Writer's block, creativity, and the advertising in the way
Response to Max Alper
“If you’re having a writers block as a composer, producer, songwriter, etc I highly suggest you go out field recording for the afternoon on a Saturday instead of locking yourself in the shed. You should spend the day gathering sounds for the sake of themselves without any intention of how you might use them in the future, its not wooey or esoteric to find inspiration in recording environmental sound even well after the fact. It sickens me that there are people in this world who wish to live in absolute silence.”
“absolute silence implies physical isolation, even from environmental “nature” sounds which is why millionaires spend six figures of triple paned windows that soundproof even the bird songs outside the windows of their already isolated vacation homes, if you seek such isolation you’re exhibiting antisocial behavior. eternal silence only happens in death and i’m not interested in that much either.” - Max Alper
Max takes for granted his subjective definition of “being antisocial” and “being social”. Music does require an audience, yes. The relationship of musician and audience towards one another does not reduce to one way of functioning. I doubt that Max is naive to assume the people he speaks of wish to have no relationship to the function of an audience.
With such thoughtful criticism of the music industry, that he doesn’t take into account the role of attention (particularly the loss of it) is an interesting oversight. There now is a rather standard normalization of waiting for music, film, etc behind ads with other music, film, etc. It promotes the assumption that we need no break and can differentiate these in perpetuity, unaffected. This extends to helpful hints pop-ups in software, ads to purchase more storage for your Google account, people you may know suggestions, etc. Larger and less visible: Algorithmic Suggestion. There is little consideration of how these change one’s relationship to attention and in turn to music, to creativity, to self, to audience.
Going out gathering sounds does nothing to combat this. Considering all that’s advertised to us; all that’s suggested we be, do, produce, and achieve: why not leave the gathering at home as well?
We can’t do this because we believe what’s been advertised to us. We are the audience and we think we’re the composer. Without some kind of stillness, something from outside this two-way street, we can expect little new in the way of results.
It’s possible to be an audience anywhere. I believe Max suggests this in what he says. However, we can’t get past this notion that we’re in control and doing the things. More is available as an audience immediately only when we allow ourselves to fully be one. We believe we’re capable of juggling the ads and the feature, the ideas and intrusions, and, after all this, believe that we will create at our best.
We believe our writer’s block has nothing whatsoever to do with these things; that it’s only a matter of doing.