There’s nothing like falling into a creative hole - it doesn’t matter what you’re doing - whether you’re writing a novel, a symphony or leading a community - it’s never the falling in that’s the hard part - it’s the climbing out that scares the shit out of you - what if you never make it?
The whole point of these lists - these “music to…” playlists is that they are meant to help - meant to make life better - more enjoyable - hell - even easier. The thing is - I’d completely forgotten that - certainly when it came to the Music to Write an Essay list. It’s not quite the “cobbler’s children have no shoes” thing - but it’s close - I got so wrapped round the task of listening and selecting and publishing the list that I forgot to use it on myself!
While the tracks on this list are instrumental in nature - there’s a huge span in genre - there’s EDM tracks backed up to string quartets while solo pianos nestle up to Icelandic prog rock - the truth is - the list is more a reflection of my mood than it is a hierarchical selection of what’s good or not - if I can get lost in the music and achieve a flow state while writing - then that’s music to write an essay to.
So what do you go for when you’re recovering from a creative dry spell - when you’re still a bit fragile and unsteady on your feet? Solo piano is great when you’re full of confidence and capable of having your emotions manipulated - likewise - heavy beat driven tracks can inject you with an energy that the lethargic mind can borrow and repurpose - but what if you’re somewhere in-between?
Enter Mr. Jon Meyer and his fabulous album Paper Trail.
It’s unique but familiar, gentle yet energizing, accessible and complex - able to be listened to through crappy laptop speakers or gloriously reveled in while wearing studio monitors. Jon had submitted the first track - Find Me Far Away over a year ago - I remember listening to it by chance and finding myself tackling things that I had been putting off and just - getting shit done.
The full album was released on October 23rd of this year and I’ve had By the Light of Dawn and the album closer - a 7 minute masterpiece called The Way Home on my listening list since then - today was the perfect day to bring them out and get to work. I highly recommend you visit Jon’s site and check out the film project attached to the music - beautifully shot footage tells an enigmatic story behind a lost boy and his journey home - it’s really well done as you can tell from the video that accompanies that final track below.
If however - you’ve got some writing to do first - why not just put on the whole album - over 40 minutes of intelligently constructed music will create the perfect accompaniment as you tell your own story - thanks Jon.
You can learn more about Jon Meyer here:
About the Curator: Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
I’ve been fascinated by music ever since.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to be creative and brilliant without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As the founder of musicto I’m on a mission to inspire a global audience of music lovers and artists through the development of people powered playlists.
Latest Posts
Lonely Dream – Drunken Kong Remix – The Archer, Drunken Kong
24 November 2021
But as I’ve moved from ideation to manifestation, the energy of the playlist needed to change – solo piano is good for thinking – but 8 minutes of 130 bpm edm is great for getting things down
Out Of Reach – Cristoph, Yotto, Sansa
8 November 2021
So if you’ve been listening to the playlist recently you know what’s coming. Last week’s track was all about setting the intent for change – away from the more relaxing ideation space of solo instrumentation to this week’s electronic track from Cristoph, Yotto and Sansa.
Mr. Clay – Johnny Klimek, Tom Tykwer
31 October 2021
I’ve known for a while that the feel of the list was going to change – while piano instrumentals are perfect for reflection and ideation – at some point you need some energetic input to get your fingers moving.
Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to be creative and brilliant without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As a creator / contributor at musicto I’m part of a global creator community that collaborates through music. You can learn more about our community here.