I send weekly letters about composing, creative fulfillment, and making art that truly feels like you. If you’re tired of tips and ready for something deeper, I'd love for you to join us.
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Make music from the heart—not your head.
I'm making music for myself again... 🎶
It's official - I'm working on a new album.
On my YouTube channel, I started a new series where I'll be sharing the process of writing this album in real-time, week by week.
But I began the series by touching on a creative block that's stopped me from making composing vidoes for ...
Sep 24, 2024
creativity
health
motivation
The power of physical art-making 🎨
I've fallen in love with a typewriter.
(Let me explain.)
It all started last week when, during a craving for creative inspiration, my wife and I popped into a local thrift shop in Pasadena looking for some vintage decor.
We found an old pipe, an antique piano roll, some aged candle tapers, and - ...
by Zach Heyde —
Sep 17, 2024
creativity
When's the last time you REALLY listened? 🎧
How long since you've done nothing but sit and listen to music for longer than five minutes?
📲 No phone or book in hand.
🚗 No car ride or public transport to keep you busy.
🧹 No cleaning the house, taking a walk, or getting work done.
Just simply sitting and listening.
Believe it or not, until ...
by Zach Heyde —
Sep 10, 2024
creativity
Stop looking for your niche (do this instead) 🔎
At some point in your composing career, someone will tell you:
"Get really good at just one thing, and you'll be able to stick out above the crowd."
But that usually leaves with us with more questions - not less.
How do we know what to specialize in?
What if specializing too early is limiting ...
by Zach Heyde —
Sep 03, 2024
finding work
marketing
Three tips for staying creatively motivated 💪
❤️🔥 Protect Your Passion for Composing
Lots of composers are afraid to make music full-time.
Not because they don’t love it enough - because they’re afraid that doing it for a living would mean that they’d fall OUT of love it it.
And I get it.
I’ve met many working composers wh...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 27, 2024
health
motivation
How to promote your music organically 📣
Last month, I heard from a reader asking about the best way to get his new album heard.
He wrote:
“I don’t think my problem is the music itself but rather the marketing. I really feel that I have something pretty unique… what’s the best way to promote a soundtrack album?”
I get questions like t...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 20, 2024
marketing
Perfection is paralyzing you 🥶
Let’s face it - most of us have a ton of cool ideas that we’re not acting on.
Sometimes, we’re overwhelmed at the sheer amount of energy it’ll take to bring those ideas to life.
But as it turns out, whether they’re sitting in your head or being brought to life, those ideas are using up energy eit...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 13, 2024
creativity
Don't be afraid to change paths 🛣️
The YouTube algorithm has been throwing some pretty awesome stuff my way recently.
Last week, I got recommended an uncut, 40+ minute video from an ex-neurosurgeon sharing why he left a high-paying, stable job to be completely unemployed, living with his wife and dog in the mountains.
...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 13, 2024
finding work
health
Shame isn't serving you 😔
I’ve been listening to Tony Robbin’s acclaimed “Personal Power” tapes during my weekly jogs.
Around 30:28, Tony asks a question that’d stump most parents:
“How long would you give your average baby to learn how to walk before you’d give up on them?”
Confused?
Exactly - most parents would never ...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 13, 2024
health
motivation
Dial in your discomfort 🌡️
If you want to get better at something, it’s going to be uncomfortable.
Why?
Because growth and comfort can’t co-exist.
When you think of something you feel comfortable with, what are you really saying?
You’re saying that you’re content with it. That your present skills or stat...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 13, 2024
motivation
How to use fear to your advantage 😰
How often do you hold back on your dreams simply because you’re not sure if they’re possible?
Maybe you feel like your goals are too ambitious, too risky, too improbable.
But I don’t buy it.
I think what you’re really saying is that you’re scared.
You're afraid of:
😥 What it would mean if you fa...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 13, 2024
motivation
When you've tried everything (and nothing's working) 🤷
So - you've been trying to do composing professionally for a long time now.
(Maybe you've even dreamt of this career ever since you were a kid.)
You love the idea of...
🥰 Doing what you love for a living
🤩 Getting to work on cool projects
😎 Getting to work with cool people
🤑 Get...
by Zach Heyde —
Aug 13, 2024
burnout
finding work