What is your go-to during an artistic block? Dan: Well, a few things. The first is being hyperaware of not assigning the idea of being blocked! Some times are for ideas flowing, others are for experiencing life, or being lazy, so if it doesn’t come, then we try not to force it. It’s kind of like when you can’t sleep and the more you think about it the harder it gets! I like how writers say write a little bit every day and sometimes you get on a run! But also, sometimes sitting in a studio when there isn’t an idea and trying to force it can build a sense of resentment towards going into the studio. Instead, do something else and don’t even try. That being said, there are many things you can do! For music, you can genre flip. Maybe you take a song you were working on that was acoustic and instead re-record it as a Four-on-thefloor club song. Make up a new guitar tuning that breaks everything you know. Try to make something intentionally bad, or ridiculous, or in a genre you hate. If writing music isn’t coming, do lyrics come? Maybe tweaking levels and effects? Sometimes if you just sit down and play a track you have been making from the beginning, you might start noticing little tweaks and then fall into two hours of flow mixing and then you get a new part. When you do get the free flow of ideas that happens when it happens … catch ‘em! Write them all down, whistle into your phone, write down scenes and jokes, or whatever it is, and then when you want to create but it’s not coming, tap into that bank. There is much better advice about this stuff in books like The War of Art, which you could read in an hour, or The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, which directly has advice for this, or Flow which literally has instructions on the conditions to get in the zone. But honestly, try to understand where the pressure is coming from? A lot of times it is one simple thing, and that thing may very well be that you are just thinking about what other people will think. What is your reason for making art in the first place? How do you stay inspired all these years? Charles: Close your eyes, and think about the piece or music or video that moved you the most, ever. That is why. I always have thought that if I could make even just a few people feel the same way I felt from music, it’s all worth it. Dan: More and more I’ve learned that you need people that are here spreading light in the world, on social media, wherever — giving people things to sing and dance to, to laugh at, and to make you think and wonder beyond where your borders are today. Do you ever consider that you can think literally ANY thought? ANY THING EVER. And you can think it right now. And further, being able to take something that only existed in your mind and make it a thing that exists somehow in reality and is experienced by someone else’s senses is absolutely beautiful. But another thing that emerged once we released our music was the many people that reached out to us saying they’re moved by our music and lyrics. One unexpected one was from young men, especially in Latin America, that were saying things like, “I heard your lyrics and they are exactly how I feel. I have not heard a male talk about this.” And so that was touching knowing someone that may be less likely to reach out for help felt heard and understood. But most of all, we still mainly make stuff for our family and friends to laugh at and listen to. Top three albums. Charles: Swans — Soundtracks for the Blind; Propagandhi — Less Talk More Rock; Sonic Youth — Sister Dan: Cornelius — Fantasma; Sol Niger Within's Fredrik Thordendal’s Special Defects; Mew — And The Glass Handed Kites Top three films. Charles: Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, Gummo Dan: Mulholland Drive, Taxi Driver, Memento Top performers. Dan & Charles: Laddio Bolocko - Completely BLEW our minds in any way. Swans — Do not miss them, ever. Ever. 2000s era Mike Patton. Tigran Hamasyan Trio. Go-to fashion item(s). Charles: Dad Asics. Dan: I bought every color of one pair of sweatpants that look like normal pants on a sale called “Daymaker.” Favorite mustache styles. Charles: John Waters mustache, specifically his mustache. Dan: Rusty Jones. One piece of tech you’d love to see have a comeback. Charles: Payphones and Super Soakers Dan: Super soakers are still around FYI CHECK OUT MORE MUSIC, VIDEOS & ART: THEIMPLIERS.COM | @THEIMPLIERS: INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY (EXCLUSIVE) PEEK THEIR LATEST VIDEO: “MAKE YOUR MOVE”: YOUTU.BE/VF7A9LJGHIE MAJOR STREAMING LINKS: THEIMPLIERS.LNK.TO/MYMV 25
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