Music is a very personal and individual thing. When I am working on various parts of a comic, there are a few playlists I turn to. They are all significantly different from one and other, and although I’ve tried, they don’t transcend and cover all creative avenues for me. When I am writing, I need music in the background that can set the tone, but not draw my attention. I usually turn to a SPOTIFY list of instrumental superhero movie soundtracks. The classic Superman orchestral theme, the AVENGERS credit piece, or even a Jurassic Park suite seems to keep my creative writing flowing, without interrupting it. If I am inking or colouring, I find that I am drawn to more folksy tunes with a foot tapping melody. WALK OFF THE EARTH and MUMFORD AND SONS are two of my favs with WEEZER being a close third, even if it is mostly nostalgia driven. Although visual arts don’t come as naturally to me as writing does, and I have to “work harder” at it, it seems to require less of my immediate attention and concentration. Some of my best inking is done when I don’t think so hard about it. My analytically side is strong, and sometimes takes over the creative portions of me.
When I am writing, I like to immerse myself in the world I am working within. I can take me anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to review and re read portions of a script to get into the right headspace to continue on with a solid scripting of the ongoing story. Interruptions are detrimental to that focus, so the instrumental music I choose often tunes out the noises in my immediate surroundings, while not interrupting my thought and creative process. As an author, I often treat myself as a fly on the wall inside the story I am writing, and for better or worse, that fly can’t have his headphones on full blast and still know what is happening around him.
Every story or script I have ever written has an accompanying soundtrack. What’s on your creative playlist?