I send weekly letters about composing, creative fulfillment, and making art that truly feels likeĀ you.Ā If youāre tired of tips and ready for something deeper, I'd love for you toĀ join us.
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MakeĀ music from the heartānot your head.
Lessons from a toddler in turbulence
A few weeks ago, my wife and I flew home for the holidays to catch up with our families in Connecticut.
To avoid the chaos of La Guardia or JFK, we typically fly into White Plains - a tiny municipal airport with easy access for pickup/drop-off and minimal traffic.
But small airports mean small p...
Dec 17, 2024
Three cool things for December
Happy Tuesday - and welcome back to the newsletter. š
Today I'm sharing three things I'm up to that I think you might like:
āļø Daily Journaling
š¤ The Psychology of Money
š¦āā¬ Revealing My Album Artwork
1. āļøĀ What I'm Doing: Daily Journaling
This May, I started journaling every day after my frie...
Dec 03, 2024
50% off my courses for 7 days
I'm sure you've gotten aĀ ton of emails this week on discounts/deals, so I'll cut to the chase for this week's newsletter.
You can save 50% off myĀ Orchestral Mockup Fundamentals and Composing Career Bootcamp courses for the next 7 days.
(That's $700 off total)
This is theĀ most cost-effective way t...
Nov 26, 2024
Don't buy anything yet... š¤«
Hey again...
I know you don't normally get mail from me on Thursdays, but I thought you might want to know about this ahead of time.
I've gotten aĀ ton of emails, DMs, and YouTube comments asking if I'm going to be doing any Black Friday deals this year.
And the answer is yes.
Starting next Tuesda...
Nov 21, 2024
Become a "method composer"
When I was a kid, IĀ loved the idea of "method acting".
That's when an actor takes ample time both on and off-camera to explore, hone, and embody the character they're portraying.
Something about the pure artistry and make-believe quality of that practice was deeply inspiring to me.
But I never re...
Nov 19, 2024
Three things I think you'll like
This week, I'd like to shareĀ three things that have caught my interest recently that I think you might like, too.
Enjoy! š
1. š¬ Music by John Williams - A DocumentaryĀ
This film was an absolute joy to watch - pretty much a must-watch if you're an admirer of his work.
But more than his work...
Lea...
Nov 12, 2024
What to do when you're stuck creatively
During last week's private mentorship call, my student Daniel echoed a pain point I hear from composers all the time:
"I tend to be hypercritical with my music and focus in on tiny little things that I probably don't need to be focused on. Then I end up doing way more work, or I stress myself ou...
Nov 05, 2024
Still waiting for your "dream project"?
Question for my Bootcamp grads, or anyone else looking to compose professionally:
Are you driven by the hopes that someday, you'll get a chance to work on your "dream project"?
I know I sure was.
My childhood was filled watching interviews of my favorite composers and obsessively studying making-...
by Zach Heyde ā
Oct 29, 2024
creativity
finding work
A magical Montana mastermind
Last week, I spent four amazing days with my good friends Robert Rodriguez, Aurelie Couble (MusicbyPLV), Cheska Navarro, and our respective partners in beautiful Kalispell, Montana.
(If you don't know these folks, check them out - we've run a private group mastermind together to exchange business...
by Zach Heyde ā
Oct 22, 2024
health
How to get your imagination back
When's the last time you thought about that word: "imagination"?
For me, it had beenĀ years.
Ironic, I know - a composer forgetting how to tap into his imagination.Ā But I think there's something deeper happening here, because many artists I talk to these days are experiencing the same thing:
Artis...
by Zach Heyde ā
Oct 15, 2024
creativity
motivation
How to make your music cohesive
A few weeks back, I ran a poll on YouTube asking subscribers if they've ever wanted to write an album of their own.
The results were interesting...
... but evenĀ more interesting were the reasons why they hadn't started yet.
One answer in particular stood out to me:
"I have no idea how to go abo...
Oct 08, 2024
creativity
"Making music feels like a waste of time"
Why is it so hard to make art for ourselves these days?
This is a question I've been asking myself ever since working on my new dark fantasy album.
Last week, I shared a little bit about the recent struggles I faced and how I worked through them in order to start writing music fo...
Oct 01, 2024
creativity
motivation