#347: Battling Through Creative Challenges with Composer Amanda Cawley
Nov 15, 2023
auto_awesome
Guest Amanda Cawley, an award-winning composer, discusses creating sonic worlds for film and video games. Topics include overcoming creative challenges, the mental game of writing music, collaborative music creation, dealing with the inner critic, and the importance of letting go. The chapter also explores imposing creative challenges and using nature sounds in music for an immersive experience.
Creating immersive sonic worlds through music composition for film and video games.
Overcoming inner criticism and fostering self-compassion to enhance creativity.
Benefits of collaboration in music, including unexpected influences and unique sounds.
Deep dives
Benefits of Joining the Music Production Club
By joining the Music Production Club, listeners gain access to exclusive content such as the latest releases, packs, presets, samples, and templates. Members can also benefit from educational materials like books and video courses. Additionally, the Music Production Club offers a community of like-minded producers who provide mutual support, share tips and tricks, and participate in live meetings and musical challenges.
Amanda Cauley: Creating Worlds Through Music
This podcast episode features Amanda Cauley, an award-winning composer for film, television, and video games. Amanda discusses her passion for music and her journey into the industry. She emphasizes the importance of creating immersive sonic worlds that trigger the listener's imagination and bring them an exciting and unique experience. Amanda shares how she finds inspiration from nature and various artistic elements, and her process of translating stories, characters, and art into musical compositions.
Overcoming Inner Criticism and Embracing the Creative Process
Amanda talks about the challenges of dealing with inner criticism during the creative process. She highlights the importance of turning down the volume of the inner critic and finding ways to be kind and compassionate to oneself. She shares her personal strategies for reframing negative self-talk and creating a supportive and nurturing environment for creativity to flourish. Amanda encourages embracing a growth mindset, allowing space for ideas to develop without self-judgment, and fostering self-compassion to enjoy the journey of music creation.
The Power of Collaboration in Music
Collaboration in music is essential to creating something greater than what can be achieved individually. The podcast highlights the benefits of collaboration, such as unexpected influences, cool combinations, and the ability to explore and find unique sounds. The band in the podcast writes songs together, avoiding the typical structure of having a lead singer or guitarist bring in ideas. They emphasize the importance of friendship, respect, and vulnerability in the collaborative process, which creates a safe space for expression and leads to better outcomes.
The Role of Ego and Perfectionism in Art
The podcast delves into the negative impacts of ego and perfectionism in art. It highlights the need to release the pressure of creating something perfect and focusing on serving the music or project instead. The podcast describes how film, TV, and music composition require collaboration and the ability to let go of personal preferences for the benefit of the final product. The guests emphasize the importance of embracing imperfection, setting deadlines, and appreciating the process rather than solely focusing on the end result.
Amanda Cawley is an award-winning orchestral composer for film, television, and video games. Amanda's work includes the documentary Visionary Gardeners, the animated series Fireman Sam, and the video game Siegebreaker.
Amanda and I spoke about her work creating sonic worlds for film and video games. She shared how she overcomes creative challenges and blocks, as well as the mental game of writing music. I found Amanda's insights quite valuable and look forward to applying them to my own work!
