I’ve been noticing how often I treat the surface problem like the real one in my own life. It made me think about how often arguments aren’t really about the thing being argued over. I’ve been in moments where the topic was something small but what I was actually reacting to was something unspoken that had been building for a while. It’s uncomfortable to admit how often I’ve tried to solve the surface issue instead of naming what was actually underneath it. This was a powerful newsletter because I can see opportunities for real growth within myself. A great topic today Idris, thank you and Happy Friday!
This is basically mixing in reverse psychology. I’ll chase a problem in the track when the vocals feel off, drums don’t hit and something feels flat. 9 times out of 10 the issue isn’t where I’m looking. It’s arrangement, not EQ. Or emotional intent, not compression. Or even earlier than that, the idea itself. The part about symptoms being loud and causes being quiet is exactly what happens in production when you fix the wrong channel for an hour and wonder why nothing improves. I appreciate how you related this topic to music! Thank you Idris Elijah and enjoy your weekend!
For sure, I feel what often makes a track is spending a little more time with the idea before moving on to adding production flourishes. That will save a musician/producer so much time. Just spend more time with the raw idea. Hope you enjoyed your weekend! 🤗🤗🤗
That part about dishes or small moments becoming stand-ins for something deeper felt very real. In daily life, especially when you’re juggling a lot, it’s easy for the smallest thing to become the tipping point. Not because it matters on its own, but because it’s sitting on top of everything else that hasn’t been said out loud. This made me think about how important it is to pause and ask what’s actually being communicated before reacting to what I think I’m reacting to. I think this will be useful for me with coworkers, friends and my daughter. Thank you for sharing this Idris Elijah and Happy Friday to you!
You’re most welcome, Maria! You are so right when you say it’s easy for the smallest things to become the tipping point. Not because it’s the problem, but because there is something underneath that needs to be addressed. Hope you had a great weekend! 🤩🤗🤩
The comparison between debugging and storytelling is so accurate. I’ve written scenes where something felt off and my instinct was to rewrite dialogue or tighten pacing. But the actual issue was that motivation wasn’t clear or the emotional logic wasn’t solid. It’s interesting how writing problems often masquerade as execution problems when they’re actually structure or intent problems. This reframes revision less as polishing and more as diagnosis. A very interesting read on problem solving Idris Elijah, thank you and have a great weekend!
So pleased you enjoyed it! Love how it reframed revision for you into something that’s closer to diagnosis versus polishing. Couldn’t have put it better. Thank you!! 🤗🤗🤗
This reads exactly like learning to see layers in a painting. What looks “wrong” on the surface is rarely where the imbalance actually is. I’ll fix a stroke or adjust a focal point, only to realize the real issue was composition or value structure from the start. It’s the same blindness this newsletter describes. Your attention goes to what’s loud (a harsh edge, a distracting shape), not what’s actually controlling everything underneath it. Thank you Idris Elijah for doing a deep dive on problem solving and Happy Friday to you!
I’ve been noticing how often I treat the surface problem like the real one in my own life. It made me think about how often arguments aren’t really about the thing being argued over. I’ve been in moments where the topic was something small but what I was actually reacting to was something unspoken that had been building for a while. It’s uncomfortable to admit how often I’ve tried to solve the surface issue instead of naming what was actually underneath it. This was a powerful newsletter because I can see opportunities for real growth within myself. A great topic today Idris, thank you and Happy Friday!
This is basically mixing in reverse psychology. I’ll chase a problem in the track when the vocals feel off, drums don’t hit and something feels flat. 9 times out of 10 the issue isn’t where I’m looking. It’s arrangement, not EQ. Or emotional intent, not compression. Or even earlier than that, the idea itself. The part about symptoms being loud and causes being quiet is exactly what happens in production when you fix the wrong channel for an hour and wonder why nothing improves. I appreciate how you related this topic to music! Thank you Idris Elijah and enjoy your weekend!
For sure, I feel what often makes a track is spending a little more time with the idea before moving on to adding production flourishes. That will save a musician/producer so much time. Just spend more time with the raw idea. Hope you enjoyed your weekend! 🤗🤗🤗
That part about dishes or small moments becoming stand-ins for something deeper felt very real. In daily life, especially when you’re juggling a lot, it’s easy for the smallest thing to become the tipping point. Not because it matters on its own, but because it’s sitting on top of everything else that hasn’t been said out loud. This made me think about how important it is to pause and ask what’s actually being communicated before reacting to what I think I’m reacting to. I think this will be useful for me with coworkers, friends and my daughter. Thank you for sharing this Idris Elijah and Happy Friday to you!
You’re most welcome, Maria! You are so right when you say it’s easy for the smallest things to become the tipping point. Not because it’s the problem, but because there is something underneath that needs to be addressed. Hope you had a great weekend! 🤩🤗🤩
The comparison between debugging and storytelling is so accurate. I’ve written scenes where something felt off and my instinct was to rewrite dialogue or tighten pacing. But the actual issue was that motivation wasn’t clear or the emotional logic wasn’t solid. It’s interesting how writing problems often masquerade as execution problems when they’re actually structure or intent problems. This reframes revision less as polishing and more as diagnosis. A very interesting read on problem solving Idris Elijah, thank you and have a great weekend!
So pleased you enjoyed it! Love how it reframed revision for you into something that’s closer to diagnosis versus polishing. Couldn’t have put it better. Thank you!! 🤗🤗🤗
This reads exactly like learning to see layers in a painting. What looks “wrong” on the surface is rarely where the imbalance actually is. I’ll fix a stroke or adjust a focal point, only to realize the real issue was composition or value structure from the start. It’s the same blindness this newsletter describes. Your attention goes to what’s loud (a harsh edge, a distracting shape), not what’s actually controlling everything underneath it. Thank you Idris Elijah for doing a deep dive on problem solving and Happy Friday to you!
You’re most welcome! Always love hearing visual takes from you Jody. Hope you had a great weekend!! 🤗🤗🤗