Surfing can teach a person many things about life.
As I’ve been refocusing on producing music, there have been moments of awe at just how much wisdom found in surfing applies directly to producing. (And perhaps, as well, many other endeavours, creative or otherwise).
When I lived in Bali and was in my surfing phase, there were many times I wanted to go out and surf.
But it doesn’t work like that.
There are factors of swells and tides.
Most of the time, the waves really might not be so good.
Over time, I found that the best surf was in the early morning. Thus, going out later in the day never was as enjoyable, as it was always windier with choppier water, and nowhere near as serene and smooth an experience.
And, I also discovered that there were times my body was in (and out of) a state more conducive to better, more enjoyable sessions.
Thus, it turned out to be a fairly small amount of time that all the factors lined up to culminate in an excellent surfing session.
And those times I tried forcing it - going out because I wanted to versus when the conditions were best - tended to be not all that a great experience.
Sometimes, paddling out seemed like hell, when there was disharmony between my body’s state and/or rough waters. Sometimes, all the patience in the world didn’t lure in waves good enough to catch, and the majority of the session was spent waiting begrudgedly. Others, the full focus wasn’t there to place myself in the right place at the right time.
But whatever the case, it became clearer:
The optimal surf always came down to a matter of timing.
With music production, there are often similar dynamics...
Perhaps, the excellent studio sessions come about riding a prime wave of creativity when it rolls in.
And just like with surfing, those waves don’t come at all times. And even when they come, that’s not to say you can’t bail before riding them to the end - or even fail of paddle in and catch them at the right moment.
If you’re out surfing, paddling away and trying to catch waves before the good swell comes in, you’ll probably exhaust yourself, such that when they finally do start rolling in, you won’t have the energy and focus to make the most of them.
Same with music.
It’s been a process that’s not been easy. So many times, I’ve burned myself out trying to force it. So many times, I’ve sat down guided by my logical motivations to be “productive,” ignoring where my body state is at energetically in relation to the waves of creativity, and walked back onto shore disgruntled with nothing inspiring to show.
My relationship with music has perhaps been the most conflicted of any, perhaps for no other reason than most of the time, I’ve approached it ignorantly - having no fucking clue how to surf.
And not “how to surf” in the technical sense. But in that of bringing myself into harmony with the sea.
Tired... not a good time to sit down and force it.
Lacking something key in nutrition... only a matter of time before spin-out.
Sitting down too long... pretty much guaranteed the obstacles are gonna intensify, and it’d be stupid not to get up and take a break for some movement/exercise.
Any of these three things - and they can present themselves so subtly, yet make a huge difference - and it’s practically game-over before I’ve barely started.
So yeah. It’s a lot more fucking complicated that one might think.
And, this also severely limits the windows of time where conditions are optimal to catch those creative waves when they come in - which often seem completely sporadic and unpredictable.
Solutions?
I dunno. I’m still figuring that out through experimentation. Despite having dabbled in production for periods over 15 years, I feel like more of a newbie than ever. And I probably didn’t spend enough time surfing to extract the full amount of wisdom and tune the senses to fully cross it over.
Sometimes, it’s a matter of heading out/in when my body is in state, and sticking at it long enough to bust through the inevitable obstacles and unlock the flow awaiting. The process doesn’t always begin with the big waves rolling in. But you need to get out there and warmed up a bit first anyways.
Sometimes, it’s best to take a time out. No sense at all going out if there are no waves at all in sight for hours or days to come. Though, sooner or later, something drives the body into action, and what proceeds is from inspiration, more than it is out of any desire of “be productive.”
Though either way, there's only one route to mastery: investing time on the water.
Not every session may have those killer waves, nor may we manage to catch them even when they're rolling in. But when we do, they are fucking glorious.
And perhaps, as we stick in there over time to ascend the ladder of mastery - from unconscious incompetence, to conscious incompetence, to conscious competence, and finally to unconscious competence - in creative undertaking of our direction...
We shall become the ones making the waves.
