So, you spend all of this time getting your playing together, doing tons of gigs, recording, touring, and everything else that comes with being a musician. You are having fun and you get caught up being busy and making a living. Playing music becomes a self fulfilling prophecy when you are positive about it. It becomes even more addictive and more fun the better you get, and the more gigs you do. However, if you aren’t careful, before too long its really easy to get overwhelmed and burn out. It’s important to develop some approach to a sense of balance, and when we are caught up in our lives as musicians this can be very difficult.
This overwhelmed/burnt out feeling can come in many different forms. Sometimes it sneaks up on you over the course of weeks or months, other times it may show up after only a few days of concentrated effort. It may come as fatigue, lack of concentration, or you may find yourself hating everything you are working on, writing or playing. People have very different experiences with this and will often show symptoms without realizing it. Being a Musician I tend to become quite obsessed with whatever it is i’m working on. I’m almost always preparing for something, even if there is nothing to prepare for. Many of my musician friends are like this, and I think there are elements to that thought process that are crucial to development of an idea, or any sort of musical development.
The problem for me usually kicks in when I realize that I am just going through the motions or “spinning my wheels” just for the sake of working on something. Some are better at this than others, but in my case many times I keep going just to make sure that I am prepared, or that my ideas are developed and sounding the way id like them to. It can be very difficult to let go of whatever routine you may be working on long enough to get perspective. But usually if you force it you risk the elements of over thinking things, and you stop being “in the moment”.
I’ve noticed that Music and the concept of creativity require a delicate balance. Learning an instrument takes great discipline, time, faith, etc. and we all must learn to persevere through these elements to acquire some fundamental knowledge of our instrument. But creativity has to come from the proper state of mind. Quite often if you are over thinking or obsessing you will, without realizing it, limit your own ability to create by judging too much or worrying about what you played a minute ago, etc. The ability to let go and move on to the next idea is a difficult thing to do and it requires a certain clarity of thought. This is a crucial element of improvisation, and must be worked on as hard as any other element of an instrument.
So how do we work on this Balance? I think the most important thing is to notice when you are reaching the burnt out phase, and take a step back. You may need to take a day off, or even days off. Even if you are in the midst of a tight schedule. I have noticed that getting away and clearing my head can do wonders for my approach. It can take a day, or even a week which I don’t always have when im preparing for something, but sometimes just the proper state of mind can have more to do with the performance than even practicing.
We all have to remember that we have been preparing to play up to this point without even realizing it. Every hour of having the instrument in your hands has added up. Even playing with people you don’t enjoy playing with, or practicing in your parents garage. Every time you have that instrument in your hands you are moving toward something. Even if you are learning what NOT to do. This doesn’t give you license to be OVER confident however. Over the years I have had many students who have complained about their band mates and how down they are when they do gigs with people they don’t enjoy playing with. I remind them that if they can make the band sound good despite the weaker players they will be growing much more than they would if they were just alone practicing.
Using these “triggers” in lesser situations or when we are “burnt out” can have a really useful effect on our routine. If you are in a practice or band situation that isn’t satisfying, it’s just a matter of time before you can become frustrated and burnt out. Also it’s important to keep in mind that this feeling doesn’t discriminate. I’ve felt this feeling in small clubs, and in arenas in front of 20,000 people. If you are touring your mind will often focus more on the travel conditions, what you had for dinner, how much sleep you had, etc. You have to learn how to get your mind in the right state to really sound the best you can. A sense of balance can be achieved through time off, working out, or any other activity you see fit. Sometimes it can make all the difference, and can keep you more focused in the long run. It’s worth exploring your own thought processes to do so.