brettworks

Why am I working on this? Sometimes your music making answers this question, but often it doesn’t. So it can be helpful to think about possibilities and paths of action before you start by devising prompts to orient yourself in directions you could go. A prompt is a phrase to guide, inspire, and energize your attention around a process or desired result. It’s a way to shape your present workflow habits in pursuit of a future output. A prompt can be as vague as Play this instrument for 30 minutes or Conjure something oceanic. Or it can be as specific as Make a 140 bpm beat with dubby-echo effects, layered with slow vocal lines and long chords. There are no right or wrong prompts, just prompts that get you thinking. Even uninspiring prompts are useful because they model what not to do. Try devising some prompts and then answer their call. Notice which prompts hem your work in, and which ones lead to surprising journeys. Committing to a compelling prompt just might propel your tacit knowledge into action.