FMM175 - David Penn: Having the Courage to Follow Your Own Creative Path

WE… ARE … BACK! Hello, It’s been a while! 18 months to be precise.   After 4 years of never missing a beat and recording an episode of the podcast every single week…We suddenly disappeared.   Why?   It’s a big question and it deserves a big answer.   In this podcast, I will share with you the reason why I and the podcast disappeared.   Fair warning: it may be unsettling for you. It is a dark story.   But I believe it is important to share it because there are powerful lessons that I hope will aid and empower you on your creative journey.   If you are prepared to come along for the ride, listen to the brand new episode of the Finish More Music podcast.

Discover how to escape being stuck with the same cycling thought patterns that keep you living in the past so that you can set yourself up for success in music and every other area of your life. The reason why people use time as an excuse.  ‘I don’t have enough time’, ‘I’ve wasted to much time and I’m running out of time’  - and how to dispel the lies that we tell ourselves in order to create an abundance of time to achieve the goals that matter most to us.  Brad’s recipe for overcoming creative blocks. This isn’t just theory, it’s an actual tactic to get you high energy, in the zone and creating music, even when you feel like it least.

Today we are going to be talking about tearing holes in the fabric of reality and collapsing time.   Nope, it’s not sci-fi.    This is something you have access to. And easy access to.   Changing your reality and collapsing your own personal timeline.   So that you get to achieve what you want in your life and your music in a fraction of the time you think possible…   …by taking shortcuts that you’re sure can’t possibly exist!   As Mark Twain famously said:    “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so”.   So if you’re doubting what I say, then this podcast is especially for you.   Let’s tear open what you know for sure that just ain’t so.

In today's episode we have a controversial conversation that I would love to have your input on.   Rob from Team FMM is convinced that hardware has been knocked off it’s perch…    …and that the future lies in the box and therefore we should all focus on software going forwards.   I threw my best shots at him during this session in support of hardware and he ducked, weaved, countered and even hit me with a few hooks.   So dive in, have a listen and let us know which side of the argument you fall on.   Oh - and before we get stuck in, you might have noticed new intro music…   This track is Lazarus by super-talented FMM member Kukoo aka Louis Hayward.    …And it’s our new soundtrack for the next 100 episodes!   https://finishmoremusic.com/fmm201/

Today we welcome Ambient and Electronica producer John Hayes to the show.   John is currently signed on a three-album deal to the excellent Nettwerk label alongside artists such as Sasha and il:lo.   His music is supported on radio stations worldwide, including the iconic BBC, and his track Sleep Song has over 2 million streams on Spotify.   In this conversation, we discover John’s approach to album writing, how his music guides him to the finish line, how he was discovered by promotors and label owners, and how you can be too.   And we get to be a fly on the wall and discover what happens in a meeting with a top label before getting signed.   Finally, at the very end of the episode John shares a well-guarded secret that we are the first to discover.   This interview has it all - from initial improvisations to finished album to releasing to promo and building a fanbase…   …To the big reveal at the end!   https://finishmoremusic.com/fmm200/

  Are you open to exploring something a bit leftfield?   We all know that there are ways to get into a creative headspace at the start of a writing session that will help us to be more productive in that session…   And maybe you are already making good use of many of them…   DAW Templates…Creating a tidy studio space…Having a plan of what you want to achieve…Even meditation.   But what if I told you there was another way?   A way that while at first might sound a bit bonkers, has been scientifically proven to work and is being used by many of the world’s greatest creatives and performers.   A way to build confidence, escape fears, beat procrastination…    Would you be interested to know about it, even if it might raise an eyebrow or two when you first hear it?   If the answer is “yes, I’m game for new ideas, especially those that can help me to be more creative”…   Then stay tuned, because I’m about to reveal all…

In this episode, we’re asking the question - has it all been done before?   Have we reached the frontier of music and there are no new genres, sounds, or musical directions to pursue?   Given the amount of music in the world and the hundreds of genres and subgenres that exist, it would be easy to conclude that the answer is yes…   …Our lot now is to simply refine what exists and there’s nothing fundamentally new to discover.   So is it true?   Or is there another way of thinking? One, that when unlocked, will; fill us with inspiration and wonder about the future.   In this episode, we’ll dive into the topic and as always you can decide for yourself. https://finishmoremusic.com/fmm198/

In today’s episode, we’re going to be exploring that question.   Said another way:   Just because a particular genre lights you up to hear it in a club or on your phone, does that mean it’s the music you were put on this planet to make?   …or could it be that holding on to the belief that you must make the genre that’s your favourite to listen to is dragging you down and sapping your enjoyment of making music in the studio?   There’s something very interesting at play here, so without further ado, let’s find out. ---------------- https://finishmoremusic.com/fmm197/

Today we’re meeting a familiar foe but in a surprising new way.   The enemy in front of us is distraction, and we’ve uncovered some new research that shows that everything we thought we knew about distractions and their impact on creatives is actually way worse.    And some of the things we didn’t know were distractions… to our minds, actually are.   Distractions cause us to react, and when we react we have no control…   …and when we have no control, then who is running our lives?    It’s certainly not us!   So, to find out how this is happening to us…   …and to discover the solutions we’ve uncovered to get your own mind and your own time back;   Keep listening. www.finishmoremusic.com/196

No matter how organised and self-disciplined you are, change is inevitable.    And, as a result, that will shake up your routine.   This episode is all about the inevitable breaks that from time to time we are forced to take away from our regular creative sessions.   Whether it’s an illness, life events, vacations, work, or perhaps you’ve simply fallen off the wagon and stopped writing music…   Nobody wants to come back from a break and struggle to get started with their music.    …and nobody wants the break from their creativity to take any longer than necessary.   And yet, I’ve noticed that so many people end up dragging it out when they do have the opportunity to get started with their music again.   And maybe this sounds familiar to you:  You struggle to get back into a rhythm and days turn into weeks turn into months and the resistance to get started keeps building more and more.   Really comes down to one factor. One reliable and repeatable first step.   In this episode we look at the number one way to quickly and efficiently get back to your music…   …and how you can implement it as soon as you’ve listen to this very episode.   https://finishmoremusic.com/fmm195/