Something that definitely rings true for me is the deep and almost controlling desire to impress people. I, like most (if not all) other people, like the approval of other people. This in turn turned composing (and other art mediums) from something cool I did, to something insecure. I didn't (and admittedly still don't) feel comfortable sharing what I liked doing because I thought it was too weird, or too stupid. I may not be out of that rut yet, but here is something I noticed: people don't actually care. Not that they don't care about what you do, but they don't care if you screw up. Especially when I talk to other artists, all I get is positive constructive criticism that overall benefits my work. And when I talk to non artists, they never comment on anything bad because they didn't know I screwed up in the first place. So to anyone who may read this, just remember, you don't need to feel insecure about your art. It's your art and nothing can change that. No one will hate you for being human (unless they're a big jerk, at which point you figure out how you want to respond). Just enjoy the process.
@@ZachHeyde It makes it even better when you meet people that more care about the effort than the result! Of course you should still care how well you are performing your craft but don't worry so much you burn yourself out.
Dude. This came at such at a perfect time. I'm a part time composer, but my first love will always be my writing. I fell out of my love of writing after a publisher rejected my book. I'm trying my best to get back into my writing and try again, but I'm so tired. But the idea of it as something that fills me up really helps change my mindset! I've always loved your videos, but this really hits home for me. Thank you!
The algorithm is serving me what I NEED today. [Backstory: I got my first 500 subscribers by doing music tech reviews, but I started doing commissioned software how-to videos and it started eating into my time and desire to create content. - Then, session and live keyboard performances became my day job in 2022. Ever since then, I have been … honestly, kinda miserable! Haha!] I want to start showing up for my craft and doing the work that makes ME happy. Thank you for sharing.
I want to add from my experience of dealing with depression and making music. Making music was the way out for me from all the problems in life music It's like another world where the story was already in the notes and me as the main character in that story. After i got better in music and my goal shifted from loving what I'm doing into (i need to get famous, i have to get work and so on) this thing destroyed me completely i started to hate and delete tracks I'm working on because i thought they were not good enough for the public. So one day I sat back and said alright lets start over i will start learning again and appreciate my tracks and the hard work I'm doing because every new track is a new experience a new learning journey i got back to love my work. For me the solution was to learn and expand my skills for myself not thinking about getting better for the public and for all the lovely people reading this if you think that you need a break from music take a break i found that taking breaks from time to time helps And i always say to my friends (Without learning there is no inspiration and without inspiration there is no music).❤ And thank you all for reading this
You're welcome.❤ And yeah the goal might happen and might not, like you said the way of appreciation to what we do and love doing is more important i totally agree. 🌹@@soran8sora
After one minute of watching, I went to my piano and started jamming. With your voice on speakers, it sounded like one of those “inspirational videos” with over the top emotional music 😄 Fantastic stuff, I wish you a lot of views !
It's fascinating how this dude was a big part of my childhood and suddenly, out of the blue, comes back into my life after all those years and proceeds to answer a heartbreaking dillema that's been haunting me for a painful amount of time. Thank you for this Zach, I truly appreciate everything you've been doing over the years
Definitely needed to hear this. I also got burned out on music a few months ago and have been getting back into slowly. I agree that focusing on having fun and looking at it from an exploration mindset helps a lot!
All these videos make me so happy. My creative endeavors right now are all to satisfy my inner child. It can be easy to feel like i will be judged by everyone for that if i were to share. Thank you for showing this side of your journey!
God damn this video came out at the right time for a lot of people. Myself included. I am forever grateful to the counselling and therapy I get from random TH-cam videos make by people who care.
i started making music when i was 14 y/o 11 years ago i was so happy doing it i met alot of great people feel the same way i do and than i became better at it because it became more than this also found support and people started to discover my music and apreaciating it and after 5 years of doing it I decided to quit because that warm feeling is gone and started comparing my music to others and other things that you talked about in the video i felt emotional drained and life problems that lead me to sell my laptop and equipment and deleted all my music from platforoms and lost connections with my friends unfortunately i didnt realise that gonna stay inside me all the time and after a few years in 2023 i decided to come back i worked so hard to buy new stuff to do it and i did it but it never felt the same only dry music that has no feelings i overthinked it and started looking for "the perfectness" alot until a producer best friend told me the same thing almost everything i couldnt be happier.. Thank you!
Thank you for this. I feel like have a minor burnout. Yesterday i got an anxiety attack and felt that im so bad at playing. It was after a show i played keys the other night, and woke up the day after feeling like i dont play good as keyboards players out there. Again thank you for this . This helps ❤🙏🏻
I needed this! I've had my TH-cam channel for 10 years now and have uploaded on and off in that time. It got to a stage recently that practising piano = prepping for an upload So any time I sat down at the piano I was always conscious that I NEEDED to practise something that I would eventually post online, which eventually frustrated me especially if I was struggling with a piece of music. If I can't play it, I can't upload it. I ended up stressing over an upload schedule and feeling awful if I skipped a month, which lead me to dread the 10 year anniversary of me posting yearly Hallowe'en covers. So I cancelled it this year. I won't be posting a cover for Hallowe'en this year, since the process has become so foreign and almost toxic to me. I'm hoping that removing the uploading/online aspect of piano playing I can get enthused about it again. Small steps, but getting there. Thank you for this video. You always know just what we need, and you are so appreciated!
For me, taking an extended break (and getting to a less stressful point in my life where I had more space for creativity) was super helpful. Another thing is taking the time to just enjoy music in general. (IE - listening to music that inspires you.). I think we've probably lost the art of listening to music for the sake of listening to music, but rather see it as something that belongs in the background of a busy life.
I left Los Angeles at the peak of my music career in the 80s because of this exact thing. I was burnt out, and it felt like I was a slave to my music. I had no work/life balance. I bet if I had had the perspective that this video shares, I could have had a paradigm shift and rebalanced. And for what it’s worth, I too think the entire starving artist yields more profound art is a crock. As composers, we need to be able to produce when we have to because of a job. Who wants to be depressed all the time to make great art. But still, having balance in our lives is crucial. Thanks for putting this on YT Zach. Wise beyond your years my friend.
Yeah this is something that has needed to be addressed. There are a myriad of reasons that it has gone from a satisfying experience to one of drudgery. This video helps to unclutter and unwind some thoughts on that. Thank you.
thank you zach for your words i'm still here after all these years i've been feeling down those last few years and i'm still trying to do my best into my piano journey thank you
Great talk, and quit accurate. One line that stuck out: How can you do what you love, if you're not loving what you do. I learned another phrase from my own journey: You can create by either being "driven" or by being filled with "desire." The first is from outside ourselves and feeds the ego - the second comes from within and nurtures the soul. Thanks for your video and for sharing your ideas and inspirations!!
6:41 If I were feeling miserable and not enjoying the *whole* process of a hobby, then that's a sign that it might be best to consider a different one. I've noticed some would either go on a hiatus or continue generating ideas to prevent or recover from burnout.
after pa died I used to ride my two wheeler down to teh creek every 2nd day after school and just sit by the bank and watch the water run. I'd think of nothing for a few hours and then vivid imagery would appear from the ripples in the creek. at first small things, like tiny dancing men in tight jeans leaping out of the water and then soon valleys and mountains would form and by 8 pm i'd be in the dark painting vivid worlds in my mind. I'd ride back in the dark and still be half left in that imaginary world of joy. I'd be back at 8:30, maybe 9 (depends on energy levels) and granny would have put my dinner in the fridge, whatever slop she served up. thank you.
Great content, as usual, I guess. PS: Try to put the notebook or whatever you're reading just a little bit higher. It's very distracting and annoying to see how you look down every time you read.
Me when I find the weirdo who gets annoyed by… *checks notes* somebody looking down. Sorry, I had to look down to check those notes. Hope I didn’t annoy you.
Something that definitely rings true for me is the deep and almost controlling desire to impress people. I, like most (if not all) other people, like the approval of other people. This in turn turned composing (and other art mediums) from something cool I did, to something insecure. I didn't (and admittedly still don't) feel comfortable sharing what I liked doing because I thought it was too weird, or too stupid. I may not be out of that rut yet, but here is something I noticed: people don't actually care. Not that they don't care about what you do, but they don't care if you screw up. Especially when I talk to other artists, all I get is positive constructive criticism that overall benefits my work. And when I talk to non artists, they never comment on anything bad because they didn't know I screwed up in the first place. So to anyone who may read this, just remember, you don't need to feel insecure about your art. It's your art and nothing can change that. No one will hate you for being human (unless they're a big jerk, at which point you figure out how you want to respond). Just enjoy the process.
Great observations, totally agree - recognizing people don't care as much as we do about our art is a huge weight off creative people's shoulders!
@@ZachHeyde It makes it even better when you meet people that more care about the effort than the result!
Of course you should still care how well you are performing your craft but don't worry so much you burn yourself out.
Dude. This came at such at a perfect time. I'm a part time composer, but my first love will always be my writing. I fell out of my love of writing after a publisher rejected my book. I'm trying my best to get back into my writing and try again, but I'm so tired. But the idea of it as something that fills me up really helps change my mindset!
I've always loved your videos, but this really hits home for me. Thank you!
So glad to hear this could help - excited for you to rekindle your passion 🙂
The algorithm is serving me what I NEED today. [Backstory: I got my first 500 subscribers by doing music tech reviews, but I started doing commissioned software how-to videos and it started eating into my time and desire to create content. - Then, session and live keyboard performances became my day job in 2022. Ever since then, I have been … honestly, kinda miserable! Haha!] I want to start showing up for my craft and doing the work that makes ME happy. Thank you for sharing.
I want to add from my experience of dealing with depression and making music.
Making music was the way out for me from all the problems in life music It's like another world where the story was already in the notes and me as the main character in that story. After i got better in music and my goal shifted from loving what I'm doing into (i need to get famous, i have to get work and so on) this thing destroyed me completely i started to hate and delete tracks I'm working on because i thought they were not good enough for the public.
So one day I sat back and said alright lets start over i will start learning again and appreciate my tracks and the hard work I'm doing because every new track is a new experience a new learning journey i got back to love my work.
For me the solution was to learn and expand my skills for myself not thinking about getting better for the public and for all the lovely people reading this if you think that you need a break from music take a break i found that taking breaks from time to time helps
And i always say to my friends
(Without learning there is no inspiration and without inspiration there is no music).❤ And thank you all for reading this
I love this - so glad you've rediscovered your passion for your art ❤️
@@ZachHeyde ❤ thank you zach also keep up the good work with these videos its helping a lot of people like me 🌹
Thanks for sharing
You're welcome.❤ And yeah the goal might happen and might not, like you said the way of appreciation to what we do and love doing is more important i totally agree. 🌹@@soran8sora
Thank you for sharing! Keep up the great work!
As a burnt out music student I needed this, thank you so much
Wow, Zach. I love this quote from the video: "Doing something you love isn't a waste of time". Thanks for a very personal and inspirational video.
🙏
@@iamfrankbiesta beautiful huh? I wrote it down and stuck it to my wall to remind me. What a quote!
After one minute of watching, I went to my piano and started jamming. With your voice on speakers, it sounded like one of those “inspirational videos” with over the top emotional music 😄
Fantastic stuff, I wish you a lot of views !
Love to hear this!! 😁
It's fascinating how this dude was a big part of my childhood and suddenly, out of the blue, comes back into my life after all those years and proceeds to answer a heartbreaking dillema that's been haunting me for a painful amount of time.
Thank you for this Zach, I truly appreciate everything you've been doing over the years
Dang thank you! ❤️
I think "mindfulness" is the word for "loving what you do". 🙌
Definitely needed to hear this. I also got burned out on music a few months ago and have been getting back into slowly.
I agree that focusing on having fun and looking at it from an exploration mindset helps a lot!
All these videos make me so happy. My creative endeavors right now are all to satisfy my inner child. It can be easy to feel like i will be judged by everyone for that if i were to share. Thank you for showing this side of your journey!
So happy to hear it, thank you for sharing 🙂🙏
A needed talk, thank you ❤🎵🎶
God damn this video came out at the right time for a lot of people. Myself included. I am forever grateful to the counselling and therapy I get from random TH-cam videos make by people who care.
Glad to hear it helps 🙂
i started making music when i was 14 y/o 11 years ago i was so happy doing it i met alot of great people feel the same way i do and than i became better at it because it became more than this also found support and people started to discover my music and apreaciating it and after 5 years of doing it I decided to quit because that warm feeling is gone and started comparing my music to others and other things that you talked about in the video i felt emotional drained and life problems that lead me to sell my laptop and equipment and deleted all my music from platforoms and lost connections with my friends unfortunately i didnt realise that gonna stay inside me all the time and after a few years in 2023 i decided to come back i worked so hard to buy new stuff to do it and i did it but it never felt the same only dry music that has no feelings i overthinked it and started looking for "the perfectness" alot until a producer best friend told me the same thing almost everything i couldnt be happier..
Thank you!
Thank you for this.
I feel like have a minor burnout.
Yesterday i got an anxiety attack and felt that im so bad at playing.
It was after a show i played keys the other night,
and woke up the day after feeling like i dont play good as keyboards players out there.
Again thank you for this .
This helps ❤🙏🏻
Ayee ive been looking for a video like this for a long time. Thank you 🙏
So many gems here, love it Zach!!! "Fun's the name of the game" is my new motto haha 😂
Heya thanks Cheska - maybe I've gotta make a t-shirt when I hit 100k 😉😂
I needed this!
I've had my TH-cam channel for 10 years now and have uploaded on and off in that time.
It got to a stage recently that practising piano = prepping for an upload
So any time I sat down at the piano I was always conscious that I NEEDED to practise something that I would eventually post online, which eventually frustrated me especially if I was struggling with a piece of music. If I can't play it, I can't upload it.
I ended up stressing over an upload schedule and feeling awful if I skipped a month, which lead me to dread the 10 year anniversary of me posting yearly Hallowe'en covers.
So I cancelled it this year. I won't be posting a cover for Hallowe'en this year, since the process has become so foreign and almost toxic to me.
I'm hoping that removing the uploading/online aspect of piano playing I can get enthused about it again.
Small steps, but getting there.
Thank you for this video. You always know just what we need, and you are so appreciated!
Good on you for taking the rest Carza! You'll find that space for yourself within your art again, only a matter of time 🙂
So young, yet so wise. Thank you. I needed that.
It's interesting how relatable this is. Most people, even outside music, don't enjoy what they do
Long time since i found a genius on youtube thanks for the energy.
That's super kind haha 🙂
For me, taking an extended break (and getting to a less stressful point in my life where I had more space for creativity) was super helpful. Another thing is taking the time to just enjoy music in general. (IE - listening to music that inspires you.). I think we've probably lost the art of listening to music for the sake of listening to music, but rather see it as something that belongs in the background of a busy life.
Totally agree 🙂
I left Los Angeles at the peak of my music career in the 80s because of this exact thing. I was burnt out, and it felt like I was a slave to my music. I had no work/life balance. I bet if I had had the perspective that this video shares, I could have had a paradigm shift and rebalanced. And for what it’s worth, I too think the entire starving artist yields more profound art is a crock. As composers, we need to be able to produce when we have to because of a job. Who wants to be depressed all the time to make great art. But still, having balance in our lives is crucial. Thanks for putting this on YT Zach. Wise beyond your years my friend.
Thank you Paul 🙏
Thanks Zach! Art can become just a job or an obligation. It's important to remember it should be fun, something to build on.
100%! Glad it resonated 🙂
Yeah this is something that has needed to be addressed. There are a myriad of reasons that it has gone from a satisfying experience to one of drudgery. This video helps to unclutter and unwind some thoughts on that. Thank you.
man I need this right now
Thank you Zach, i was really needing that talk
Yeah this video hits
Thank you for this heartfelt message. Highly appreciate it.
Man, that's wonderful
thank you zach for your words i'm still here after all these years i've been feeling down those last few years and i'm still trying to do my best into my piano journey thank you
Good to hear from ya Jojo! 😁
Great talk, and quit accurate. One line that stuck out: How can you do what you love, if you're not loving what you do. I learned another phrase from my own journey: You can create by either being "driven" or by being filled with "desire." The first is from outside ourselves and feeds the ego - the second comes from within and nurtures the soul. Thanks for your video and for sharing your ideas and inspirations!!
Well said! 🙏
This... I needed this Zach. Thank you!
Great conversation man🙏🏽
Absolutely love this, Zach!
thank you, that's what I needed
Really needed to hear this, thank you!
beautifully put, and its great advice for really any creative endeavor 🙏
These guys are so right... exact at the right time. Thank you so much for this video. First words did hit hard though 😅
🙏
This is incredibely helpful
Man! I really do love ya! Thanks 🙏.
I don't know how, but I had the exact same thought to myself when I saw this video. Watching.
6:41 If I were feeling miserable and not enjoying the *whole* process of a hobby, then that's a sign that it might be best to consider a different one. I've noticed some would either go on a hiatus or continue generating ideas to prevent or recover from burnout.
after pa died I used to ride my two wheeler down to teh creek every 2nd day after school and just sit by the bank and watch the water run. I'd think of nothing for a few hours and then vivid imagery would appear from the ripples in the creek. at first small things, like tiny dancing men in tight jeans leaping out of the water and then soon valleys and mountains would form and by 8 pm i'd be in the dark painting vivid worlds in my mind. I'd ride back in the dark and still be half left in that imaginary world of joy. I'd be back at 8:30, maybe 9 (depends on energy levels) and granny would have put my dinner in the fridge, whatever slop she served up. thank you.
We just need better samples that's all! :D Thanks for this video, Zach!
😂🙏
Its so weird 😕
I was just thinking about this
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing! Please do you have a composers discord group? If you do I'd like to join. Keep up the great work!
Not at the moment, but you'll hear about it if it comes to pass!
@@ZachHeyde ok. Thanks.
🙌
Great content, as usual, I guess. PS: Try to put the notebook or whatever you're reading just a little bit higher. It's very distracting and annoying to see how you look down every time you read.
Thank you! I'm actually just looking around in my brain haha, not reading anything 🙂 But noted for future stuff!
@@ZachHeyde My bad then, keep up the great work!
Me when I find the weirdo who gets annoyed by… *checks notes* somebody looking down.
Sorry, I had to look down to check those notes. Hope I didn’t annoy you.