{"id":136221,"date":"2021-06-01T20:29:38","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T01:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=136221"},"modified":"2021-06-01T20:29:38","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T01:29:38","slug":"how-to-create-a-soundtrack-for-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/leisure\/entertainment\/how-to-create-a-soundtrack-for-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Soundtrack for Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The soundtrack of a movie can really help make a film, deepening the anxiety of suspense, heightening the glory of victory, magnifying the heartache of tragedy, and accenting the protagonist\u2019s change of course. <\/span>Daniel Day-Lewis\u2019 leap into a waterfall<\/span><\/a> in The<\/em> <\/span>Last of the Mohicans<\/span><\/i> wouldn\u2019t be as dramatic without Trevor Jones\u2019 score swelling in the background, nor would <\/span>Kevin McCallister\u2019s reunion with his mom<\/span><\/a> at the end of <\/span>Home Alone <\/span><\/i>without John Williams\u2019. The takeoff of jets has never felt so badass, nor physical training so <\/span>thumotic<\/span><\/a>, as when synchronized with \u201c<\/span>Danger Zone<\/span><\/a>\u201d and \u201c<\/span>Gonna Fly Now<\/span><\/a>,\u201d respectively. Whether the soundtrack for a film is comprised of original compositions, or collections of well-known pop songs, the music adds an essential element of texture and emotional salience to the storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has always been so. The earliest \u201csilent\u201d films weren’t actually silent at all, but rather accompanied by live music provided by in-theater orchestras and organists. Even before the dawn of modern cinema \u2014 way, way before \u2014 singing choruses added dramatic depth to the tragedies of the ancient Greeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

With distinct chapters and turning points, twists and turns, griefs and triumphs, our own individual lives have often been compared to narratives \u2014 <\/span>ones we must author, direct, in memorable, fulfilling ways<\/span><\/a>. In this pursuit, we would be well served to take a cue from other forms of storytelling, by overlaying the unfolding course of our lives with potent musical accompaniment.<\/span><\/p>\n

To some extent, you probably do this already, turning on angry songs when you\u2019re angry, and sad songs when you\u2019re sad.<\/span><\/p>\n

But directing a layered, rich, aesthetically interesting, dramatically compelling life story requires employing more intention with your music than that. Below, we\u2019ll unpack how to move beyond typical defaults to create a soundtrack that will truly enhance both the day-to-day rounds and the enduring arc of your life.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Create a Soundtrack for Your Life<\/span><\/h3>\n

There are obviously a lot of key differences between a cinematic film and your personal life story. When it comes to creating a soundtrack for the latter, two of the most crucial of these differences are that your life will (hopefully) last a great deal longer than two hours, and that it doesn\u2019t proceed in a strictly linear fashion. A human life rolls on for decades, and moves in seasonal cycles \u2014 through winter, spring, summer, and fall, and sets of accompanying rhythms, from one\u2019s daily work schedule, to the repeating calendar of holidays and anniversaries. <\/span><\/p>\n

While a movie director doesn\u2019t have to worry about a song losing its potency over the course of a single film, you do have to worry about your music collection losing its emotion-magnifying, narrative-enhancing punch over the course of your lifetime. Fortunately, there are ways to stem this loss of salience, so that your personal soundtrack maintains its power your entire life through. <\/span><\/p>\n

Separate Your Music for Different Times\/Moods\/Seasons\/Tasks<\/h3>\n

Imagine if a movie kept the same song playing the entire length of the film, or if it repeatedly played a happy song during suspenseful moments, and a sad song during happy ones; the music would lose its significance and its capacity to act as a cue for greater emotional involvement.  <\/span><\/p>\n

And yet in our own lives, we typically play the same songs whether it’s spring or fall, whether we\u2019re working or working out, driving or doing dishes. We often lean into a certain mood of music when we\u2019re in a certain mood ourselves, but when these personal moods are not so pronounced (e.g., coming off a break-up), we don\u2019t tend to make much differentiation in the songs we decide to cue up. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, the potency of life\u2019s soundtrack is greatly degraded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many folks suffer from \u201c<\/span>the horror of the same old thing<\/span><\/a>,\u201d where life seems flat, devoid of texture, endlessly monotonous. And the way we use our music, with unthinking homogeneity, contributes to this meh-defined state.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the cure for the horror of the same old thing is to listen to certain songs during certain times\/moods\/seasons\/tasks, and <\/span>only <\/span><\/i>during those times\/moods\/seasons\/tasks. <\/span><\/p>\n

To understand why, and how well, this works, think of Christmas music. Everyone knows that one of the best parts of the holidays are holiday songs. Much of the reason this music is so enjoyable, is that it only comes around once a year, and has a known expiration date. Listening prompts you to feel that you\u2019ve entered a distinct season, you relish it because you know it won\u2019t last long, and there are all kinds of special memories and nostalgic feelings attached to it. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can get a similar effect by sorting and setting apart <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> songs for particular, exclusive times. Below we break down how:<\/span><\/p>\n

Separate Your Music for Different Tasks. <\/b>Part of the power of music in general, and in having a life soundtrack specifically, is that it heightens your feelings. <\/span>While heightened feelings are a worthy end in and of itself<\/span><\/a>, allowing you to inhabit a more vivid emotional plane, they\u2019re also a means to an end \u2014 feelings are what move you to <\/span>action<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you play certain music\/songs during certain tasks, your brain starts to associate that music with that task. When you turn it on, it serves as a cue for your mind\/body to get primed for the job it knows is ahead. It\u2019s Pavlovian. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you have a work soundtrack, that you only play at work, as soon as you turn it on, you can feel your mind settling in for the ensuing assignments. Ditto when it comes to your body, and firing up your workout playlist.<\/span><\/p>\n

This cue effect is greatly lessened if you play the same songs for different tasks. So remember, the overall idea for this, and all of these points, is to play certain artists\/albums\/songs <\/span>exclusively<\/span><\/i> during certain times. You never play a song from your workout playlist when you\u2019re just driving in the car, nor turn on a song from your work playlist when you\u2019re still getting ready for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Separate Your Music for Different Moods. <\/b>Designate certain albums\/artists\/songs as music you only listen to in certain emotional states\/situations, like when you\u2019re stewing after an argument with your significant other, or riding a high from a good time with a friend, or feeling the carefree euphoria of driving with the windows down during a perfect-weather day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Separate Your Music Into Seasons. <\/b>It\u2019s also crucial that you divide up your music into playlists exclusive to certain seasons of the year, i.e., there are certain artists\/albums\/songs that you only listen to during winter, certain artists\/albums\/songs you only listen to during spring, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n

Each of nature\u2019s seasons has a distinct mood and atmosphere, and listening to music which accompanies and matches that atmosphere goes a long way towards enhancing it, creating the cyclical rhythm \u2014 the combination of the novel and the familiar \u2014 that humans find so satisfying, and which works to combat the horror of the same old thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the prospect of not listening to a big chunk of your music collection for \u00be of the year seems too limiting and daunting, it\u2019s an effect that can be accomplished quite effectively, but more moderately, by dividing only your workout music into seasonal playlists. For example, you might hypothetically break things down this way:<\/span><\/p>\n