Describe the progress you've made this semester on your Genius Hour Project.
So far, my progress with making music has been slowing down. In the beginning, I was so filled with ideas and ambitions that I didn't know what to do with all of them. Now, a few weeks in, I'm having trouble putting all of the ideas together. Writing music ideas on paper was the easy part. Now, I have to make those ideas a reality and that is quite difficult, in my opinion. In my current position, most of my ideas may end up getting tossed, or completely ignored, but I'm really trying to avoid that. As I began to actually make the music that I wrote on paper, I began to see it in a completely different perspective. Now that I was actually hearing the music with my own ears, I came to the realization that it wasn't exactly the kind of music I wanted to make. Obviously, I was disappointed not only with my progress, but with my creativity and thoughts as a musician, all and all becoming disappointed in myself as a result. Progressing through all of this has made me realize that the hardest part is not actually making the music, but making it enjoyable. I really want to continue making this music, but I don't want to drag on every day creating something that I don't even appreciate myself. Music is my passion and I would rather create music that I enjoy than music that I don't enjoy. So for now, I feel that I'm at a standstill.
What is the most challenging aspect of your project so far?
As I explained before, the most challenging aspect of my project is actually making sure the music is enjoyable. When I make music, I constantly ask myself if people would like it, if it sounds right, what message I'm trying to send, and many other things. At first, I believed that buying the equipment and recording the songs was going to be the hardest part since it's all so expensive and hard to maintain and use, but I was wrong. I can use music software just fine and I'm sure I can record without a problem. Mixing may be an issue, but I can get through it. It's the process of revision and perfection that's getting to me. When it comes to music, I'm simply a huge perfectionist. I don't want there to be anything wrong with my music, but at the same time, I know that everyone will have their own opinions and I think it's all because I'm afraid of being judged. Self doubt has really taken a blow on my progress, so I may take a break for a while.