 Mentorship & Coaching: Apply to work with me directly. Together, we’ll identify and eliminate your creative bottlenecks, refine your unique sound, and design a personalized workflow for long-term growth.
So good!!!