Motivation for Musicians (13 moves to keep momentum)
Whether you’re a songwriter, singer or a producer, staying consistent is important as a musician. Learning how to sustain inspiration helps you get more creative work done more consistently. It’s just better for everyone.
But it’s also hard sometimes.
While taking occasional breaks is smart, these are my favorite sources of motivation for musicians. It’s the stuff that keeps me going.
So let’s freaking do this!
1. Don’t Wait for Motivation
Relying on motivation to start is a terrible strategy — it’s way too fickle!
So this first tip is a practical and quick (and annoyingly obvious) way to nip creative laziness in the bud. Here it is: just start.
A lot of times, I find that just starting a task is all the spark I need to get things going. It’s all about initiating momentum.
So your only job then is to find the minimum amount of energy needed to spark that reaction — aka, your activation energy principle (to get nerdy about it).
So, since mood follows action, the answer is simple. Just start — big or small, just do something.
Explore more:
➤ Discipline and Consistency (kick-ass tips)
2. Remember That Future Regret Sucks
“Nobody is more anxious than the ambitious person who creates nothing.”
It’s easy to put things off or wait for the “perfect timing”, thinking you have time or the stars will align eventually.
But the truth is, this leads to inaction, slow to no results and eventually, regret (cue the shivers).
I experienced a small taste of this regret after I turned 30. For the first time, I felt the pressure of getting older, time moving fast and me not having met any of my core creative goals. And it sucked.
So let this be your friendly reminder that regret is real. But you’re never too late to start taking action.
3. Keep Your Studio Set Up
Having your music-making space all set up and ready to go on a moment’s notice is a serious hack. It removes all the friction and is perfect for spontaneous songwriting — capturing songs when the mood strikes is key.
This tip is especially helpful for music production (you know, more gadgets and stuff to set up).
Ideally, you can create a designated studio in your home or apartment. But that’s not always possible (like for me, I travel a lot as a digital nomad). So here are some quick tips:
Have a portable music setup
Practice minimalist songwriting
Have your digital spaces set up, easy to access and templated
Explore more:
➤ Your Music Production Starter Kit
4. Hang Around More Musicians
“You’re the average of the five closest people in your life.”
So often, I’m about as good as the company I keep. So let’s hack this law by simply hanging around more people who inspire you.
Having more musician friends is something I never thought about. Many of my friends are creative and supportive, so it wasn’t as much of a concern for me. But recently, I have been meeting more artistic and musical friends — and honestly, I wish I started earlier.
You can share struggles, nerd out on deep topics together, collaborate and inspire each other. So get out there and make some friends!
Explore more:
➤ Networking for Musicians and Artists
5. Have a (public) Project
Projects are goals, challenges or specific songs that you’re working on that serve some specific purpose or end result.
I’m all for spontaneity and willy-nilly songwriting. But having a specific project or purpose can seriously improve your follow through and motivation.
Personally, creative projects add intention, improve focus and make the creative process more strategic (by having specific milestones to work towards).
For example, in 2023 I did a public music challenge (writing a song everyday for one year). And now, I have an upcoming project of blending travel, video and songwriting. For me, these are just fun and creative public projects.
But they keep me accountable (and stoked on making stuff).
So what’s your project?
6. Focus on the Nano
“Stop looking up at the top of the mountain. Just take the first step or two.”
Big projects and to-do lists are intimidating and demotivating. But small steps and micro actions aren’t. So, focus on the nano.
Here’s how I do that when making music:
Break down larger projects into smaller steps
Learn just one plugin, synth or effect at a time
Set realistic timelines
Write simpler or shorter songs
Explore more:
➤ How to Write Songs Faster
7. Fall in Love With Your Music
Being stoked about your own stuff is crucial. It supports motivation, but it also lessens musical burnout and makes for a happier artist. Tyler, the Creator talks about the importance of loving your work in this short clip.
So how do you fall (and stay) in love with your own music? For me, it starts and ends with simply writing songs based on my mood and what makes me happy — aka, intuitive songwriting.
Write for you and no one else.
Rick Rubin talk about this idea a lot. Don’t just create music for your audience. Instead, create for you. You’ll be happier and make more authentic, better music this way. And by default, you’ll better serve your audience this way.
8. Step Away
Whenever I’m in a creative rut, I step away. And it does wonders for my motivation and I always come back with new ideas spilling out. It’s like an elixir for artists, honestly.
Sometimes I step away for just a day. Sometimes it’s for a weekend. And sometimes it’s for longer.
I usually come back once I feel the creative urge to. You probably know that pull I’m talking about. When you sit down to play your instrument and songs are just pouring out. Everything sounds better and you get into a flow state with ease.
That’s the sweet spot and it’s super motivating to live there. For me, stepping away helps a lot.
9. Solve Your Bottlenecks
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Bottlenecks are things that prevent you from working on and/or finishing more music. Whenever I solve them (or avoid them), I’m more motivated and more consistent.
Here are some examples of potential music bottlenecks:
Not enough time
Missing resources or tools
Skill gaps
Confidence issues
Solving a bottleneck is a personal thing. Sometimes it’s easy (like using a personalized workflow for better time management). Other times, it’s trickier or takes more planning (like needing to learn how to sing).
Either way, the better you can manage your bottlenecks, the easier it’ll be to make music. And that’s motivating.
Explore more:
➤ Dumb Barriers to Creativity
10. Be Realistic
Great things take effort and time. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to fall for false beliefs and unrealistic expectations. This can lead to serious motivation issues.
Social media doesn’t help.
Staying realistic means setting realistic timelines, staying patient with your progress or results and embracing music as a lifestyle (not some goal or metric to reach).
If you’re feeling discouraged because of a lack of results, reassess things and try to practice more patience. Become more process-oriented and practice a growth mindset.
This always helps me.
11. Remember Self Care
Good sleep, healthy foods, a calm mind and some decent exercise — these things are serious primers for motivation (music or otherwise).
So in your pursuits of musical awesomeness, don’t forget to eat or take care of yourself. I know how easy it is to let these things get pushed aside for some “later date”.
But the better you feel (physically and mentally), the more motivated you’ll feel and the better your music will be.
I’m no expert, but here’s how I practice self care as an artist:
Meditate daily
Prioritize sleep (7-8 hours)
Eat a balanced diet based on my needs
Light exercise — mainly morning stretches, yoga and walking
Explore more:
➤ My Pillars for Artistic Self Care
12. Curate an Inspo List
An inspo list (inspiration list) is a collection of people, projects, songs and ideas that are most motivating to you as a creative.
You can keep this as a mood board, a document or even a vision board hanging above your bed for gazing upon late at night. Wherever you store it (even keeping it in your head), having clarity on what and who motivates you is helpful for quick hits of inspiration.
For inspiration, here are some things that are doing it for me:
Ed Sheeran before he could sing. This is a reminder that skills are learned not just something you either have or don’t — have a growth mindset.
RØRY, Jared Leto and Franz Ferdinand. These people (and countless others) remind me that age really doesn’t matter — especially nowadays.
That Pitch. An amazing resource for sync licensing deals — it’s a reminder that you can make serious money as a modern musician — far beyond playing shows, teaching or getting famous.
13. Write for You
Write music for you and you alone. Don’t give away your happiness, success or power to any person, algorithm, trend or machine.
Create for you, not for your audience. And by doing that, you’re not only more motivated, but you’re actually better serving your audience and the music industry by being your truest, most authentic self.
Detach from money, metrics and likes. Create like nobody is watching and you could care less if anyone ever does. Trust me, it’s liberating.
Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you here. So, what motivates you most as a musician?
Later ✌️
