The Game Composer’s Blog

When working day after day on a contract, or multiple contracts, eventually the time will come when you just feel tapped out. It seems all the musical ideas that ever were in your head have finally been used up. You’re empty.

But you said the music would be done in three days. (Cue Keanu) What do you do?

When that happens to me, I don’t force it. I take a break. Nothing recharges the creativity bank like a little time off. Go walk the dog. Clip your toenails. Read a book, play a video game. Do anything that doesn’t require you pulling magical melodies and heart-wrenching harmonies out of thin air. Music is the most abstract of the arts. To create something good requires constant concentration and an eternal ear for details. It is extremely draining.

So, knowing this, plan ahead. To be creative all day long just isn’t realistic. Break your work day into 2-4 hour-long bits with plenty of rest time in between. Picture yourself with a little Sims-like bar above your head which measures creativity. That bar’s going to drain so get ready to fill it back up with those breaks. You’ll end up saving time in the long run because you won’t have to deal with writer’s block and an increasingly tense, stressed-out mindset. You’ll have a better attitude overall as you don’t get down on yourself for (seemingly) failing at your job. You’ll find new approaches to creating music as you avoid getting into a production rut.

Take those breaks!

Also, find some time at least a few days a week to get some exercise. Nothing clears the mind like a good run around the neighborhood or a friendly tennis game. Endorphins are real. Use them to keep a good attitude and to find a new kind of creative spark.

One final tip, as composers you probably already listen to a lot of other people’s music. Well, keep doing that. But listen to it more critically. Listen to how other people orchestrate, how they structure their pieces, how they construct their melodies. Nothing wrong with recharging your batteries with other people’s creativity. That’s not to say go steal other people’s music… just listen to their music with an ear on how you can apply their processes to your own.
All that being said, sometimes you just have to battle through those inspiration-less periods. You said you’d get that insane amount of music done in an insanely short amount of time. When you have no time to rest, you’ll just have to dig into your bag of tricks. You have one, right? The distillation of your creative method into easy-to-follow steps? Well, if you don’t have one… get one straightaway! Every composer should analyze their creative process and be able to whip something up whenever they’re needed to. That’s why we’re professionals.

But of course, this shouldn’t be standard operating procedure. To always work this way will result in formulaic music, ultimately uninspired. I think that’s a common problem in movies and games of today. Composers aren’t stretching themselves, but rather relying on the currently fashionable orchestrations or rhythms. Yawn.

All of these tips also apply to graphic artists, and even programmers and designers. Most of this is common sense, but it’s easy to get bogged down and ignore that common sense when deadlines and producers are breathing down your neck. Just take a step back every once in awhile. Everyone will benefit from it.