THE WAITING GAME
Mar 1, 2005 12:00 PM, The Remix Editors, Robert Hanson Erin Hutton Kylee Swenson
I, Erin Hutton, am a procrastinator. It's true. I admit it. But it's not like this is a new revelation. Procrastination has plagued me since I wrote my first research paper in third grade (about Cherokee Indians, in case you're wondering) until, well, today. I can sigh and moan and cry and blame, but, really, it's my own freakin' fault. I know when deadlines are (ahem, now). Hell, I often make the deadlines (but that also means I know how far to stretch 'em — dangerous, indeed). Perhaps I subconsciously need that stress, that panicky sort of excitement, to keep me in top form. Or perhaps I'm just making excuses. Nevertheless, I know that I am not alone.
At one time or another, you've likely found yourself procrastinating in the studio. You have new software that you need to install, but the thought of enduring hours of disc swapping, key entering, initializing and rebooting just doesn't appeal to you at this time. Or maybe you have some updates to download, some presets to fiddle with or some sounds to audition — whatever it is, the project can wait. Sound familiar?
Dragging your feet on an upgrade or putting off some drum edits is one thing, but when your procrastination affects other people, it starts to become a problem (just ask the Remix art directors). Everybody has most likely dealt with a band member or production partner (maybe even you) who shows up for rehearsal minus song ideas or fleshed-out parts. Even worse, maybe you're set to record some tracks with a producer, but you haven't taken the time to either learn your parts or acclimate yourself to the recording environment (learning to play to the click at the correct tempo, for example). At that point, you're just wasting everybody's time, including your own. And that's when you must decide to really take charge of your music and your commitment to success.
Although it is commendable to endeavor to change your procrastinating ways, following through can be tough. Sometimes, it can help to study the successes of others and find ways to apply what works for these role models to your own projects. Everyone can learn something from Ali “Dubfire” Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi of Deep Dish. These two dynamos are seemingly doing it all: They not only run the Yoshitoshi, Shinichi and Yo! labels but also score huge remix projects and illustrious DJ gigs around the world and even find time to produce a couple of artist albums. Think about that for a second. It kind of makes that EP you've been toiling over not seem like such a burden, huh? That's not to say that your project is any less valid, of course, and, admittedly, Shirazinia and Tayebi have an ace team in place to help them keep everything running smoothly. But they wouldn't be able to do any of it if they didn't first have a rock-solid work ethic and the ability to make things happen for themselves. As Shirazinia says in this month's cover story, “You can't go 80 percent and then expect the rest to work itself out.”
So as I sit here furiously typing away, putting in that extra 20 percent, I'm writing this little procrastination essay not only for your benefit but also for mine. Maybe when I see this in print, I'll be able to remind myself to heed my own damn advice. Maybe. Regardless, I'll leave you with a funny yet telling adage that someone special enlightened me with the other day: Procrastination is a lot like masturbation — it's fun while you're doing it, but in the end, you're just screwing yourself.
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