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I am a music producer (Weird Milk, Natives, Ben Mckelvey)
We are still living in strange times, and as we begin to the ease some restrictions on lockdown. For a lot of us the isolation will continue...
Lockdown is something that really suits me. I spend a lot of time of my own in my recording studio (Egypt Lane Studios), creating, editing and mixing. As a music producer you may think that isn’t the case, however a very small amount of the process for me is spent with the artist or band. Once everything is tracked/recorded, that's where my real skillset comes into play.
I tend to work best once I can get lost in my own head space.
I'm also someone who has a lot of different projects in and outside of music going on all time. I’m still learning how best to juggle them. There is the constant challenge of how best to manage my time. I also find it very difficult to say no when someone asks a favour of me, which i'd like to think is a good attribute, however it often means it pulls you away from your intended goals, and can sometimes stop you from doing what you want to do.
I was actually quite excited for lockdown. Before lockdown I was struggling to deal with the stress of working in close proximity with artists in my small studio, so it was a relief.
Disconnecting all my gear and bringing it home was a nice change of scenery as well.
As a creative, I feel like we're the lucky ones. There's been less distractions. I've always enjoyed when you can throw yourself into a prolonged period with goals. So I wrote a huge list of things I wanted to get done from music projects, to launching this lifestyle brand to DIY to gardening. I’m very rarely bored, I guess i just love creating things, and get a lot of satisfaction from what i've achieved at the end of the day.
In order to get those done, I wanted to stick to as much structure as possible. Me and my fiancé have stuck to a very strict weekly routine, and done the usual DIY, home improvements on the weekends. We've tried to keep things as normal as possible. It’s really helped me stay focused.
An important part of that structure has been working out. Over the years I have learnt that a morning workout really helps clear my head and set me up for the day, or an afternoon workout forces me to take a mental break when I become a bit burned out.
As creatives we often feel like we're always on the cusp of the breakthrough, however walking away and some space can often be the spark that is needed. It's taken me years to realise that.
Sometimes it will be a quick 15 minute workout in the morning, others time an afternoon run, or just a walk after lunch but i can always feel the mental benefit afterwards.
It’s crazy to think that a short 15 minute workout is all you need. Yet for some reason as human beings, we can find it so difficult to motivate ourselves, even though we know its good for us. Those 15 minutes are enough to build up a sweat and release those endorphins.
Example Workout:
6 exercises x 3 rounds
30 seconds on 15 seconds off
Press-ups
Dips
Burpees
Situps
Mountain climbers
Jumps
You could swap something out for squats or lunges. Whatever you feel like. It's just about getting it done.
This time has given all of us a chance to slow down a bit, understand what's important to us, and hopefully shift towards those things we care about a bit more. I’ve really loved having more time with my fiancé. Modern lives are very busy, and whilst we work in different rooms at home, just having a small chat on a coffee or tea break, eating lunch together, all gained from not having a commute have been special to me. Usually all you get is dinner time, and those 2 hours (if you’re lucky) after dinner before going to bed.
While i’ve missed seeing family and friends, in some ways I have connected more with them during this time thanks to the internet.
I know life going forward is uncertain for us all, but my feelings towards lockdown may change very soon. However until now there are many positives for me personally which I am thankful for.
For now I'm going to continue making strides with the goals i set out to do in isolation.
Let's all stay safe.
Jake Robbins (co-founder of Lower Your Shoulder)
