Surfing can teach a person many things about life.
As I’ve been refocusing on producing music, there have been moments of awe at just how much wisdom found in surfing applies directly to producing. (And perhaps, as well, many other endeavours, creative or otherwise).
When I lived in Bali and was in my surfing phase, there were many times I wanted to go out and surf.
But it doesn’t work like that.
There are factors of swells and tides.
Most of the time, the waves really might not be so good.
Over time, I found that the best surf was in the early morning. Thus, going out later in the day never was as enjoyable, as it was always windier with choppier water, and nowhere near as serene and smooth an experience.
And, I also discovered that there were times my body was in (and out of) a state more conducive to better, more enjoyable sessions.
Thus, it turned out to be a fairly small amount of time that all the factors lined up to culminate in an excellent surfing session.
And those times I tried forcing it - going out because I wanted to versus when the conditions were best - tended to be not all that a great experience.
Sometimes, paddling out seemed like hell, when there was disharmony between my body’s state and/or rough waters. Sometimes, all the patience in the world didn’t lure in waves good enough to catch, and the majority of the session was spent waiting begrudgedly. Others, the full focus wasn’t there to place myself in the right place at the right time.
But whatever the case, it became clearer:
The optimal surf always came down to a matter of timing.
With music production, there are often similar dynamics...
Perhaps, the excellent studio sessions come about riding a prime wave of creativity when it rolls in.
And just like with surfing, those waves don’t come at all times. And even when they come, that’s not to say you can’t bail before riding them to the end - or even fail of paddle in and catch them at the right moment.
If you’re out surfing, paddling away and trying to catch waves before the good swell comes in, you’ll probably exhaust yourself, such that when they finally do start rolling in, you won’t have the energy and focus to make the most of them.
Same with music.
It’s been a process that’s not been easy. So many times, I’ve burned myself out trying to force it. So many times, I’ve sat down guided by my logical motivations to be “productive,” ignoring where my body state is at energetically in relation to the waves of creativity, and walked back onto shore disgruntled with nothing inspiring to show.
My relationship with music has perhaps been the most conflicted of any, perhaps for no other reason than most of the time, I’ve approached it ignorantly - having no fucking clue how to surf.
And not “how to surf” in the technical sense. But in that of bringing myself into harmony with the sea.
Tired... not a good time to sit down and force it.
Lacking something key in nutrition... only a matter of time before spin-out.
Sitting down too long... pretty much guaranteed the obstacles are gonna intensify, and it’d be stupid not to get up and take a break for some movement/exercise.
Any of these three things - and they can present themselves so subtly, yet make a huge difference - and it’s practically game-over before I’ve barely started.
So yeah. It’s a lot more fucking complicated that one might think.
And, this also severely limits the windows of time where conditions are optimal to catch those creative waves when they come in - which often seem completely sporadic and unpredictable.
Solutions?
I dunno. I’m still figuring that out through experimentation. Despite having dabbled in production for periods over 15 years, I feel like more of a newbie than ever. And I probably didn’t spend enough time surfing to extract the full amount of wisdom and tune the senses to fully cross it over.
Sometimes, it’s a matter of heading out/in when my body is in state, and sticking at it long enough to bust through the inevitable obstacles and unlock the flow awaiting. The process doesn’t always begin with the big waves rolling in. But you need to get out there and warmed up a bit first anyways.
Sometimes, it’s best to take a time out. No sense at all going out if there are no waves at all in sight for hours or days to come. Though, sooner or later, something drives the body into action, and what proceeds is from inspiration, more than it is out of any desire of “be productive.”
Though either way, there's only one route to mastery: investing time on the water.
Not every session may have those killer waves, nor may we manage to catch them even when they're rolling in. But when we do, they are fucking glorious.
And perhaps, as we stick in there over time to ascend the ladder of mastery - from unconscious incompetence, to conscious incompetence, to conscious competence, and finally to unconscious competence - in creative undertaking of our direction...
We shall become the ones making the waves.
Hmm, surfing and music. What a nice analogy you gave, but I feel these waves that you spoke about the ocean can also be seen in other areas of our day-to-day lives activities.
Like in our emotional life, our financial life and just to mention a few. You came from the aspect of your music. As you've rightly said
Sitting down at on place waiting for that perfect wave to come, for you to have a nice surf may become a doubting task because life isn't fair to anyone at all. Though sometimes some people get lucky and get this clean surf which is not always the case. Remember also that you don't even know the work this person's have put to get to that enviable surf.
Life keeps making these waves for us and does care if there were equal opportunities for us to learn how to surf in the wave of that particular aspect of our lives. The key as proffered in your solution is for one to be the master of his own life and become the ones making those waves.
For us to become masters and create these waves. We have to do more work and research on that aspect of our life that we seem to be having a bit of a trouble having a pretty clean surf and improve on them.
Yours @rok-sivante is your music and I feel like more training and discovering your style of music is the key to achieving the sound you would love to be producing and finally producing great music. From yours @tobex.
From this: bringing myself into harmony with the sea.
To this: We shall become the ones making the waves.
There’s beauty, here, and humility and longing.
May we invest enough time, so that our timing becomes second nature, as we ascend that ladder of mastery.
Blessed be 🙏🏼
☺️
Here’s a quote I often return to for sustenance, while fine-tuning my art (of living):
You speak as though you’re reading my mind , or you see it happen to me. I always thought that it was a slack on my side and that I need to work harder anytime I have writer’s block. Many atimes I try so hard to be creative but no creativity ever surfaces and it makes me sad but now I know better, true words when you say one have to catch the wave at the right time
This is some wise words I must say. Thanks for the encouragement. Gained so many things which will help me grow. You’re much appreciated
Common occurrences, on the creative path, perhaps.
Pair the typical outlooks on “writer’s block” with the conventional attitudes towards “overcoming obstacles” and such, and we can see how the usual approaches may only fuel resistance - imposing desires for it to occur a certain way versus adapting to the process...
Maybe sometimes the “blocks” are nothing to be “overcome,” but serving as guides - redirecting us to explore different avenues.
i.e. were we to slow down, take a time out, and do something else to nourish our souls, we might find unexpected inspiration - discovering the material with which to forge the next masterpiece, which we would have never found by just pushing ahead with will to conquer the block.
Food for thought... ;-)
Truly, this is food for the thought.
This is a life lesson to me I must confess
I’d definitely put my mind to this and hold it close, thanks. You’re much appreciated
🙏
Remain blessed always .
The point of timing indeed rings very true to me.
My experience has been over and over again that the Universal flow is just perfect and has always been so. What is taking place at this cosmic juncture is simply the consciousness shift from the Unawareness of Perfection to the Awareness of Perfection, which means that we now come to see that even those times we considered as being absolutely imperfect back then were just perfect for our experience and growth at that time.
The more we cultivate this Awareness the more effortless it will become to trust that anything coming into our life at a certain point is just exactly meant to be there now. Authentically seeing the Perfection naturally allows us to move our mind from 'victimhood' to 'responsibility', or 'problem' to 'chance'.
It won't anymore be: life dictates, we adapt.
It will be: WE dictate, life adapts.
Or in the context of your post:
It won't anymore be: the wave dictates, we adapt.
It will be: WE dictate, the wave adapts.
The wave adapts to our unique Soul Harmony composition and will try its best to melt together with us. ;)
You have been well-aligned with that. I found some messages implied through that sentence. Logically as there is a very strong philosophy message. You associate Between "Music Producing" and "Surfing", both like something similar. The statement of that then has clearly been mentioned in the lower paragraph. After reading everything then I think that music has influenced human brainwaves to work so people are able to analogize things around with music. I also can not imagine if people are able to create music even though they get a lot of challenges like being hit by surf when surfing. I think also that the power to resist is in man himself. If they are in love with their work then they will try to keep doing it even if occasionally they get into trouble. Power is in each person depending on how they maintain their commitment to continue to innovate and fly in music.
Thank You
@ponpase | From Indonesia
I believe one doesn’t need to tune in to a certain activity as much as he needs to ride the wave of creativity that arises within himself at any given moment whatever activity it takes him to. In other terms to tune in to his own waves and pick the activity that fits the specific wave at every single moment untill he finds what really keeps his creativity coming.
🙌
This is a topic i can relate to 100% and it's interesting to read your take on how surfing crosses over into other areas of your life.
I also used to dabble in music and there are definitely aspects of flow that are present in both endeavors. As someone who's prone to over think things, surfing rips me out of my regular thought patterns and lets me be truly in the moment, and lets me truly enjoy the present. There's a state of flow in music too, when you're just there almost as a vessel for the music that's coming out of you.
I've been to Indonesia for several epic surf trips and really it's a surfer's paradise. In Indo, you have the privilege of choosing when and when not to paddle out because there's always another swell on the way. Back home, not so much... often I choose to go out in crap surf because i need to get out there. Sometimes I'm chasing the flow, sometimes i need some good exercise, and other times it's to chill with the boys. I think there's a meditative state to surfing, the ebb and flow of the waves and the sound of displacing water has a soothing affect on my mind and body.
This is getting longer than I thought, and i could go on and on but I'll stop here.
pura vida
Bringing music and surfing 🏄 together is something mind blowing it give more creativity when you on the sea.
You are been inspire to showcase more arts 🎭 from the wisdom it brings
Thanks @rok-sivante for kickstarting my day with this wonderful and insightful post. Best of regards!
I kind of like the way you relate music with surfing. Well waves will always be there and what I think is that we just to accept how things comes as we can't change circumstances but we can choose how we react to them.
Take a deep breath man, and focus.
So moving phase because you mixed surfing and music in one state of phase and that's really great to hear, and good know that you like surfing and you faced some tough times while surfing when tried after morning sessions and how your body also hurt due to surfing, it happens in life, whatever our passion is sometimes it gives pain but that pain gives that passion to do more because at last it's our interest and it's our passion. And good to know that you are associated with music production from last 15 years, many people think that it's easy job for musicians and other artists, but it's not easy job because we have to put heart and soul to produce something, and as you said still you feel that you are newbie in this music stuff, but if you ask me then that's really great because every time you can born through zero to hundred, and true musician never face an easy journey, sometimes they have to face the toughest journey. I want to wish good luck to you for your work.
Thanks for sharing this post with us and wishing you an great day. Stay blessed. 🙂
Honest feedback: that paragraph could read a lot better utilizing some periods instead of nearly all commas. Lol. ;-)
Thanks for your kind response and advice, i will try to work on it, literally speaking when it's come to writing i never give lot of mind in it and i write what comes in my mind after reading something, but i will work on this advice and will try to improve. Thank you and stay blessed. 🙂
surfing and music, I never surf even though I enjoy the beauty of the ocean waves, sometimes I seek peace by enjoying the sea agin blow in the morning, and there the sound of the waves give peace even as the tone of music is heard and sweep away the soul in the strains of life.
I have never surfed, hmm I never even go to swim. I think only European countries or countries with new sea surfing. I live in a poor country, people just go swimming and sightseeing. We do not have any games on the beach. After reading your article, I wish to go to the beach once and learn to surf. Hahhaa ... It seems risky.
Only if paddling out into waves bigger than your skill level is suited to...
How long did you study surfing?
Wouldn’t say I “studied” it at all.
Surfed for maybe a year or bit more in total.
I worked a lot of waiter/bartender jobs during college in South Florida. One day, a customer came in and ordered a beer. He was a friendly dude, sat at the bar while I worked and we had a really nice, thought-provoking conversation.
After about an hour he paid for his beer and said "thank you for the conversation, I have a feeling we'll meet again" and left.
I never saw him again, but every time I cross paths with an intelligent, thought-provoking human being I remember that conversation with a stranger.
so thank you; this is one of those occasions.
Awesome. I’m humbled and privileged to receive such feedback. 🙏🍻
Oooo, it turns out @rok-sivante ever lived in bali, indonesia?
Time, I also want to be a wave maker
Oooo, ternyata @rok-sivante pernah tinggal di bali, indonesia ?
Saatnya, saya juga ingin jadi pembuat gelombanh.
yes its true @rok-sivante that surfing gives us more creative ideas. I love this adventurous activity as well and glad to know about your surfing in Bali. and wisdom brings automatically due to which controls the dangerous waves while surfing.
@rok-sivante
I like the fact that you compared the surf and production an aspect of music together. "It is just simple as the spirit is willing but the body is weak- interpreted in your statement as most time you wanted to "surf" the weather might not be favorable."
Spirit here is you surfing while the body is the unfavorable weather."
I think you will discuss first to Indonesia may be suitable for you to surf, because in our big area now big waves and fun if you surf on our island friends. if you visit Indonesia I will be your guide with pleasure I will help, success continues for you, hopefully your day please friends, greetings indonesian community.🙏
i want to enjoy the sensation of surfing. Until now in the Aceh region there is not a single surfing community. maybe that's our destiny as a remote area that is not familiar with popular sports.
but I do not like to spend time playing music. I prefer to listen to a sweet prayer. I recommend this for you to listen? try listening to finish. and provide your comments @rok-sivante
that could make for some AWESOME sampling in some crazy futuristic dubstep-ish stuff!! :-D
wow, it had lived in Bali - indonesia, surely you can speak Indonesian.😁
sedikit...
Hemm.:) gimana pendapat anda tentang Indonesia, Negara yang multicultural :)
An interesting story of Mr. @ rok-sivante. Have you been to Sabang Island, Aceh, Indonesia? If I have not, I think you should go there when you have time. Indeed Sabang is no more famous than Bali. But who knows you can find a lot of inspiration here :)