One of my goals this year is to write and record an entire album of music, and after experimenting with Twitch streaming, I have decided to schedule regular streams where I will do a significant chunk of the work of creating an album of music in a live, public way.
I’ll be live on Twitch every Tuesday and Thursday evening, putting my creative process out there live for public viewing.
Now I am streaming multiple times a week, whether playing Final Fantasy VI or The Legend of Zelda, or even, as embedded above, streaming my work as a creator of music.
My first session was Thursday this week. I began the process of arranging parts for cello, violin, piano, and guitar for an old song I am reviving called Open Air (aka Welcoming Party). It was productive! I think it helped me focus and stay on task, because I was talking through my process and with an audience I wasn’t going to just get distracted and read twitter or play a game.
My first music livestream.
Rubber Ducking - how explaining problems helps you solve them
Programmers sometimes talk about a concept known as rubber ducking that explains an interesting phenomenon. The gist of the idea is that the simple act of trying to explain your problem to someone else often leads you to an answer, even before the other person tries to help. The work of articulating the situation and the ultimate goal helps you identify a solution.
Talk to the rubber duck.
The rubber duck part comes in because you can practice this act of explaining even without another human there. Teachers also experience this, as the act of preparing course materials and teaching students forces them to internalize deeper understandings of the subjects at hand.
I experienced this phenomenon during my livestream. I didn’t so easily reach for comforting distractions to avoid the discomforts of creative challenges. And then, as I explained how I was working through my decisions, a delight emerges for the work. Progress is made.
This is meaningful to me because it shows me a path forward to completing an album.
I’ll be streaming music every Tuesday and Thursday evenings now!
