Sync Producer's Guide To Flow State Mastery

With it, you're unstoppable. Without it, you cease to exist. 🧬

FROM THE DESK OF GRAHAM BARTON
MAY 2, 2023

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Hey Beast,

Imagine all your unrealized ideas floating in a pipeline. As they buzz inside, they wait dormant for a willing vessel to bring them to life. Now imagine this pipeline barreling through a dark, uninspired void at high speed. The raw ideas travel in a tight package along a neon pink and blue highway, only accessible when you’re willing to reach in.

You could stand by and watch the pipeline gloat on by in its endlessness without disruption or change. But this all shifts once you realize that tapping into the pipeline is simply a choice, the simple yet seemingly large decision to reach in and grab an idea.

So you do just that: you dip your hand in, and the pipeline imparts a flow of pure inspired thought. It has nowhere to go but out in the form of creation. But just as quickly as it strikes something inside you, removing your hand from the pipeline cuts you off from the fountain of ideas. The light goes dark. The pencil stops. The voice memo ends. Silence. Now what?

FLOW STATE (IN THEORY)

This leads me to a theory I’ve been eager to share for a while. A theory that I’ve tested within my own life since December 2021: You come up with ideas when you’re willing to stick your hand in the pipeline. Whether by accident, choice, or luck? Your best creations come alive when there is an unbridled path between a raw idea, and you.

On a recent coaching call, I explained my theory like this:

It's kind of like the way Finding Nemo depicts the East Australian Current. Marlin and Dory need to make their way to Sydney Harbour. Time is of the essence, and the EAC is their bullet train to find Nemo. In their case, they get beat up by some jellyfish, faint from the shock, and wake up on the back of a sea turtle. They find their way onto the EAC by accident.

When you think about it, Marlin and Dory won’t get to Sydney Harbour if they don't ride the wave like the turtles do. Later we see a baby turtle called Squirt learning the ways of the ocean who’s thrown out of the EAC and into the depths. The pipeline of rushing current is unrelenting, which is enough to terrify a tiny turtle new to its power. Even so, Squirt manages to muster the moxie and chooses to lunge back into the EAC.

The most valuable 4 minutes you’ll ever spend watching cartoons:

Squirt's bravery allows him to access the speed and distance that the EAC promises. What's more, he’d have lost his way if he didn't choose to dive back in. You see, it takes a conscious effort to escape the void and reach into the raging torrent that gets you from A to B.

Coming up with a flow of quality (even surprising) ideas is a lot like Finding Nemo's EAC. For instance, when I listen to songs I wrote years ago—ones that resulted after I tapped into the pipeline—I question if it was even me doing the work.

The doubting question “did I write this?” flashes across my mind.  

Deconstructing the timeworn piece of music, I aim my questions toward the whats and whys. What was I thinking when I wrote this melody? Was it a sunny day and I was feeling myself? What was the motivation? A tight deadline (always) or the promise of a paycheck?

These questions bring us back to the ol’ pipeline theory. When we know the whats and whys behind creating something, we can identify the motivation needed to tap into the pipeline. Remember this: Any valuable melody lyric, or production trick comes from tapping into the pipeline. Then comes the choice of whether to stick your hand in.

Remember, this pipeline of creativity gets you from point A to B. It's that simple. Getting from A to B as comfortable and safe as possible is all we ever want to do while creating. Ahem, I’m talking ZERO blocks or depressive episodes (though they do make for great work when leveraged).

Let’s dig a little further into this whole “getting from A to B” process, because yeah, it can seem easier said than done. As music producers, we need an open conduit between our minds (A) and our DAW (B) so we can create without friction. Unfortunately, most people see creativity as a destination. This is what makes creating so difficult. It's also why it's a special moment when we finally enter the flow state.

THE LIE OF CREATIVE IDENTITY

Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm not very creative” as if being creative is an identity? Producers who believe this refuse to stick their hand into the pipeline. It has nothing to do with who they are by default. But it has everything to do with who they choose to be.

"Being creative" actually speaks to the journey we take when we bring an idea into existence. At the root of creativity is transformation. Or, A to B. 

Think of it this way, there are two points: You start with nothing and you end with something. You start with the void and you end with matter. You start with chaos and you end with order. You start with darkness and you end with light. This is creation in a nutshell.

Let’s not get this twisted with God-like creation and our ability to tap into that kind of power. Though if you'd like a deeper look through this lens, research "imago dei creativity". Here’s an excerpt from an article that touches on this angle: 

Though the creative impulse is instilled in each human heart by God's creation, God is not the author of all creations of art and is not responsible for their expression. The life force issues forth from the raw creative reservoir, and in making contact with it, artists have a partial glimpse of the very basis for life and creativity. The moral worth of the work of art is based on the moral, amoral, or immoral character of the artist.

— The Creative Impulse of the Imago Dei: Art of Promise or Performance? by Darrell W. Wood

Okay, now let’s take this new layer and think of "raw creative reservoir" as the pipeline. Hold that thought. Now let’s make the whole "in making contact with it" as the choice of jumping into the pipeline. "Very basis for life and creativity" becomes the flow state we all desire. And "moral, amoral, or immoral character" is the meaning we give our creations. Whoa. 

Want the simplified translation? God is creative and made us in His image. Though we are not God, we are creative in nature. The difference is that everything God makes is divine. Everything we make is worldly.

Another way to look at it is, everything we create is meaningless until we give it meaning. And how do we do that? We give things meaning through structures, confines, and norms. These are more pipelines we tap into—currency, commodity, and product all have a flow. Crazy right?

Let’s weave the creative identity lie into the original pipeline theory (this is about to get good, trust me). With creativity, you can't write valuable music without tapping into the value pipeline. You could also look at it like a problem-solving pipeline. Got a problem? Jump into the flow often enough and you become a problem solver by design, not default. This is one hell of a life hack.

Tap into the high-value confines, constraints, and criteria that make a sync banger. Tap in often enough and you become a high-value music producer by design, not default. Life. Hack. 

Reach in, draw the energy of ideas whirring at high speed. Open yourself up and become the conduit for ideas to flow through you and onto paper. Be the vessel that takes ideas from A to B. Don’t overcomplicate it. Recognize it as us operating as mere vessels that choose to step in (and out) of the creative pipeline.

Once again: Being creative has nothing to do with the ideas you bring to life because they do not come from within you. Ideas flow through you when you choose to let them. It takes effort, repetition, immersion, and collaboration to act on them. I mean, you could say the same about money or selling lemonade. 🍋

A PIPELINE IS A PIPELINE IS A PIPELINE

Let’s run with this lemonade analogy to let things sink in a bit more. You need to practice selling lemonade to learn who will actually buy it. You need to practice selling lemonade over and over again so you can sell more lemonade faster. You need to eat, sleep, and breathe your lemonade recipe to make sure it's better than everyone else's on the block. You need to get the word out to grow your reputation and make repeat customers out of passersby.

You either sell lemonade, or you don't. You either step into the lemonade pipeline, or you don't. You either create music that people want to buy, or you don't. It comes down to a choice. Because creating does not come easy, or without a price.

Society molds most people into viewing creativity or "being creative" as a destination. The lie: “If I do XYZ, then they will see me as creative.” Do yourself a favor and rid yourself of this mental poison. It only limits the true creative potential that you do in fact control. ☣

If you’ve ever spiraled, wondering if others are more creative than you, brace yourself for this truth. The concept that some are more creative than others is nothing more than an illusion. What it comes down to is the simple fact of whether someone is more, or less, willing to try and tap into the pipeline. Taking notes yet?

The “supremely” creative types are more willing to reach in, root around, and pluck out an idea no matter the quality. They’re the ones willing to take risks, to fail, to look stupid. It's how they shape, form, and nurture their ideas that make them good. Their respect for the journey gives way to the magic of accidents, discovery, and surprise. Some of the best ideas come from this very place.

Think back to when I mentioned being overcome with surprise after hearing music that I don't remember making. It's magical to hear some creative choices that I admire and love and wouldn't make today. Think about this in relation to your own work. Have your creative choices ever taken you by surprise when you dust off a piece of music from the past? What questions come to mind as you reflect on how much has changed?

It gets even more surreal when I realize I can't recall the session, my feelings at the time, or who I hung out with at the time. It's as if the only way I could have made that music is if I were a different person. I would need to insert myself back into that pipeline to dig up all the good qualities to recreate it. Hence, transform.

Know that creativity exists outside of us. We are in the void until we intervene. It takes one decision to step out of the void and into the place of pure flow and output, regardless of quality. There is only in and out. It happens or it doesn't. You either have nothing or you have something. Creativity is a choice, not an identity. 💵

To take it a step further, creativity is an expression of transformation. Those who practice tapping into the pipeline make the most music. They are the ones who strike the vein of gold. They are the ones who write the one-hit wonder. They respect the game and show up to play regardless of the outcome. They are here for the journey.

If you’re going to take anything away from this post, remember that you become what you practice. If you practice getting into the flow, then you'll become great at getting into the flow. You created that reality. And as soon as you stop practicing, you lose it. You could choose to walk away from it. I mean, who is stopping you? Yep, more proof that "being creative" is not a destination, but a transformation.

To play devil’s advocate, some might argue that a small percentage of us feel compelled to create. As if creating is part of the quality of person we are. But does this hold up? Nope. It falls flat once you realize it diminishes the important role choice plays.

Look at the crazy world we live in (I’m sorry, but only for a moment). With all the uncertain, scary headlines, there’s no surprise why most people refuse to create. Factor in things that don't matter like the noise of political drama. Then factor in things that do matter, like coming up with next month’s mortgage payment. The harder and more complex life gets, the more you're pulled away from the creative pipeline.

We begin to move into new spaces, reaching into new pipelines to survive:

One pipeline:

The economy sucks, so I need to find a way to scrimp and maximize my cash flow. 

Another pipeline: 

I'm in a season of absence with my wife and we need to reconnect. 

These are two of millions of pipelines that pull us away from the creativity pipeline. And that percentage of prolific people who defy the odds and create amazing sync tracks? They focus their efforts on one thing: tapping into that which inspires creation. It’s all on purpose.

ESCAPING THE BALL & CHAIN

The void can become a ball and chain if we let it. The crushing weight of creative block is enough to make people quit – Anything to end the suffering. We all want more freedom to be able to create. We all want more capacity to express ourselves how and when we wish. Those who have that freedom and capacity practice going after it daily. Emphasis on daily. 

"But everyone else creates so much more than me."

Look, the dark murky uncreative void is the ball and chain. On the other end is a three-foot steel ring that lies on the floor and encircles your foot. You stand there wondering why everyone else runs circles around you.

“What will happen if I step out of the ring?”

You look down and realize the only thing attaching yourself to the ball and chain is your indecision. The ring is three freaking feet wide—imagine how easy it would be to lift your leg and step out of it. This is the choice life grants you to make every day. It is your moral obligation as a creator to lift that leg.

“Will people judge me?“

Remember, friend. The ball and chain (void) is not a part of you. The free world (pipeline) is not a part of you. You are free to move in and out of both at will, which favors those who are willing to tap in.

“Am I going to fall flat on my face?”

Your creations are not your identity. Realize this and become shameless and fearless in every creative choice you make. Enter flow state with ease and without hesitation. See the pipeline, reach in, ride the wave, and celebrate what you were born to make.

All my best,

Graham Barton
Sync Producer · Mentor · Imperfectionist
@syncbeast.co

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