If you’ve ever sat down to create something, especially something unfamiliar, you’ve probably had your brain tell you why you shouldn’t.
Money, connections, luck—a million excuses flood your brain as to why it won’t work out, maybe even stopping you from even starting in the first place.
But here’s the good news: many of your favorite artists started with that same voice in their head. Some certainly had a head start, but many didn’t—they thrived with minimal gear, little to no money, and nothing you don’t already have.
To prove it—to help you finally open that project file or sit down at that piano—here are tips on writing, producing, mixing, mastering, gaining exposure, and more a variety of musicians, composers, and other artists.
Getting started, staying the course, and making waves—creative tips from names you know
Fred Again
Make music anywhere—no studio required
Think you need a fancy studio to make a hit? Fred Again produced in cafés for years, only moving to a studio when he realized he was taking up too much space. Even today, he prefers working in public places for the energy.
“I think the reason why I like writing in places that aren’t studios and out in the world is because you get this constant collage of humanity. This thing just walking by, it’s always moving and changing… I think it just keeps your brain alive and moving versus gradually getting stiller and stiller in the vacuum of a dark room.”
Set time limits to get things done
When producing with Swedish House Mafia, Fred set a timer and said, “We’re going to make something in this time limit.” Confining creativity can force you to act fast—helping you finish tracks instead of adding to your hard drive’s graveyard of unfinished ideas.
Keep it simple—close the gap between ideas and execution
Fred focuses on making his creative process as seamless as possible. You can see this in his Boiler Room set, where he controls nearly everything from a single launchpad.
“This is what I want to get better and better at, making it so the whole thing comes from this thing (launch pad).”
Write for one person
Stuck on a track? Make something for someone specific. Fred once finished a song simply because he knew his friend would be there to hear it. Having an audience—even if it’s just one person—can push you to complete ideas.
“My friend would always come to these shows and he just loved jungle music. So I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to make a jungle tune for him to hear tonight.’”
Pink Pantheress
Lower the bar
Trying to be original is great—but not if it’s paralyzing you. Every idea is inspired by one before it; if a song, score, or some other piece of existing media makes you want to create, run with it! Take a page from Pink Pantheress, who started out building off her favorite songs and artists.
“I wouldn’t even call it producing, I was kind of just speeding instrumentals and singing over them.”
Kenny Beats
Make your mix sound right—use reference tracks
Your song is finished, but the mix isn’t working? Kenny Beats suggests comparing your track to something similar on the same speakers to help dial in the right sound.
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Flying Lotus
Limit your tools to find your sound
When Flying Lotus was tasked with creating a soundtrack for the show, Yasuke, he limited himself to only a few instruments to create a unique sonic palette. Working with limitations forces creativity and originality.
Nicholas Britell
Test your ideas—theory isn’t always reality
Music theory says one thing, but real-life emotion can say another. Nicholas Britell (Succession, Queen’s Gambit) encourages testing what actually works in context.
“Let’s say that we’re trying to create a moment that feels sad. You can imagine that you’d use a piece written in a minor key—you could put that against the picture, and it might work. But if you put a piece of music that’s potentially happy over that same sequence, you may find it’s absolutely tragic. Instead of feeling happy, it actually feels like the loss of happiness. Until you put something up against the picture, you have no idea what it’s going to do.”
Burial
Don’t feel like a fraud—make the music you love
Despite defining the after-rave genre, Burial had never been to a real rave before releasing his first two albums. If you love a sound, you don’t need credentials—just start.
“I’ve never been to a festival. Never been to a rave in a field. Never been to a big warehouse, never been to an illegal party, just clubs and playing tunes indoors or whatever. I heard about it, dreamed about it. My brother might bring back these records that seemed really adult to me and I couldn’t believe I had ‘em. It was like when you first saw Terminator or Alien when you’re only little. I’d get a rush from it, I was hearing this other world, and my brother would drop by late and I’d fall asleep listening to tunes he put on.”
Jon Batiste
Blend life and music—don’t keep them separate
Many musicians compartmentalize “music” and “life.” Jon Batiste doesn’t. He believes music should exist within daily life, even using the moment between wakefulness and sleep to generate ideas.
Four Tet
Capture ideas anywhere—don’t wait to get home
90% of Four Tet’s writing happens outside the studio—on a laptop, on trains, anywhere. Many ideas get lost waiting to be “properly” recorded. Write now, polish later.
Paul Mccartney
Get it out first—smooth it over later
Writing a song is like writing a first draft—get the ideas down, refine later. Paul Mccartney, and the Beatles at large, are famous for using toplines—fake sounds and words as placeholders—and filling in the actual lyrics later, such as in the chart-topping single, Get Back.
Sam Gellaitry
Record those vocals at home
Despite becoming a rising pop star, Sam Gellaitry still records vocals in his bedroom with a basic mic. Fancy setups aren’t a requirement—creativity is.
Skrillex
Imitate first—define your own sound later
Dubstep pioneer Skrillex admits he started by copying the sound of Dutch electronic music trio, Noisia. Over time, his attempts turned into something uniquely his. Studying others can be a stepping stone to originality.
“I was just copying Noisia’s sound at first, their synthesis. I would hear their sounds and go, ‘F***, how the f*** do they do that?’ I would try to make their sounds, and then it turned into its own sound itself…”
Use what you have—don’t get hung up on gear
Skrillex mixed his debut EP, My Name Is Skrillex, on computer speakers through a headphone jack. It’s more about what you do with what you have than the gear itself.
“You wouldn’t necessarily want to work with bad speakers, but I have mixed stuff on computer monitors in the past. All of My Name Is Skrillex is mixed on computer monitors coming out of a headphone jack [laughs], and I got by. So it’s all about what you’re comfortable with.”
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Chris James
Don’t wait for permission—put your work out there
Chris James wasn’t asked to sing on Deadmau5’s The Veldt. He just did it, posted it, and Deadmau5 loved it, leading to Chris’s vocals being used in the official release.
Willie Nelson
Move through creative blocks—literally
Feeling stuck? Take a walk, drive, or bike ride. Folk legend, Willie Nelson, wrote entire songs just by driving down the highway and letting his mind wander.
“If I really need and want to write a song today … I’ll get in a car and take off driving down the highway in any direction.”
Jack White
Adapt—make it work with what you have
Jack White didn’t have a bassist for Seven Nation Army, so he pitched down his guitar instead. The result? One of the most iconic basslines in history.
MNDSGN
Keep your gear within reach
Out of sight out of mind. Producer MNDSGN keeps all his primary gear within arm’s reach from his work area. This way, it’s always in his view, and it’s easy to start when inspiration strikes.
“I’ve always made sure all the primary gear is arranged within arm’s reach. If something is too far and out of reach, it tends to collect dust.”
Over to you
Creativity isn’t always about having the perfect setup, expensive gear, or industry connections. It’s about using what you have, experimenting, and consistently showing up.
The artists here didn’t wait for permission, and many of them started where you are now—now it’s your turn. Want to spark your creativity with hundreds of instruments, synths, and effects?
