Stage 1: Discovery and Enthusiasm

This is a great stage to be in, it’s when I’m all pumped up about a project and gathering all the stuff I need to get up and go.  For this stage I start of with Aenema by Tool. Why, you might ask?

This album starts are amazing, and right when you get into it, they throw in an intermission; which brings you back down to earth. This is about the time on a project when I realize I might possibly be in over my head. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel…

Stage 2: Reality and Drive

After coming off the initial high of the project kick off, I just wasted a ton of energy, but it was good because now I have all this information to process. So I’m at a pretty low energy level now, but I need to push on. This is where my all-time favorite album comes in: S.C.I.E.N.C.E. by Incubus. It gives me the energy I need to keep on going, right up until I’m about to burn out.

Stage 3: Burnout

By stage 3 I’m usually pretty exhausted, but the project is more than half over so ya gotta finish it, ya know? By now, I’ve accepted how tired I am, all the ideas have pretty much been thought of, and it’s just a matter of getting over the hump. I need some music that let’s me be tired, relax, and get engulfed in my work.

I use Amos Lee – Supply and Demand for this one. I saw him live in Chapel Hill, NC a couple years ago. I was already a casual fan at that point, but he put on a heck of a show in a cool small venue. It was a very calming night and it helps me get through some tough work.

Stage 4: Completion

Stage 4 comes with a last surge of energy. But a completely different type than I had in the beginning of the project. This is more like a cool “I’m almost done”, type of feeling. Feeling very accomplished, but still nervious because I have to step back and look at the overall project. Jimi Hendrix has a great album called “Axis: Bold as Love” that just does it for me at the end of a project.

Those are my stages of a project.

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