comparing your music to other music even though you're not supposed to but you really are supposed to sometimes
One of the problems with music is that you have to compare your music to other music when you're making that music. And you're not supposed to compare your stuff or your art to anyone else’s. But–at least with music–you've got to figure out how to make the sounds you want to make, so you've got to listen to a bunch of stuff. And compare it.
Just like if you're a writer where you have to be a voracious reader, if you're a musician, you have to listen to so much music. And so you have to, in a sense, always compare. But then you have to break from all that and figure out if you're doing justice to the song or you're doing the best thing you can.
It's all such a weird, odd collection of do's and don'ts that reverse on themselves all day long. And then at some point, you just have to quit and pretend that you're done and get a song ready and share it.
It's all so weird.
Here's what I've come up with lately: https://soundcloud.com/jdtorian