So, you’re in a slump.
Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve had a win—whether that’s commercial success or simply someone complimenting your work.If you find yourself eating an entire bag of Doritos, I get it. I’ve been there. But here’s something to try after you brush those crumbs off your shirt:
Go Through the Motions
Act like you believe in what you’re doing.
Why?
There are two types of doubt that can creep in:
- Micro Feelings:
These are those specific moments during the creative process—like when you’re in the middle of writing a song and start thinking it sucks. After writing enough songs, you realize that this doubt is normal. It would be strange if you didn’t feel bad at some point in the process.You’ll go through a few s-curves of:- “This sucks.”
- “I suck.”
- “This is okay.”
- “This is pretty great.”
- “I’m pretty great.”
- “This song is decent.”
Until you end up with a finished piece of art.
- Macro Feelings:
These encompass the broader journey—feeling bad about where you are in your music career or life as a whole.
Embrace It
After doing this for 20 years, I know that both micro and macro feelings of doubt are normal. They can last a day, a week, or even years. To be honest, I’m currently experiencing one of those macro slumps as I write this. Part of me is writing this blog post to remind myself that it’s okay.
Create Your Timeline
It helps to write out a timeline of your career s-curves—the peaks and valleys. Here’s a snapshot of my own journey that might resonate with you:
- 2004: Quit college to pursue music (peak)
- 2009: Quit music to go back to college (valley)
- 2012: Signed first publishing deal (peak)
- 2015: Lost that deal (valley)
- 2016: Signed new publishing and record deal (mountain top!)
- 2019: Lost the publishing deal again (valley)
- 2022 (first half): No prospects (hell)
- 2022 (second half): Experienced biggest commercial success, including a fundraiser to write a concept album about my hometown (mountain top again, woohoo!)
- 2023: No prospects; my new album has zero commercial success (depression)
- 2024: Looking at jobs on the Home Depot website but have a few irons in the fire (precarious; could be moving toward a peak or could be spending more time in the valley)
Keep Going
I’m still here, going through the motions and doing the work—trying to stay in songwriter shape. Based on the past, my guess is that things will get better. Athletes don’t quit practicing because they lost a game or season. They practice because they know—whether they feel it or not—they’re improving.
Action, Action, Action
So, put the Doritos back in the cupboard or throw them out. Have a nice cool glass of water, look yourself in the mirror, and say:
“It’s gonna be all right; let’s go get some reps in.”
Love,
Aaron