Insights from my mindfulness practice

[fopylo]

Hi, I know I've talked a bit about my mindfulness experiences and great moments, but I have a story to share:

So I was having trouble understanding how can you focus on the sensations of feelings without suppressing thought (and vies versa). I thought that focusing on feeling will cause the thoughts to disappear and hence lower the quality of the feeling and the experience, and then the feeling will disappear since there's no thought to fuel it.

Ok, to the point. So I just came back from my mindfulness practice and tried to focus on 'feeling' (emotion) and to see why it doesn't work for me and that maybe I could gain a different perspective. And I've become aware that usually when I focus on my emotions, I subconsciously tend to monitor them - meaning I try to feel more sad/happy than I actually am in order to have a clear sense of what I'm going to feel in my body and practice being mindful. The problem is that I'm escaping from feeling an unknown feeling I'm experiencing (perhaps I fear I won't get a result because I can't feel nothing in particular? Or maybe I don't know how to feel what is?).
Thankfully I became aware of it, and now I am left with contemplating what does it really mean to feel an emotion.
So a big insight I had:

 

Thought and feeling don't suppress each other (they can co-exist in a harmonic way), but rather it is the resistance to feeling which leads to an escape to thought (and vies versa). This also creates the illusion that only one of them can exist in peace, when in fact it is letting them be as they are and embracing them as a whole now which brings peace.

I've realized that feeling emotions is more like being  with them. It means giving them space to be in my experience, with my awareness. Thought will likely come, and it might even interfere and shake me a bit. I just need to give the thought the space to be part of this experience and it does not interfere, just there.

When I rode back home I've stumbled across two people I know and said hello and felt quite happy. I let the happy be without trying to focus too much on monitoring, ironically amplifying it. It got me to realize that many people who are less conscious may be letting feelings be more often than me, but I feel like this practice helped me know  I'm feeling.

This is all good, but obviously I still have difficulty managing it. I still don't know what to do when I feel nothing (or don't know what I'm feeling), still a bit not easy to let feeling and thought co-exist without trying to exclude one, thinking 'I am trying to practice mindfulness and therefore I need to restrict my attention to one of them'.
In general it is hard for me to convey my true emotions while in conversation, and I believe it to be because it is hard for me to connect with them.
Hopefully this practice will help me be able to deliver my true feelings and opinions in conversation with more ease and inner peace.

 

I would sincerely appreciate your thoughts on this ?
I would like to thank @Nahm and @EmptyVase for giving me bits of wisdom to get me contemplating those things on my own ?❤?

[Nahm]

@fopylo

Sounds like some great breakthroughs. The emotional scale can be very illuminating. 

[Guest EmptyVase]

@fopylo

In addition to what Nahm wrote I'd draw your attention to the new momentum that is going on, which is that of feeling and expressing. The old momentum is the resistance. You've already noticed that the resistance isn't feeling quite right <- noticing that is already the new, fresh momentum.

It takes it's time until the old momentum is fully emptied out, but you'll feel better and better as you keep going. At the same time, the new momentum of feeling and expressing takes its place.

So yeah, at the end it comes down to aligning with the new vibration which has entered. Welcoming and receiving it.

[fopylo]

@EmptyVase Yeah so you see, I still try in subtle ways to control my feelings. I'm like:

"what does it mean to express? Does expressing mean becoming aware of it? Ok, well.. here I go, try to express.. Shit, I'm pushing myself! Hold back, it's ok, just feel whatever is. Ok, now let's see what it really means to express and be aware... Where is the breaking point so that I can know how to do it? Shit, I'm trying to wrap my mind around it, trying to conceive and capture the process in my mind, but it doesn't work! I want to know what I'm doing and how to do it so that I can use it in my life but it seems to back-fire on me!"

[Guest EmptyVase]

@fopylo

That's classical overthinking right there. 

You can do this now by looking at the emotional scale: You've expressed your thoughts about expressing your thoughts. How do they feel? Where would you locate yourself in the emotional scale? As you do this, go up the emotional scale by fully expressing each emotion, and everything which comes to mind while doing it.

If, say, you locate yourself at the level of blame, you might also be thinking of other times in your life where you blamed yourself or others. Write that down too. Empty out until you feel there's nothing left to empty out. As you do that, you will naturally fill in the empty space with thoughts that feel better to you, even if it is going from blame to worry.

Notice how you drop weight as you express, without worrying how you actually do that. And even if you do worry on the how-to-express, then that's what your expression will be about.

What also comes to mind is activities which require not that much thinking. Playing an instrument, working out, letting it out on a punchbag, drawing, dancing, randomly moving your body (good in combination with a cold shower), etc. 

[fopylo]

I think what you're saying requires me to have some kind of meta perspective on my own mind processing which I don't have yet. The emotional scale kinda confuses me because:

1) what does it mean to "gently practice reaching for a better feeling thought"? By "reaching" does it mean monitoring my thoughts?

2) How far should I take it? It seems that if I'm going from jealousy to hatred and then anger, I might as well take it to Joy, but why would I do that? It's like as if my goal is to feel joyous every moment. 

[Guest EmptyVase]

8 hours ago, fopylo said:

I think what you're saying requires me to have some kind of meta perspective on my own mind processing which I don't have yet.

Yes and no. You will go meta eventually, but with the emotional scale it's solely about expressing your thoughts about any topic. You don't necessarily have to go meta while you're expressing. Going meta sorta happens by itself. The more you express, the more dots naturally start to connect.

8 hours ago, fopylo said:

The emotional scale kinda confuses me because:

When I first saw the emotional scale I was like "nahh screw this" and didn't look at it for some time. Confused me too. It tends to click as you apply it for yourself. At the end, it comes down to using the scale, not thinking about it.

8 hours ago, fopylo said:

1) what does it mean to "gently practice reaching for a better feeling thought"? By "reaching" does it mean monitoring my thoughts?

As you empty out any emotion at any place on the scale, you simply ask yourself: what thought about topic x feels better to me?

Let's make the example of preparing a salad. You might blame yourself for not being able to make a salad, and let out all the blame about yourself, salads, and people who did not taught you how to make salads. As you do that, you do not hold these self-referential thoughts within you. You literally let them out, maybe on a sheet of paper. As you let all the blame out, there will still be thoughts about preparing a salad left. Now you might worry: "Will I be able to make a salad? I don't know how to do it. I never made one. And I would have to go to the grocery store and buy the necessary items. Maybe I just can't do it, even if I try." The shift from blame to worry may not sound good when you think about it, but on an experiental level, it feels better. It feels better because you start to untangle beliefs which are connected to your emotions. That's what counts and what slowly makes you feel better and better. Sometimes, a belief bubble so big bursts, that you feel incredibly reliefed and inspired. You never know which beliefs are held within as long as you do not express them. They can be really subtle, almost unnoticable. But through expression, especially when writing them down, they're in front of your eyes.

8 hours ago, fopylo said:

2) How far should I take it? It seems that if I'm going from jealousy to hatred and then anger, I might as well take it to Joy, but why would I do that? It's like as if my goal is to feel joyous every moment. 

As far as you want to. I wouldn't force anything. I wouldn't even put feeling joyful as the 'ultimate goal'. Imo, it would sound better to say "I've already reached my goal if I'm willing to feel what's within and if I'm willing to express it". But I wouldn't even put that as a goal. It opens the possibility to become neurotic about feeling or expressing. Also, you're ultimately free.

Maybe the grandmaster @Nahm has some additional advice for you.

 

[fopylo]

@EmptyVase

22 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

The more you express, the more dots naturally start to connect.

What do you mean "the more dots naturally start to connect"?

 

22 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

As you empty out any emotion at any place on the scale, you simply ask yourself: what thought about topic x feels better to me?

Let's make the example of preparing a salad. You might blame yourself for not being able to make a salad, and let out all the blame about yourself, salads, and people who did not taught you how to make salads. As you do that, you do not hold these self-referential thoughts within you. You literally let them out, maybe on a sheet of paper. As you let all the blame out, there will still be thoughts about preparing a salad left. Now you might worry: "Will I be able to make a salad? I don't know how to do it. I never made one. And I would have to go to the grocery store and buy the necessary items. Maybe I just can't do it, even if I try." The shift from blame to worry may not sound good when you think about it, but on an experiental level, it feels better. It feels better because you start to untangle beliefs which are connected to your emotions. That's what counts and what slowly makes you feel better and better. Sometimes, a belief bubble so big bursts, that you feel incredibly reliefed and inspired. You never know which beliefs are held within as long as you do not express them. They can be really subtle, almost unnoticable. But through expression, especially when writing them down, they're in front of your eyes.

Very insightful. But how do I express? Weird question I know, but when I try to express I feel like I try  to express and it feels a bit unnatural.

On what should my focus be? Because while "expressing" is an act of freedom, when done in a monitored way, feels like I'm trying to "capture" the moment with my awareness (which seems a bit off).

Also, I want to mention that although it is insightful I believe you really need a flexible mind to do this exercise. To aim towards worry from blame seems so insane for the mind. Like I know that I'm trying to get my brain to think in a certain pattern of believes, while knowing there are higher belief systems. It's quite a radical shift. Hard for me to see how you can be honest with your "negative" believes - Because you think they are right! That's why they're your believes in the first place! And you need to play into your "dumbness". Tricky.

22 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

Imo, it would sound better to say "I've already reached my goal if I'm willing to feel what's within and if I'm willing to express it". But I wouldn't even put that as a goal. It opens the possibility to become neurotic about feeling or expressing.

Exactly. The trap is to develop neurotic behaviors from this work, and I can also be be neurotic.. from avoiding being neurotic 

So when you do your mindfulness practice (or whatever meditation, if you do) and you decide to label "feeling" (inner feeling. or "emotion"), what do you focus on? What are you directing you focus?
Today it has been hard for me to feel a feeling, so what I tried doing is deciding that I want to feel the feeling that I'm most comfortable feeling now, or that is more suited for the situation I'm in (like letting go of this whole hierarchy of feelings). I will admit that it is hard to just let yourself feel whatever without judging yourself.

I also feel that a main problem with the emotional scale (as a map) is that is can really slow down your growth, especially if you're a newbie. You see this scale and your immediate thought is of a hierarchy, which brings in Mr. Neurosis into the game.

[Guest EmptyVase]

14 hours ago, fopylo said:

What do you mean "the more dots naturally start to connect"?

 

Generally speaking, "dots connecting" means bringing seemingly distinct elements into a relationship, so that they intertwine and influence each other. Another perspective might be that of cause and effect. An example may be a traumatic event which happened 10 years ago is affecting how you behave right now.

14 hours ago, fopylo said:

But how do I express? Weird question I know, but when I try to express I feel like I try  to express and it feels a bit unnatural.

From one perspective, you're always expressing - be it knowingly or unknowingly. Think of a child, trying to hide some damage it made - he tries not to express his worries, but the parent obviously sees that he's trying to hide something. The same goes for "not expressing". Not expressing is the expression of not-expression, thus: expression.

To directly answer your question: I write down what I think and how I feel about the topic I want to write about. If it were the case of me not feeling anything, I'd write down what I think about me not feeling anything.

Maybe contemplate, without seeking a solution, why it feels unnatural to you, when you try to express. You could write about why it feels unnatural to you. Maybe something will pop up.

14 hours ago, fopylo said:

On what should my focus be?

I'd suggest feeling good and taking care of the emotions which feel off to you. But it's ultimately up to you what you want to focus on.

14 hours ago, fopylo said:

feels like I'm trying to "capture" the moment with my awareness (which seems a bit off).

Seems a bit off because the "awareness" is not yours. Awareness is aware of you. You are not aware. You are awareness.

14 hours ago, fopylo said:

Also, I want to mention that although it is insightful I believe you really need a flexible mind to do this exercise. To aim towards worry from blame seems so insane for the mind. Like I know that I'm trying to get my brain to think in a certain pattern of believes, while knowing there are higher belief systems. It's quite a radical shift. Hard for me to see how you can be honest with your "negative" believes - Because you think they are right! That's why they're your believes in the first place! And you need to play into your "dumbness". Tricky.

You are honest with your "negative" believes when you write down what you genuinely think and how you genuinely feel. It's right under your nose how you really think and how you really feel. It may be worth asking yourself: Am I truly honest with myself and with what I'm expressing?

It may be worthwhile to not get too stuck on the emotional scale. Again, I wouldn't force anything. Expressive journaling is an amazing tool too, and maybe the emotional scale 'clicks' by itself later on.

14 hours ago, fopylo said:

So when you do your mindfulness practice (or whatever meditation, if you do) and you decide to label "feeling" (inner feeling. or "emotion"), what do you focus on? What are you directing you focus?

These are somewhat distinct practices for me. On the one hand, I meditate, which is just residing in being. On the other hand, sometimes certain emotions come up, which feel off to me. If that's the case, I use the expressive journal to get it out. Most of the time, journaling expressively leads to taking a look at the emotional scale and seeing where the emotions are located at the scale.

14 hours ago, fopylo said:

I also feel that a main problem with the emotional scale (as a map) is that is can really slow down your growth, especially if you're a newbie.

Taking care of your emotions first is one of the biggest things which help you with your growth. Everything is connected to how you feel. At least in my experience.

[fopylo]

@EmptyVase

5 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

From one perspective, you're always expressing - be it knowingly or unknowingly.

Amazing insight. Now that I think about it I'm actually always expressing something, but in most cases very very mild feelings. When I'm trying to be aware of them, however, it can become a bit neurotic and I build lies on top of lies that will do a great job in blocking my way from experiencing what is actual.

 

5 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

You are honest with your "negative" believes when you write down what you genuinely think and how you genuinely feel. It's right under your nose how you really think and how you really feel. It may be worth asking yourself: Am I truly honest with myself and with what I'm expressing?

Yeah exactly. That's what I meant that was very hard, because I know at the back of my mind that my honest thoughts and feelings aren't true and so as a natural response I suppress them (or disregard them, however you'd call it).

As an analogy, you could think about it like an artist who doesn't produce his music because of his maladaptive perfectionism (fear of failing) and he believes that he doesn't have the talent, thus pushes it aside. Maybe not the best analogy but I hope you get it. I still judge my emotions and believes. How could you possibly fucking not? You always hear about hierarchies of emotions from society (obviously), spirituality (a lot) and self help, in subtle ways. There's a very wrong approach towards emotions imbedded in most people which just makes us neurotic and judgmental like myself.

 

5 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

Expressive journaling is an amazing tool too, and maybe the emotional scale 'clicks' by itself later on.

I won't always be next to a journal. Also a habit will need to be built for practicing expressive journaling. There's a pre-phase that I feel quite neurotic even starting doing it, because will probably be quite judgmental.

[Guest EmptyVase]

On 21.5.2021 at 7:45 PM, fopylo said:

That's what I meant that was very hard, because I know at the back of my mind that my honest thoughts and feelings aren't true and so as a natural response I suppress them (or disregard them, however you'd call it).

Yes, it can be tough at times. Though I wouldn't necessarily say that they aren't true. If certain thoughts and feelings are within your perception, then they are true for you. I wouldn't be quick to discard them as untrue. But the interpretation of these thoughts and feelings might be that, which is not true. Interpretation is completely open.

If being honest with yourself is hard for you, consider the following: For years, I knew exactly what I was feeling, but I'd never ever admit it.. until the denial eventually felt worse than just getting it out. So that might be a nice pointer too. Feel that denying and keeping it within feels actually worse than taking the courage, being honest, and 'getting it out' for good (=expressing). Not in the sense of getting rid of it, but putting the weight off your shoulders onto the table in front of you, and looking at them from that angle. Hard to see what's causing you the backpain if the weight blindly stays on your shoulders and you're not willing to look at it.

Once the taste of feeling free is felt, one seeks the lightness that comes with it.

On 21.5.2021 at 7:45 PM, fopylo said:

As an analogy, you could think about it like an artist who doesn't produce his music because of his maladaptive perfectionism (fear of failing) and he believes that he doesn't have the talent, thus pushes it aside.

As I'm making music myself, I totally get that.

On 21.5.2021 at 7:45 PM, fopylo said:

I won't always be next to a journal. Also a habit will need to be built for practicing expressive journaling. There's a pre-phase that I feel quite neurotic even starting doing it, because will probably be quite judgmental.

Oh yeah, I see that. If you're at work, out with friends, etc., and something wants to get out, you can also simply acknowledge whatever you're feeling. I'd count that as expressing too. It absolutely doesn't have to be limited to just journaling. The more variety you find to acknowledge your emotions, the better you will be able to deal with them.

I never made it a habit in the sense of getting my ass down to journal 15 minutes each day. Expressive journaling was always spontaneous for me. If I felt something, which didn't quite resonate, I didn't hesitate to get it out. And everytime after I've written down what was going on in my mind and body, I felt lighter. That's the way I did it. If the day is going good, I don't dig around in my psyche just to find something which bothers me. That way, it never became a forced habit.

Oh and being judgemental about being judgemental once you start doing it.. is being judgemental.

Edited May 24, 2021 by EmptyVase

[fopylo]

@EmptyVase

14 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

But the interpretation of these thoughts and feelings might be that, which is not true. Interpretation is completely open.

Yeah but let's say I feel anxious about some event, then the content of the thought isn't true, so there's a dissonance between knowing that is is false and being honest. Being honest about something you feel and knowing it is not true is not such a nice state to be in. While false sounds objective, it actually carries some emotional charge of "wrong", "not good" and the dissonance occurs because it's like opening yourself up (the honesty part) to the pain (your thoughts/feelings which you know are false and carry a negative emotional charge)
 

14 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

So that might be a nice pointer too. Feel that denying and keeping it within feels actually worse than taking the courage, being honest, and 'getting it out' for good (=expressing). Not in the sense of getting rid of it, but putting the weight off your shoulders onto the table in front of you, and looking at them from that angle. Hard to see what's causing you the backpain if the weight blindly stays on your shoulders and you're not willing to look at it.

Once the taste of feeling free is felt, one seeks the lightness that comes with it.

This year my level of vulnerability shot up. Most of it had to do with asking for help and talking about myself in self help forums, such as this, and over time I got used to it and understood that the only way I can get the best help is if I'm the most vulnerable and open. (talking about something different than open while knowing it is false).

 

14 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

As I'm making music myself, I totally get that.

Dude, for real? My dream is to start making music. You know, basically most of the help I'm seeking is to get to a stage where I can do this smoothly. All this procrastination and fear have been enough already, I have big ambitions! That's why I've been practicing mindfulness (slightly helped), and I've took a break from the book Music Habit: The Mental Game Of Electronic Music Production because I felt that I need to follow it deeper and do some work so that I'll understand better. Have you read it?
Also, what kind of music do you create? Do you have a YouTube channel?

 

15 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

If the day is going good, I don't dig around in my psyche just to find something which bothers me. That way, it never became a forced habit.

Man that hit hard... Like 70% of the time I'm asking for help/ wanting to improve myself, I'm trying deliberately to dig in my psyche to find something that bothers me which I can improve, when right now I am good, or maybe just a slight thing and I try to dig into it very deep. And then it's annoying when nothing is bothering me  (like lately). Fuck I'm not used to it and I feel very bored yet I want to accomplish things in life. Perhaps I have a slight fear that is still holding me back in a very subtle way

[kinesin]

You described some very deep realizations at the beginning of the thread, particularly your observation about being with your feelings, however you seem to have lost touch with that realization in subsequent posts.  The impression I get from the things you've written are that you seem to be under the impression that it's your job to manage your thoughts, feelings and emotions, almost as if you're conducting an orchestra.  You're trying to find ways to manually pull negative feelings toward positive ones.

This is not your job.  Your thoughts and emotions don't need any input from you whatsoever, they're simply going to continue playing out in response to external and internal stimulus regardless of what you do.  Your neurochemical activity is continuous, like your heartbeat and your breathing.  Stop trying to curate it and simply be with it once again.

Quote

And then it's annoying when nothing is bothering me   (like lately). Fuck I'm not used to it and I feel very bored yet I want to accomplish things in life. Perhaps I have a slight fear that is still holding me back in a very subtle way

You're bothered by the fact that nothing is apparently bothering you, because your 'manager-consciousness' is neurotically scanning around for things to fix, and it can't find anything.  The only thing holding you back right now is the fact that you're thinking, rather than being.  Just notice it... you're feeling bored with this downtime, you feel frustrated by the fact that you're bored, because you'd rather be accomplishing things.  Notice that feeling and simply be with it, explore it, let it wash over you, let it happen.  This emotional state will evaporate and morph into something else eventually regardless of what you do.  If the universe wants you to be bored for a while, then be bored for a while.

Edited May 25, 2021 by kinesin

[fopylo]

1 hour ago, kinesin said:

The impression I get from the things you've written are that you seem to be under the impression that it's your job to manage your thoughts, feelings and emotions, almost as if you're conducting an orchestra.  You're trying to find ways to manually pull negative feelings toward positive ones.

This is not true. I still believe in being with the emotions and thoughts and not to manage them.

 

1 hour ago, kinesin said:

You're bothered by the fact that nothing is apparently bothering you, because your 'manager-consciousness' is neurotically scanning around for things to fix, and it can't find anything.  The only thing holding you back right now is the fact that you're thinking, rather than being.  Just notice it... you're feeling bored with this downtime, you feel frustrated by the fact that you're bored, because you'd rather be accomplishing things.  Notice that feeling and simply be with it, explore it, let it wash over you, let it happen.  This emotional state will evaporate and morph into something else eventually regardless of what you do.  If the universe wants you to be bored for a while, then be bored for a while.

Interesting... I am actually disturbed by the fact that I'm trying to scan myself and find nothing, or very small things. I guess this state of boredom isn't something I've experienced that much since I'm used to live in fear and insecurity (which I still do a bit btw). I'm letting it be but there is still a slight bit of fear holding me so it's confusing.

[Guest EmptyVase]

10 hours ago, fopylo said:

Yeah but let's say I feel anxious about some event, then the content of the thought isn't true, so there's a dissonance between knowing that is is false and being honest. Being honest about something you feel and knowing it is not true is not such a nice state to be in. While false sounds objective, it actually carries some emotional charge of "wrong", "not good" and the dissonance occurs because it's like opening yourself up (the honesty part) to the pain (your thoughts/feelings which you know are false and carry a negative emotional charge)

I think I get what you're saying. If simply being honest + recognizing that it's not absolutely true puts you in a nice state, I absolutely don't wanna interrupt. That's great!

What I'd want to add though is that the dissonance felt is your emotional guidance system, telling you that you're not aligned with the truth that you are. You are unbound, unconditional love. You can feel the dissonance of 'untrue' thoughts because it is not 'who/what' you really are.

Counterintuitively, precisely because you are that unbound, unconditional love, you tolerate everything - including 'untrue thoughts', which ultimately, make them the truth, which is this moment right now. That's why being and staying with your emotions can feel so elevating. It is very much in line with the wild, free flow of love.

10 hours ago, fopylo said:

This year my level of vulnerability shot up. Most of it had to do with asking for help and talking about myself in self help forums, such as this, and over time I got used to it and understood that the only way I can get the best help is if I'm the most vulnerable and open. (talking about something different than open while knowing it is false).

That's very admirable of you. A step that only a few people take. Making yourself vulnerable is perhaps one of the main reasons why people are afraid of opening up. It's a brave move. I salute you.

10 hours ago, fopylo said:

Dude, for real? My dream is to start making music. You know, basically most of the help I'm seeking is to get to a stage where I can do this smoothly. All this procrastination and fear have been enough already, I have big ambitions! That's why I've been practicing mindfulness (slightly helped), and I've took a break from the book Music Habit: The Mental Game Of Electronic Music Production because I felt that I need to follow it deeper and do some work so that I'll understand better. Have you read it?
Also, what kind of music do you create? Do you have a YouTube channel?

Yep. If you're just beginning to make music, my single biggest advice would be: playing around is the first and the last step in making music. So, if you didn't already, open up a DAW, grab an instrument, anything that makes sound, and just fuck around with it a bit. The fun of it is what makes it so great.

The only book I've really read about music production was "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio" by Mike Senior. I never found it that necessary to read books about music production, though the one by Mike Senior helped me a lot with my mixing. Books definitely do have their place, but especially if you're starting out, I'd wait before picking up a book. They will make much more sense when you've collected a few hundred hours of experience. YouTube tutorials all the way.

If you want to go more in depth with the producing, I'd recommend learning some basic music theory, sound design, and song arrangement. But most importantly, allllways do it for the fun of it.

I don't have a YouTube channel yet, but once I'm finished with my current project (which I will be dropping on Spotify), I will also create my own channel. Planning on releasing the song with an animated music video. I started out producing hip hop and trap, but I'm getting increasingly interested in electronic music.

[fopylo]

@EmptyVase

11 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

If simply being honest + recognizing that it's not absolutely true puts you in a nice state, I absolutely don't wanna interrupt. That's great!

No dude, exactly the opposite is what I said.

11 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

Yep. If you're just beginning to make music, my single biggest advice would be: playing around is the first and the last step in making music. So, if you didn't already, open up a DAW, grab an instrument, anything that makes sound, and just fuck around with it a bit. The fun of it is what makes it so great.

The only book I've really read about music production was "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio" by Mike Senior. I never found it that necessary to read books about music production, though the one by Mike Senior helped me a lot with my mixing. Books definitely do have their place, but especially if you're starting out, I'd wait before picking up a book. They will make much more sense when you've collected a few hundred hours of experience. YouTube tutorials all the way.

If you want to go more in depth with the producing, I'd recommend learning some basic music theory, sound design, and song arrangement. But most importantly, allllways do it for the fun of it.

I don't have a YouTube channel yet, but once I'm finished with my current project (which I will be dropping on Spotify), I will also create my own channel. Planning on releasing the song with an animated music video. I started out producing hip hop and trap, but I'm getting increasingly interested in electronic music.

You might have never found it necessary to read books about music production because maybe you don't have that much resistance towards it. If it is not such a big deal for you to open your DAW and play around then I get you. The book I am reading has nothing to do with how  to mix and all that (this is just icing on the cake), but rather about mindsets and the getting-into-it stage and doing it smoothly.
What I need is not more knowledge as it is a distraction. First habit, then knowledge (there's no habit though lol).
Btw I know music theory as I play the piano and study music in school.

 

12 hours ago, EmptyVase said:

Planning on releasing the song with an animated music video.

Waiting to hear 

[Guest EmptyVase]

2 minutes ago, fopylo said:

No dude, exactly the opposite is what I said.

Sorry, totally overlooked the "not" in the sentence. My bad!

4 minutes ago, fopylo said:

What I need is not more knowledge as it is a distraction. First fun, then habit

Absolutely agree on that.

5 minutes ago, fopylo said:

Btw I know music theory as I play the piano and study music in school.

I play the piano too and it's possibly the best instrument to know in order to operate a DAW effectively. It's such a big advantage.

9 minutes ago, fopylo said:

Waiting to hear 

Thank you, I'll let ya know.

[fopylo]

@EmptyVase

On 5/26/2021 at 1:42 PM, EmptyVase said:

On 5/26/2021 at 1:32 PM, fopylo said:

What I need is not more knowledge as it is a distraction. First fun, then habit

Absolutely agree on that.

Nice. Though it can become a real pain in the ass (more like suffering) the longer I resist creating.

 

On 5/26/2021 at 1:42 PM, EmptyVase said:

I play the piano too and it's possibly the best instrument to know in order to operate a DAW effectively. It's such a big advantage.

Totally