For those that DON'T do youtube videos, get on it! (Creative blocks!)

ciarac

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Hi!
I'm not sure if I'm putting this in the right thread, but I really do feel that for me it is a 'tip', so I'm putting it here.
I just wanted to say that I'm a singer songwriter and a uke player (obviously!) and it's what I really love doing, but I have had such problems over the last few years with creative blocks.

It might not even be accurate to call them creative blocks but it feels that way, or similar. Basically, I think, for me, music is something that matters to me SO much, and although I'm proud of what I've achieved thus far, over the past few years, I've found it harder and harder to practice and to perform and to write songs. This was because I felt like I wasn't good enough. Which could of course be rectified with practice. Stupid vicious cycle.

So anyway, a couple of months ago, I decided to start doing youtube videos. And long story short, it has helped me SO much. The great thing about youtube is you don't have to be perfect. And you can redo things over and over again until you're reasonably happy with them. And there's no stage fright. And also, people are SO supportive out there on the web.

So if you're experiencing any sort of creative block, or maybe a feeling of not being good enough, so much so that it hinders your practice and your motivation. I encourage you to start doing youtube videos. Do it just because it feels good to practice and to share what you've been practicing.
What I've found is that in just the past few weeks, my confidence has improved so much. I have work to do, but each time I make a video, I am playing ukulele and doing vocal warm ups and all that good stuff, so not only do I get to create and share something, I also get to practice and get better with each video.

I just today started a 30 challenge I set myself to do a video a day for 30 days. I think that at the end of the 30 days I'll feel even better STILL. It's just so brilliant to feel this much better about music, it really does feel like a breath of fresh air to me.
I'll grant you, youtube isn't for everyone, and maybe you don't need it, but maybe you're like me and it will serve you well to have this kind of platform.

So there you go, that's my tip!
Hope it helps someone.

Let me know if you start a channel and I will subscribe!

Thanks for reading,
Ciara
 
I think making YouTube vids is fun and a great way to mark progress. And if you are a person that prefers privacy, you can set your videos to private or unlisted. When they are unlisted, no one can see them without a link. You can even remain anonymous by keeping your face out of the camera view.
 
I agree with your thread.

But please no headless videos... Music is about the whole expression of someone, it's about communication and headless videos take away that wholeness that any effort to communicate deserves. :eek:ld:
 
I think making YouTube vids is fun and a great way to mark progress. And if you are a person that prefers privacy, you can set your videos to private or unlisted. When they are unlisted, no one can see them without a link. You can even remain anonymous by keeping your face out of the camera view.

Exactly. Though for me, I need the accountability of a public video. But of course it's a great way to privately track your own progress, I hadn't even thought of that factor.
 
I agree with your thread.

But please no headless videos... Music is about the whole expression of someone, it's about communication and headless videos take away that wholeness that any effort to communicate deserves. :eek:ld:

Olarte, I'm curious what you mean about headless videos?
 
I agree with your thread.

But please no headless videos... Music is about the whole expression of someone, it's about communication and headless videos take away that wholeness that any effort to communicate deserves. :eek:ld:

I respectfully disagree. There is some good music out there, in headless videos. I don't make headless videos, but I value my headless UU friends and I enjoy their music. Many people do. If it bothers someone that a musician chooses to remain anonymous, then don't watch. That's OK, too. But I'd hate for someone to miss out on doing something fun just because they want to remain anonymous.
 
If you zoom in and show the ukulele hence cutting off your head it freaks some people out. I would rather see your hands clearly than your face. You are helping others by showing your hands clearly.

The solution!

My :2cents:
 
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I respectfully disagree. There is some good music out there, in headless videos. I don't make headless videos, but I value my headless UU friends and I enjoy their music. Many people do. If it bothers someone that a musician chooses to remain anonymous, then don't watch. That's OK, too. But I'd hate for someone to miss out on doing something fun just because they want to remain anonymous.

Oh okay, now I get the headless video reference! God, I could not figure out what that referred to. My two cents is to each their own! I certainly like to watch someone play uke really well and don't need to see their head for that.
 
If you zoom in and show the ukulele hence cutting off your head it freaks some people out. I would rather see your hands clearly than your face. You are helping others by showing your hands clearly.

The solution!

My :2cents:

Lol, Al! Sometimes you crack me up. :)
 
I agree entirely about posting videos as a way of practicing.

For me, I like my videos to be as near to perfect as I possible can make it, so this generally means playing it the song again and again on video until I get it to a point where I'm happy with it. Sometimes this can be something like the 30th take! But since I've played the song so many times, by the end of the process I pretty much feel like I've cracked it.
 
I agree entirely about posting videos as a way of practicing.

For me, I like my videos to be as near to perfect as I possible can make it, so this generally means playing it the song again and again on video until I get it to a point where I'm happy with it. Sometimes this can be something like the 30th take! But since I've played the song so many times, by the end of the process I pretty much feel like I've cracked it.

I try my best as well, with many many takes. I have learned that it doesn't have to be perfect, and there is no reason to be so hard on myself...but sometimes I still get sucked into it.
 
I agree entirely about posting videos as a way of practicing.

For me, I like my videos to be as near to perfect as I possible can make it, so this generally means playing it the song again and again on video until I get it to a point where I'm happy with it. Sometimes this can be something like the 30th take! But since I've played the song so many times, by the end of the process I pretty much feel like I've cracked it.

Lewiopriceman, yes, exactly. For me it has turned out to be the best way to practice.
 
i suggest you take part in the seasons of the ukulele. It's a thread here on UU, in fact, it's a sub thread of Contests in the forum. A volunteer host sets a weekly challenge wher you make a video of a sooong to fit a theme set by the host. Although technically it's a contest, the contest element is very low key and it's more like an on line open mic and by loining in, you can become part of a very supportive community who comment on each others videos.

Here's a link to the seasons: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/forumdisplay.php?47-Seasons-of-the-Ukulele

Take a look. You don't have to join in straight away. Feel free to lurk until you feel ready. I think you'll find you improve more as part of a community than on your own, valuable as what you are doing is.
 
i suggest you take part in the seasons of the ukulele.

:agree:

Ciarac -

You will become part of a great community on UU if you participate in the Seasons contests.
 
I haven't participated in the Seasons for a few weeks, but I love it! I highly recommend it.
 
i suggest you take part in the seasons of the ukulele. It's a thread here on UU, in fact, it's a sub thread of Contests in the forum. A volunteer host sets a weekly challenge wher you make a video of a sooong to fit a theme set by the host. Although technically it's a contest, the contest element is very low key and it's more like an on line open mic and by loining in, you can become part of a very supportive community who comment on each others videos.

Here's a link to the seasons: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/forumdisplay.php?47-Seasons-of-the-Ukulele

Take a look. You don't have to join in straight away. Feel free to lurk until you feel ready. I think you'll find you improve more as part of a community than on your own, valuable as what you are doing is.

Absolutely I will join (after a bit of a lurk :) ) Thank you
 
Along the same line..I remember reading an interview with Suzanne Vega. She said that when she had writers block, she'd learn a cover song. She pointed out a song from the album she had out at the time and said it was written after learning an Elvis Costello song. The songs sounded nothing alike, but the learning Elvis' song lead her to a chord progression that was uncommon for her!

Great thread!
 
Hi!
Snip..

And there's no stage fright.
...snip...

So there you go, that's my tip!
Hope it helps someone.

Let me know if you start a channel and I will subscribe!

Thanks for reading,
Ciara
Oh man, if only this were true for me.
I love participating in the Seasons of the Ukulele, but for some odd reason I get horrible stage fright when I make videos. Sometimes it is even worse than when I am playing for live people. I thought it would get better but it really has not. I even try playing the song a few times with the camera on (but not recording) but somehow once I press record all sense leaves my brain! Oh well. I will try to get back on that horse!

Thanks for the encouragement Ciara!
 
Along the same line..I remember reading an interview with Suzanne Vega. She said that when she had writers block, she'd learn a cover song. She pointed out a song from the album she had out at the time and said it was written after learning an Elvis Costello song. The songs sounded nothing alike, but the learning Elvis' song lead her to a chord progression that was uncommon for her!

Great thread!

Oh that's interesting! Great to hear too. I feel like when I have a creative block that I'm the only one, or that my creative block is worse than everyone else's. But pros like Ms. Vega also must resort sometimes to tricks to get out of it. That's nice to hear. Making youtube videos has been working absolute wonders for my block. I'm so thrilled about it because it's been a good 3 years that I've had this block. So, yay!
 
Oh man, if only this were true for me.
I love participating in the Seasons of the Ukulele, but for some odd reason I get horrible stage fright when I make videos. Sometimes it is even worse than when I am playing for live people. I thought it would get better but it really has not. I even try playing the song a few times with the camera on (but not recording) but somehow once I press record all sense leaves my brain! Oh well. I will try to get back on that horse!

Thanks for the encouragement Ciara!

Pueo, that sucks to hear! Do you regularly post videos? I don't want to say that what works for me will work for you, but I recently set myself a task to do 30 videos in 30 days. I'm now on day 10 and so far have succeeded. The interesting things I've learned is that a.) I really want to be as good as I can be all the time, and that's what's given me such a creative block in the past and also why I've got stage fright in the past, b.) On youtube you don't have to be perfect, and c.) Imperfections are welcomed and applauded! Because I think people like to relate, and perfection isn't relateable. And people are SO supportive, I've also found. I've been making myself put up a video every day, and most days I think, "This is not as good as I want it to be", but people are SO supportive anyway! It's really boosting my confidence to the point of almost being excited about performing live again. I don't know when that will be, but I'm thinking I will revisit some open mics in the next few weeks, with new found confidence.
My suggestion to you is to just start putting up lots of videos. You can share with your real life friends, or just make online friends and share with them/us. But just do it, and it might even help to do a talking video in advance and kind of set up your channel saying, "look, I'm doing these videos to get over my 'video fright' so I won't expect to put up great videos but this is about me getting over my fears", or some such ramblings :)
Hope that helps! And let me know when you start posting! I will happily watch your videos!
 
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