Slow Days, In-between the Art
In my work I oscillate between a variety of different tasks. No day is the same as the next day. I could be doing any of the following on any given day.
Daily Tasks
- composing
- producing
- video game sound implementing
- designing a program book
- walking the beagle
- creating marketing strategies for arts organizations
- creating sound effects
- video editing
- production schedules
- recording voice overs
- speaking with state leaders for the Illinois Council of Orchestras
- marketing my own music
- writing grant letters
- web design
- creating non-profit annual reports
- practicing
- recording music
- more walking of the beagle
You get it, it’s a messy selection of various different tasks. It’s easy to get lost in all of this too. So let’s talk staying organized in my work, especially in Covidland when there are all sorts of distractions.
Staying Organized
Google Calendar
I used to say I live or die by my calendar. Back in 2016 I was working as the Executive Director of the Hyde Park Youth Symphony, Freelance Composer, Education Coordinator of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, and Drumline Director for Loyola University Chicago. I was also still performing back in those days. So with such a busy schedule I got in the habit of creating individual calendars for everything I do. My calendar is a rainbow of different tasks. And if all I’m doing is answering emails, well that goes in the calendar too. I like to keep track of where my hours are going.
Asana
I like to use lists. I keep track of all sorts of notes through Evernote, OneNote, and good old fashioned pieces of paper. In addition to notes, I like to keep my to-do list active with deadlines. I really like Asana. It’s a great software/app to easily make to-do lists and you can even sync them with your Google Calendar or iCal. It’s not about being reliant on the technology, it’s about making the technology save you time. I’m sure my wacky method of keeping different tasks in different places is ridiculous to some, but it works for me. I often think of something I need to do or want to do. A lot of the time these ideas pop up at random times and with so much going on, I’ll forget. So task lists. Use ’em, they’re great.
Off Days or Days Off?
My creativity, like everyone else’s (I assume) ebbs and flows. This is also the case with projects. Sometimes there are days where I don’t have any new work. So what to do then? And what about the days that just feel like crap?
Off Days
I have learned over time that I have a great ability to sit and focus on a project and god 100mph. This is common with us musicians, we’re used to being stuck in a practice room by ourselves working on that one technique or passage over and over and over. Those projects where I’m all in and intensely focused can lead to strong output, sometimes it doesn’t. Either way energy was exerted. I find that after I complete a project, I need a breather. Sometimes this happens mid-project. Some days I just take a half day, work on what I can in the morning, spend the rest of the day walking the dog to the lakefront. A lot of the time I substitute other “mundane and easy work”.
There is always work to be done and let’s be honest, some of it is so easy we don’t have to really focus. There are tasks that I save for those days and although they are “simple”, they are important.
I recently took an off day and I cleaned every bit of my desk gear. I dusted, wiped all the surfaces, cleaned my computer mouse, organized the wires and cables that had gotten out of order, I pulled every key off of my keyboard and washed each one.
Here are some other options:
- cleaning / working on instruments
- changing guitar strings
- rewire cables with interface
- program new sound packs with synthesizers
- update electronic instrument firmware
- create new DAW templates
- update plugins and software
- clean out your computer files
- update website plugins, themes, PHP
- update biography
- update resume
- organize sheet music (you know you’ve been avoiding that one)
I find that this type of work on off days has an immediate payoff and feeling of a job well done. These tasks are easy to see “job complete” and so it doesn’t feel like a lost day. These tasks should get done anyway, it’s just finding the right time to do them.
Days Off
On the flip side sometimes you just need time away. As a musician, our schedules and lives aren’t normal. Before the pandemic we were often working nights and weekends. I know that for myself, working constantly at a non-profit during the weekdays and weekends left me feeling really burned out.
I know we’re seeing this all the time on social media these days, but it’s true: It’s important to take time for you. It’s hard to do, I completely agree. I ran a symphony orchestra and in three years I used less than a four weeks of vacation time. I can tell you right now that it didn’t leave me better off and in the end it didn’t stop the organization from going in a direction I didn’t want it to go.
In my 2020 I was presented with some of the largest situations I wasn’t in control of and decisions that were made for me. In dealing with those experiences, I still work hard. The difference is that I’ve left more space for me. So leave some space for you.