Aim for the fluidity of expression, rather than the continuity of time

You don’t need to put in more hours, you need to pull off more iterations. Meaning, the repetition of a process to generate a sequence of outcomes.

Where each repetition is a single iteration, and the outcome of each one is the starting point of the next. You take multiple opportunities to revisit ideas and critically reflect on their implication.

And ultimately, your work keeps spiraling up until more interesting and accurate results are achieved.

I use this distinction in virtually every area of my creative life, particularly with songwriting. Because I have been playing and composing music for over thirty years now. I am well past the ten thousand hour mark. I don’t need to sit in a room all night, trying to master some classic rock guitar riff that will impress girls at parties.

That’s a very hourly mindset. The iteration mindset is going:

Okay, let’s see what kind of experiment we can do today. Let’s explore different styles, themes, narrative structures and lyrical strategies that we’ve never tried before. Let’s aim for the fluidity of expression, rather than the continuity of time.

II’m flashing back to college in the late nineties. I got a job at the campus radio station, both working on the production staff to create commercials, promos and bumpers; and also hosting a weekly show.

Now, my two hour time slow was all unplugged acoustic music. That was the genre I loved, and also played myself. To be honest, I was kind of snobby about listening to any other type of music.

But our station had a diverse programming schedule. The deejay who played after me only spun electronic records. And I would often stick around the studio after my show to listen.

One morning I remember thinking to myself, you know, this playlist isn’t half bad. I never really listened to dance, techno, or downbeat ambient albums before. But I dig this genre. It’s super chill. And the best part is, I don’t need to be high on ecstasy twirling glowsticks at an abandoned warehouse to enjoy it.

Since then, I have developed a longtime infatuation with electronic music. I’ve discovered hundreds of new albums from artists that I never would have even acknowledged when I was young. That was the code back then. Nineties folk rockers wouldn’t be caught dead listen to that oonz oonz oonz crap.

And yet, today electro is the first thing I listen to each morning, and over half of my total catalog. As a result, my songwriting iterated with new sounds and directions I otherwise would not have attempted. I’m still an acoustic singer songwriter with a guitar, but my composition and performance journey is different.

Listening to electronic music inspires me to vary my strumming patterns that add a sense of dynamic groove to the songs. When I go busking in the park, I use the naturally ambient surroundings as a tool for manipulating sound in ways I never used to. I treat the chirping birds or pouring rain as sampled sounds or field recordings to add unique and unexpected elements to my concerts.

These are all iterations. The outcome of which is the starting point for the next one.

Remember, it’s not the fluidity of expression, but the continuity of time. Whatever kind of work you like to make, go see what experiment you can do today.

Try something you’ve never tried before.

Nobody’s paying attention anyway, so you have nothing to lose.

What was the last iteration that made you a better creator?