How I finish big projects
July 15th, 2023
Good morning, afternoon, or evening!
My album is already celebrating its 1/26th birthday! How amazing! It felt really good to finish off such a big project again. You see, these projects, you don’t do more than one at the same time. That means, finally finishing it gives so much new creative space.
Talking about finishing big projects; for me it’s one of the hardest things to do, especially in the creative industry. And it isn’t always even fun either. In this e-mail, I want to tell you about some things that I’ve learned in the past eight years or so while working on my albums. Hope they might help you too!
First, a little disclaimer: where I normally write my stories mostly from my own perspective, this mail is a little more you-centered. Hope you don’t mind, and know: always feel free to disagree ;). Time to hang a title to this story!
Let’s change the world, shall we?
Starting at the beginning: you will only finish a big project if you started it right. If you just start with anything that comes to mind, you will probably find out the initial idea wasn’t that great, and your initial enthusiasm was temporary. First of all - and I know this is a huge one - you need some kind of goal in your life; call it a purpose. And if you can link a project to that purpose, it makes the project way more valuable. Let’s be honest: why would you spend multiple years on a project if it doesn’t contribute to the purpose of your life?
‘The purpose of your life’ sounds huge, but it doesn’t have to be a crystal clear vision. You don’t even have to be sure about it. The purpose of my life changes with each day. A few years ago it was extremely vague, and now it slowly gets more solid. But, even if it is as unclear as heavy fog, just try to think about what you would want to reach. Which things make you enthusiastic, which things are you good at, and which things might feel more like a must than something you truly want?
When I started my journey in music, my main goal was to create purposeful music; music that conveys a message. My biggest hope was that the music I made in my little home studio, would impact the life of those who would give it their attention. While this is still something I pursue, I also found out I have a way bigger impact on the people close to me. The people I see, and the people I can talk to. Way bigger than the impact I can ever have on a random guy with headphones. This shift of purpose made creating an album, not a main goal but a utility. Having music serves as a portfolio to meet people with an interest in my music and/or my message, and to meet other creatives, and share our lives.
If you have struggles with that ‘purpose of life’ idea, first of all, don’t make it too big for yourself. It is important, but don’t hang too much weight on it. Maybe change the name to ‘dreams for my life’ or something. A book that helped me a lot with it is Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I know, the title is a little cringy hahaha, but it is a great book. A great book about how to get more control over your life when you feel like you are heavily influenced by the world around you.
So, whenever you have an idea for a big project, in my opinion, that should be the first thought process: how does this idea fit in what I think of as the purpose of my life? This is a great thought process because it doesn’t only help you to strengthen the initial plan of the project. It also gives you a clearer image of the purpose of your life itself.
I want to add one last thing; I don’t know if this note is needed but just in case it is: the purpose of your life isn’t necessarily self-centered or individualistic. Let me get a little more direct here: in my opinion, the purpose of our lives is never self-centered, but always about what we can contribute to the world around us. That means I believe the purpose of becoming rich or famous isn’t a solid purpose. It might be a good utility to get to your purpose, but fame and money itself… I wouldn’t recommend building your life on it. But hey, that's just me.
My album is already celebrating its 1/26th birthday! How amazing! It felt really good to finish off such a big project again. You see, these projects, you don’t do more than one at the same time. That means, finally finishing it gives so much new creative space.
Talking about finishing big projects; for me it’s one of the hardest things to do, especially in the creative industry. And it isn’t always even fun either. In this e-mail, I want to tell you about some things that I’ve learned in the past eight years or so while working on my albums. Hope they might help you too!
First, a little disclaimer: where I normally write my stories mostly from my own perspective, this mail is a little more you-centered. Hope you don’t mind, and know: always feel free to disagree ;). Time to hang a title to this story!
Let’s change the world, shall we?
Starting at the beginning: you will only finish a big project if you started it right. If you just start with anything that comes to mind, you will probably find out the initial idea wasn’t that great, and your initial enthusiasm was temporary. First of all - and I know this is a huge one - you need some kind of goal in your life; call it a purpose. And if you can link a project to that purpose, it makes the project way more valuable. Let’s be honest: why would you spend multiple years on a project if it doesn’t contribute to the purpose of your life?
‘The purpose of your life’ sounds huge, but it doesn’t have to be a crystal clear vision. You don’t even have to be sure about it. The purpose of my life changes with each day. A few years ago it was extremely vague, and now it slowly gets more solid. But, even if it is as unclear as heavy fog, just try to think about what you would want to reach. Which things make you enthusiastic, which things are you good at, and which things might feel more like a must than something you truly want?
When I started my journey in music, my main goal was to create purposeful music; music that conveys a message. My biggest hope was that the music I made in my little home studio, would impact the life of those who would give it their attention. While this is still something I pursue, I also found out I have a way bigger impact on the people close to me. The people I see, and the people I can talk to. Way bigger than the impact I can ever have on a random guy with headphones. This shift of purpose made creating an album, not a main goal but a utility. Having music serves as a portfolio to meet people with an interest in my music and/or my message, and to meet other creatives, and share our lives.
If you have struggles with that ‘purpose of life’ idea, first of all, don’t make it too big for yourself. It is important, but don’t hang too much weight on it. Maybe change the name to ‘dreams for my life’ or something. A book that helped me a lot with it is Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I know, the title is a little cringy hahaha, but it is a great book. A great book about how to get more control over your life when you feel like you are heavily influenced by the world around you.
So, whenever you have an idea for a big project, in my opinion, that should be the first thought process: how does this idea fit in what I think of as the purpose of my life? This is a great thought process because it doesn’t only help you to strengthen the initial plan of the project. It also gives you a clearer image of the purpose of your life itself.
I want to add one last thing; I don’t know if this note is needed but just in case it is: the purpose of your life isn’t necessarily self-centered or individualistic. Let me get a little more direct here: in my opinion, the purpose of our lives is never self-centered, but always about what we can contribute to the world around us. That means I believe the purpose of becoming rich or famous isn’t a solid purpose. It might be a good utility to get to your purpose, but fame and money itself… I wouldn’t recommend building your life on it. But hey, that's just me.
* * *
Like always, I was planning to keep the first point in this story short. Guess what didn’t work out… Hahaha. Ok, let’s continue: when thinking about a big project, I would recommend thinking about it for a longer period of time. Do some research, imagine the end result, clarify the idea by writing it out, talk about it with friends and colleagues, maybe make a tiny little start to just taste if it feels right. Just take time to let the idea settle. In my case, there has always been a moment of enthusiasm. Not the initial enthusiasm. Not the spontaneous enthusiasm. I am talking about true enthusiasm for that idea that settled in the past month. I am talking about a deep feeling of knowing that this is something I really want to do.
I started thinking about my second album right after the first one was released (and with ‘right after’ I mean like, a week later). At first, I thought about creating a serious album; an album that would teach the world some lessons. An album about how we can live together in harmony or something like that. Although I thought this was quite a good idea, I couldn’t find a way to make it concrete. What would be the result of this album? I could think of some results, but none of them made me truly enthusiastic. To be honest, it felt a bit like pretending to be wiser than the rest of the world. That image didn’t appeal to me.
Another more practical issue I encountered was that I found serious music to be a bit boring. Right after finishing my first album, I created a playlist with funky music which had as description: “Funky vibes that are not present on my own album but are extraordinarily appreciated by myself.” And that was exactly the issue. Did I want to make a serious album? Because a serious album would probably still not contain those funky vibes.
There the idea of a happy album was born. What interested me most was that I could put some joy in this world. The previous ideas would just add to the pile of people who think they know better. It feels a bit harsh to me to say it that way, but would I be very different from the assholes in the comment section under a news post on Instagram? But then, this idea of making an album about happiness. I loved the result of such an album. I remember, after thinking about this idea for a while, the idea really landed and made me so insanely happy.
In the days that followed, I wrote two songs for that album. And though I have had some downs throughout the past 2½ years, I never doubted that I would finish this album one day. You see, with big ideas it mostly feels like you can better start immediately, when it is still fresh. But the freshness will disappear rather soon. Do you think you can still finish that idea when the enthusiasm is gone? Giving the idea time to settle and knowing that an idea truly feels good also gives that head start, even when the idea isn’t that fresh anymore. The benefit: that connection between you and that project idea endures way longer than the freshness of a new idea.
I started thinking about my second album right after the first one was released (and with ‘right after’ I mean like, a week later). At first, I thought about creating a serious album; an album that would teach the world some lessons. An album about how we can live together in harmony or something like that. Although I thought this was quite a good idea, I couldn’t find a way to make it concrete. What would be the result of this album? I could think of some results, but none of them made me truly enthusiastic. To be honest, it felt a bit like pretending to be wiser than the rest of the world. That image didn’t appeal to me.
Another more practical issue I encountered was that I found serious music to be a bit boring. Right after finishing my first album, I created a playlist with funky music which had as description: “Funky vibes that are not present on my own album but are extraordinarily appreciated by myself.” And that was exactly the issue. Did I want to make a serious album? Because a serious album would probably still not contain those funky vibes.
There the idea of a happy album was born. What interested me most was that I could put some joy in this world. The previous ideas would just add to the pile of people who think they know better. It feels a bit harsh to me to say it that way, but would I be very different from the assholes in the comment section under a news post on Instagram? But then, this idea of making an album about happiness. I loved the result of such an album. I remember, after thinking about this idea for a while, the idea really landed and made me so insanely happy.
In the days that followed, I wrote two songs for that album. And though I have had some downs throughout the past 2½ years, I never doubted that I would finish this album one day. You see, with big ideas it mostly feels like you can better start immediately, when it is still fresh. But the freshness will disappear rather soon. Do you think you can still finish that idea when the enthusiasm is gone? Giving the idea time to settle and knowing that an idea truly feels good also gives that head start, even when the idea isn’t that fresh anymore. The benefit: that connection between you and that project idea endures way longer than the freshness of a new idea.
* * *
I think I explained the importance of a good project idea now. But how can you get it to an end? Two things are very important to me:
1. Being flexible
2. Being flexible
Well, that’s a great list. Let’s start with the first point: ‘being flexible’. When working on big projects things around that project will change. You will find new interests, circumstances in your life change, and maybe the idea of the purpose of your life changes. This means your idea of the end result of the project should be flexible. In my case, I knew I wanted to make music around happiness. I started with four important things to live a happier life and ended up with one of those four: finding happiness with your loved ones. Also, I have worked for two and a half years on this project, but the song list was only definitive around three months before the release. This flexibility is important. You must be flexible enough to change the idea of the end result so it suits your own development.
Another example is the classical music that is woven through my album. I mean, when I started this project I didn’t even know that I would like classical music; now I’m writing it myself. Of course, it is important to keep on moving forward. When you started with an idea that you thought through well, I think it barely occurs that you should scrap the project fully. Just make it better, don’t start over.
One of the biggest lures while working on a big project are ideas for a new project. During the time you are working on a project, there still will be moments when you think of even better ideas. Just keep in mind: a realized idea is always better than a new idea. I have the rule that I don’t think about my next project as long as I didn’t finish my current project. And that works very well: I don’t get distracted by ideas for the future, and I have an extra reason to finish my current project. Of course, this doesn’t apply to projects that can be worked on at the same time; but in my case, I don’t actively think about my next album, when I am still working on my current album.
Then, the second point: ‘being flexible’. Also a very interesting point :). Ok, but seriously, I mean a different kind of flexibility. Be flexible in the goals you put out for yourself. A big game-changer for me was to still create deadlines for myself but call them milestones. This sounds stupid, but it’s a mental game. If you don’t meet your deadline, it simply feels like a failure. A milestone is way more movable. A deadline is a deep sight after a tiring run, a milestone is a celebration of something you’ve achieved.
You see, especially when you’re doing a creative career next to a job (and a life :)), it is very easy to be too harsh on yourself. I mean, if the biggest artists in the world take a few years to create an album, it’s not strange that it takes us, someone with way less working capacity and way way way less money, a bit longer. Besides that, we are busy people nowadays, and it’s very easy to get yourself tired up. Don’t pull yourself to your desk just because you made a deadline. Probably that deadline was more of an ‘I wish it is finished by then’ than a realistic deadline.
But still, do create that milestone, and be flexible to move it. Those milestones should be rough and big. I think my main milestones are: creating the initial setlist and having all lyrics finished; having a solid base recorded for each song; and mostly the bigger, more complex songs are a milestone in itself. And I do my best to make that milestone. On the other hand, I know the things that are more important than that milestone:
- Seeing my friends and family
- Having time for reflection
- Living a healthy life
- Having a clean house
In my opinion, it’s an insane idea to burn yourself out on a creative project. It’ll ruin the project you once dreamed about, and it will ruin your mental state. It simply won’t work.
1. Being flexible
2. Being flexible
Well, that’s a great list. Let’s start with the first point: ‘being flexible’. When working on big projects things around that project will change. You will find new interests, circumstances in your life change, and maybe the idea of the purpose of your life changes. This means your idea of the end result of the project should be flexible. In my case, I knew I wanted to make music around happiness. I started with four important things to live a happier life and ended up with one of those four: finding happiness with your loved ones. Also, I have worked for two and a half years on this project, but the song list was only definitive around three months before the release. This flexibility is important. You must be flexible enough to change the idea of the end result so it suits your own development.
Another example is the classical music that is woven through my album. I mean, when I started this project I didn’t even know that I would like classical music; now I’m writing it myself. Of course, it is important to keep on moving forward. When you started with an idea that you thought through well, I think it barely occurs that you should scrap the project fully. Just make it better, don’t start over.
One of the biggest lures while working on a big project are ideas for a new project. During the time you are working on a project, there still will be moments when you think of even better ideas. Just keep in mind: a realized idea is always better than a new idea. I have the rule that I don’t think about my next project as long as I didn’t finish my current project. And that works very well: I don’t get distracted by ideas for the future, and I have an extra reason to finish my current project. Of course, this doesn’t apply to projects that can be worked on at the same time; but in my case, I don’t actively think about my next album, when I am still working on my current album.
Then, the second point: ‘being flexible’. Also a very interesting point :). Ok, but seriously, I mean a different kind of flexibility. Be flexible in the goals you put out for yourself. A big game-changer for me was to still create deadlines for myself but call them milestones. This sounds stupid, but it’s a mental game. If you don’t meet your deadline, it simply feels like a failure. A milestone is way more movable. A deadline is a deep sight after a tiring run, a milestone is a celebration of something you’ve achieved.
You see, especially when you’re doing a creative career next to a job (and a life :)), it is very easy to be too harsh on yourself. I mean, if the biggest artists in the world take a few years to create an album, it’s not strange that it takes us, someone with way less working capacity and way way way less money, a bit longer. Besides that, we are busy people nowadays, and it’s very easy to get yourself tired up. Don’t pull yourself to your desk just because you made a deadline. Probably that deadline was more of an ‘I wish it is finished by then’ than a realistic deadline.
But still, do create that milestone, and be flexible to move it. Those milestones should be rough and big. I think my main milestones are: creating the initial setlist and having all lyrics finished; having a solid base recorded for each song; and mostly the bigger, more complex songs are a milestone in itself. And I do my best to make that milestone. On the other hand, I know the things that are more important than that milestone:
- Seeing my friends and family
- Having time for reflection
- Living a healthy life
- Having a clean house
In my opinion, it’s an insane idea to burn yourself out on a creative project. It’ll ruin the project you once dreamed about, and it will ruin your mental state. It simply won’t work.
* * *
And then, finishing a project. That’s a hard balance in creativity land. First of all, you’ll never be fully satisfied with the end result. When you are working on a multiple-year project, you will develop yourself in the meantime, and there will be things in the project that you did over a year ago that you would do better now. On the other hand, especially in creativity land, perfectionism has a place. I mean, put something out that you can be proud of. Do those easy fixes, and don’t leave the stupid mistakes. But don’t re-record full songs because of some stupid reason that probably no one notices. See, it is good to perfectionize your project, simply because you want to give your audience/client what they deserve. I want to create a beautiful result for my listeners to listen to. Besides that, it is my business cart. On the other hand, it is better to finish a project and use your fresh talents on a new project than redoing your old projects due to your new talent. I mean, you will be learning all the time. You will become a better person every day. A big project can never be a reflection of who you are at the moment you release it. It will always be a reflection of those years.
The best example I have is the song lyrics. Because that’s one of the first parts in the process of making a song. Most of the lyrics of my new album I have written around two years ago. Now, I am a different person than I was two years ago, and the processes I am writing about in those lyrics, are not the processes I am in right now. But that’s just how it is: the message of my lyrics will always feel eldered to me. And it’s good to know that.
One practical tip in finishing projects: at a certain moment, just start the finishing phase. Where earlier I talked about milestones, this is the phase in which I do set some deadlines. Still not the hardest deadlines in the world, but more solid than those milestones. In my case, it’s mostly when I have my setlist almost settled, and have as good as everything recorded. In ‘the finishing phase’ I just focus on finishing the ideas I had, and try to be very careful with new ideas. I barely implement big changes anymore, and when I do, I keep in mind how it would affect the duration of the project. Ok, sometimes it is good to make some small changes, just to keep the creative juices flowing :). But at the same time, this is simply not the most fun part; you’ll have to make compromises, and you’ll have to just work hard to get it done. Just keep in mind it is for the better. At some point, that project must be finished. After that, you can continue to the next one. Starting with a new project is better than over-perfectionizing a practically finished project.
Remember, no one will hear that misplaced bass note. And if they do hear it, they might even think “What a creative dude, intentionally misplacing that bass note”.
Danny Yellow
The best example I have is the song lyrics. Because that’s one of the first parts in the process of making a song. Most of the lyrics of my new album I have written around two years ago. Now, I am a different person than I was two years ago, and the processes I am writing about in those lyrics, are not the processes I am in right now. But that’s just how it is: the message of my lyrics will always feel eldered to me. And it’s good to know that.
One practical tip in finishing projects: at a certain moment, just start the finishing phase. Where earlier I talked about milestones, this is the phase in which I do set some deadlines. Still not the hardest deadlines in the world, but more solid than those milestones. In my case, it’s mostly when I have my setlist almost settled, and have as good as everything recorded. In ‘the finishing phase’ I just focus on finishing the ideas I had, and try to be very careful with new ideas. I barely implement big changes anymore, and when I do, I keep in mind how it would affect the duration of the project. Ok, sometimes it is good to make some small changes, just to keep the creative juices flowing :). But at the same time, this is simply not the most fun part; you’ll have to make compromises, and you’ll have to just work hard to get it done. Just keep in mind it is for the better. At some point, that project must be finished. After that, you can continue to the next one. Starting with a new project is better than over-perfectionizing a practically finished project.
Remember, no one will hear that misplaced bass note. And if they do hear it, they might even think “What a creative dude, intentionally misplacing that bass note”.
Danny Yellow