Los Angeles has long been a beacon of hope for the American music scene. Many popular music videos were produced in the area, with musicians travelling from afar to produce here. Of course, it’s still likely that even the most popular musician will struggle with motivation to create, here’s how you can help yourself.
Write Music In A Park
One of the oldest tricks in the book to help someone motivate themselves, is to take a leisurely walk down in the park. Luckily in LA, there are so many options for you to choose from. If you’re looking for somewhere that’s peaceful, then consider hitting up Elysian Park, which has over 600 acres for walking, hiking and even a rope swing.
Alternatively, you have the Los Angeles State Historic Park, which is directly adjacent to Chinatown, boasting 32 acres of open space that provides park goers with intimate views of downtown. The park is largely untouched, offering a great place to run.
Running is a great tool to motivate yourself, and there are plenty of options within Los Angeles that have different intensity levels due to slopes and also space. Consider using a different park for your runs to change it up a bit, allowing your mind to experience new places and your body to be more on your side.
Hit Up The Studio
There is no substitute for producing music other than being in a well-equipped studio. As you have all your equipment right here with you, such as any audio interface, condenser microphone, MIDI keyboard and general mixing equipment, you’ll be able to motivate yourself as you have a play around on the equipment.
Even if you haven’t yet written any music let alone recorded any sounds, Los Angeles is full of recording studios that you can utilize, such as the ones offered by Pirate. You can hop in for an hour or settle in for a day session to do whatever you need, which can be a great push.
You can come to these studios alone for headspace, or you can get others involved with your music to come so that you can all motivate each other. If you’re looking to work on more specialized music, such as for a movie score or video game, then there are recording studios purposed for this use.
It’s essentially a space for you to create, even if it’s just to let loose and explore. There is no pressure on visiting these studios, so consider booking in. Even if you don’t create anything, you’ll be more familiar with the equipment and location.
Walk The Beach
As you will probably be aware of, LA has a number of different beaches you can visit, that could assist with motivation. Motivation can strike from anywhere in spaces you might not expect. Consider taking an early morning walk during the sun rise, or a night walk as the sun is settling in, for you to experience the vibes.
Santa Monica is easily one of the most iconic beaches within the Greater Los Angeles area, which has become popular with movie makers, tourists and locals alike. This beach has it all so you may see something unexpected that will help motivate you.
Otherwise, there are more private beaches within the vicinity that you could consider walking around on for motivational reasons. The Marina Peninsula beach can be found just south of Venice beach, which boasts the same beauty but is more tranquil with less crowds in the area.
Visit Cultural Locations
LA has a number of museums and other cultural locations that you could explore for some motivational hit. For example, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is a majestic temple that rises over eleven stories, which is just a short walk from Grand Park and the Music Center. It’s renowned for its more Modernist look, and has beautiful stained-glass windows, making the place a serene area to rest.
You could decide to get yourself up into the skies to get a bird’s eye view of the city. There is a lovely spot on the 15th floor above South Hill Street that is a restaurant, bar and lounge that is known as Perch. Not only is this a great spot for viewing the city, but it also has fire pits, indoor and outdoor seating and a range of unique beers and cocktails.
Meet Up With Other Musicians And Creators
Other musicians, artists or collaborators are always good to meet up with to bounce ideas, even if you’re just in the same space working on your own thing. It’s likely that you will end up benefiting each other with ideas and motivation.
You can meet up with them anywhere, from your homes, recording studios or just at a café, you don’t even need to create anything, just talk. Every creator works differently so you’ll have to find what works for you.