Getting Lost

In this week’s newsletter, I cover:

Getting lost
My favourite things this week
New Course Released!
Epic Music from FREE samples
This week’s release - Rich’s Strummed Guitar

I don’t know about you but sometimes on my creative journey, and in life, I feel completely lost. As if I’ve suddenly forgotten what I’m doing and where I’m going.

When it happens it feels so scary.

I pride myself on my focus and drive so when I lose direction I feel like I am letting myself down in some way.

Pen sketch of a figure in a small boat on choppy waves with the words Sometimes I feel lost at sea

I was sitting in a cafe the other day pondering the last few months/years. Thinking specifically about the feeling of being lost. And then it hit me, is getting lost really such a bad thing?

Could being lost actually be a good thing for your creativity and life?

The aspect of feeling lost that I really like is that it forces me to actually search for answers and inspiration.

You become a sponge, an absorber of the world around you.

It turns out that there are a ton of great articles on this very topic; losing yourself to find yourself.

These articles made me realise that when your creative energy levels run low it can make you feel lost and uncertain and without the will to continue.

So you need to stop to fill your energy bar up by asking questions, looking for answers, and being open to new ideas.

This openness, I think, is us opening ourselves up to the flow of energy. We are letting ourselves be more guided by our quiet whisper.

“The Universe is saying: ‘Allow me to flow through you unrestricted, and you will see the greatest magic you have ever seen.’” — Klaus Joehle

The most common situation that I feel lost in is when I am working on a project. I get so focused on the details that I suddenly forget why I am even doing that project in the first place. The result is that I often question if I even enjoy my work at all.

That feeling then forces me to step back and allow my brain to organise my thoughts and feelings on the subject. Often at this point I find journalling super helpful. I then return feeling like I know exactly what I am doing and have renewed drive.

Feeling lost isn’t always a sign of doing the wrong thing or not having goals/drive, it’s part of the creative process.

🎧 I’m Listening To…

In the 2020 lockdown, I started my own audio sketchbook of piano improvisations. At the end of 2021, I stopped producing them but I still listen to them regularly, I find them incredibly relaxing. I am really proud of this body of work even though it is rough around the edges, it feels like a really nice documentation of where I was creatively at the time.

🖼 I’m Loving…

iZotope VocalSynth 2 plugin interface showing the Biovox, Vocoder, Compuvox, Talkbox and Polyvox modules

VocalSynth 2 by Izotope for my synth-wave alter ego, Zac Rivers. I have tried a lot of software vocoders but this is definitely my favourite. It fills me with the same sense of playful joy as my little Yamaha sampler my step-sister had when I was 10 and I could sample myself saying “Poop”.

📺 I’m Watching…

When my third child, Phoebe, was born I watched a lot of YouTube. A LOT! One day I stumbled upon a small Youtuber called Dave Hilotwitz who specialised in Kontakt instruments and sampling. His videos were like a wonderful mix of documentary and tutorial. They were fascinating. Back then he only had about 5,000 subscribers. He now has around 179,000 and his videos are still captivating me.

🌟 New From Rich

⚡️ New Course Released

Ok, this just happened! I have published my course Dark Organic Trailer Music to the public. As a way to celebrate that, I’ve added it to my Ultimate Trailer Music Bundle AAAAND, I have also put that very same bundle on sale! If you are interested in the new course I strongly recommend checking out the offer I have for you…

Computer monitor displaying The Dark Organic Trailer Music Course title artwork

🎛 Epic Music From Free Samples

I created a course recently called, Trailer Music For Beginners. The course is all about getting people started in trailer music without having to fork out the money for the big sample libraries. So, I show you how to write epic music with only free samples.

Make Epic Music with only FREE samples?FREE Trailer Music Toolkit to create your own epic music sketch:/toolkit/-------------

📺 Succession Season 4

Two of my tracks, Skit and Magenta have just been used in the promo campaigns for the latest season of the awesome HBO TV show, Succession. These tracks were remixed by the very talented Sean Latino.

❝ Quote of the week:

“Life is not designed to hand us success or satisfaction, but rather to present us with challenges that make us grow.” - Terry Laughlin

Want to advertise in The Quiet Whisper? → Book here

Want to learn more from me? Check out my online video courses

The Ultimate Trailer Music Bundle → Learn everything there is to learn about Trailer Music

The Trailer Music Course → The perfect course to get you started writing trailer music

Trailer Music for Beginners → Learn to create trailer music with nothing but FREE samples

🎁 This Week’s Release

This week I am releasing an old Kontakt instrument I made. The idea behind it was to create the feel of a strummed acoustic guitar.

It has 2 velocity levels, quiet and loud. The quiet layer has 3 round robins and the loud only has one.

I’m gonna be honest with you, it sounds pretty damn good for a 15-minute job. I made it for a course creating Cinematic Pop Rock to give the 2nd act some drive and pace.

It’s not pretty (no snazzy GUI I am afraid) but it does the job really well.

The Quiet Whisper