Addicted to Music Production

[Evdog]

Dear MLR community,

I’d like to share with you that which I have decided I need to do. This message will explain why I will be absent for the next few days.

I love making music. It’s my favourite hobbies. I feel creative and constructive, and I get constructive criticism from other fellow musicians to learn how to become a better musician. I spend a significant amount of time making songs and remixes and, over time, I think that I have gradually become addicted to making music.

… no, I’m serious. This has gotten to the point where it’s a bad thing.

I’ve been neglecting time with my family, shutting myself in my room for better parts of the day. I have become less outgoing and more irritable and impatient, and see myself expressing a negative reaction to anything that detracts me from sitting at my computer desk. I have felt my health gradually deteriorating, mainly in my back. Yesterday, I woke up with black bags around my eyes, as if I had been punched in the face, twice, once in each eye. This was because I had been regularly staying up until 2 in the morning, making tracks on my DAW, watching Youtube videos and chatting with friends online.

I suppose that music production is not, in comparison, THE WORST POSSIBLE addiction to have. There are, by far, much more costly, more destructive addictions to have in one’s life (i.e. Heroin, Gambling, Alcohol, etc.), but it’s an addiction nonetheless, and I feel that it is causeing me to slowly degrade physically, emotionally and spiritually. To fight this part of myself that I feel is slowly killing me, I am taking the following actions:

• I will be taking the next week off (168 hours) from making music completely. I’ll still be listening to music, though, but not to any of my own works.
• I will be taking the next three days (72 hours) off from all social networking and online forums, from IRC to Facebook chat to even the “Mushroom Go” comments page (seriously, if you like the Super Mario series, give this comic a read).
• I will be taking the next day (24 hours) off completely from using my computer. I’ll find something else to do, like read a book or play ball with my little brother.

I don’t expect to enjoy this time, and I still want to continue doing what I love, but for my sake, and for the sake of everyone I know, I feel that I need to do this now, before I get to the point where I am incapable of doing anything about it.

Sincerely,
Evan McArdle (Evdog)

[5COPY]

Like Kraftwerk, have a non-music day every week or so. I do that aswell

[TheSunAndTheRainfall]

I feel you there, and I wish you the best of luck with that. Making music is awesome, but not when it comes to a point where it's starting to interfere with other parts of your life. I feel like I'm going to have to do the same soon as well; I'm starting to neglect school just so I can work on music.

Hope to have you back and better soon!

[Random111223]

Oh i can totally relate to you.. Once i get really excited about a track, i will (in the worst case) sit in my computer for a straight 12 hours and finally wake into reality after i'm starting to feel sick.

I'll admit that it can be considered an addiction, but i'd rather call it a passionate hobby or something. Atleast it's something which develops you (compare to watching tv for example)

[CommandSpry]

I wish I could relate to you, most of the time I just CBA to create :<:<:<:<:<

[F3nning]

Well, 1st off, good for you for working against your addiction in such a drastic way. That takes a lot of courage and strength! I sir, salute you.

2nd off, what I always try to do is at least take Sundays off. I usually release one track a week, usually putting it up Friday/Saturday, so I'll just take Sunday off, and only make music in a way where it isn't work, as much as it is just relaxing (and usually, I'm a bit wary of even doing this). Then work for the rest of the week. That's just how I do it.

[Freewave]

I know what you mean man. I spend too much time on Brony music and it occupies most my free time and rolls over into other aspects and occasionally effects my sleep too (Midnight is when i gotta shut my computer down and turn in but a lot of my skype peers stay up til 1 or 2). An addictive hobby isn't uncommon and its obviously better to do something creative then just play video games like a lot of people. but again if you're not happy with it then its not a good addiction so balance it out more but ur not alone.