I'm worried about losing interest in my special interest...

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Hello everybody.

If you did not know I have quite the "special interest" for music (specifically composition.)
As of late I've been feeling less and less motivated to compose music and I'm worried I might be losing my interest.
I feel like I'm nothing without my music and really don't want to give up but I don't know how to fight this lack of motivation.

Please help me.
-Ben Pritchard

Try a different genre maybe? Compose some black metal or chopped and screwed hip-hop, I bet those would both be challenging for you. They'll probably make you want to go back to composing what you're used to as well.

Just go with the flow. Let whatever comes next come naturally. Just because something defined you for a significant period of time doesn't mean it has to define you forever. And music will always be there when you're ready to go back.

Or do this. There's a lot of fantastic symphonic black metal out there.

Last edited by Rorberyllium on 27 Sep 2012, 2:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I lost my two dearest childhood special interest over the course of the last 3 years or so, after they had already steadily waned throughout my teenage years. During the past couple years, another interest arose, however, completely unrelated to my 2 original main interests.

I think that, if you really do not wish to lose your special interest in (composing) music, I'd advise you to take a trip down memory lane. Revisit those parts of your interest that made you fall in love with it, and that are dearest (favourite musical pieces, perhaps) or most triumphant to you (your own personal greatest achievements). That way, if you take some time out to go over the past, so to speak, you may re-connect with the reasons why you were once so passionate about music.

I have in fact attempted something similar with both my old interests, and it worked (for a while). The reasons I have turned my back on both interests, however, are more of a personal nature, related to the lack of confidence I had in my own abilities.

I know what you mean. The same is me with books.

This sort of thing has coincided with some of the worst periods of depression in my life. You sink so much time into something for so many years, when you find yourself losing enthusiasm for it you feel empty, even frantic to find an appropriate replacement to fill the gap, discouraged that this thing you've cared so much about is no longer doing it for you.

I devoted a decade of life to drawing. Went to university for it, got the degree. Worked in the field as a pro for a little while. Eventually came to realize that I dislike it, and not only that, I actually actively hate the process. I feel like those 10 years were a waste. That I made a mistake in my choice of education. I now have a job entirely unrelated to artwork.

My advice to you is to take a short break from music. A couple weeks, maybe a month. You will know after that time whether you've really lost interest for good and if you're simply a little burned out on it. You may very well get the itch to get back into it during your time off, that'll be an indicator that you just needed a break and haven't truly lost interest.

Thanks for your advice guys! I think I'll use MrStewart's "take a break for a few weeks" method.

If you have anymore advice please keep on posting.

And maybe wait till the interest increases some unspecified amount and it feels like an open field.

That's exactly what I'm going through right now - Couldn't have said it better myself.

BenPritchard - I'm sorry that I don't really have any advice for you, but I want you to know that at least you're not alone in grieving over a special interest.

It's been about 5 years since I've written anything, before that I had a rather prolific period where I would write 20 songs in a few weeks. By now I realize that it comes in cycles and when in ebb I just play recreationally - cover songs - or go back and tweak some of my previous recordings. But I've had other interests go away for 10 years even, every once in a while a forgotten interest will start calling me again, so I don't worry about much except how to support them and myself

I have special interests that come and go, sometimes as rapidly as one or two weeks in duration. When a special interest fades, I always at least remember it fondly--in some cases, it gets no weaker than an NT's hobby. You won't lose interest entirely, and you probably won't miss being totally obsessed, at least not horribly much. Before long, something new will have come along.

The uncomfortable times between interests can be boring and frustrating, but they always end. It's in our nature to latch onto something and immerse ourselves in it, and sooner or later you'll find something--maybe something very closely related to your current interest, such as singing or playing an instrument rather than composing. They usually do stay in the same field, roughly. And old special interests can get rekindled.

Make it practical. Make it something you can't stop paying attention to because it might make you some $$$ one day. Or compose music for people.

I practice my art only when I make gifts for people. I want to spend more time on it but I don't have the motivation. Designing my book cover will motivate me enough to practice some skills.

I go through periods of being into something, then losing interest as a love in an past interest reignites. Then I'll drop that and go back to another, either the one I dropped before it or another old interest.

My interest before my current one was solar physics, before that the production of video games, then astronomy. And probably the air force.

I said it before but all my interests are practical. They serve as research for my novel that I tend to lose motivation for, but keep myself going because I really want to tell this story.

I Have my main life long Special Interests that may sit in the background for ages and every now and again will pop up. And then I have my short term ones that last about 3 months or so.

If I overindulge in an interest, depending on the interest, I may get sick of it for a while. In times of depression, I lose interest in everything, including life.

Well are there any other activities/interests you enjoy? I personally find sometimes I can unintentionally sort of burn myself out on interests, and my remedy is to switch to different one for a while spend less time on the one that feels it is getting burnt out...and then after a time I then re-develop that passion for the initial interest that I was burning out. Does that make any sense? I mean sort of like if you watch a good movie a ton of times and then you get bored of it so maybe you put it away for a few months, watch a lot of different movies and then eventually you'll really want to watch that movie again.

Just roll with it and believe that everything happens for a reason.

One of my "special interests" over the years has been learning to kiteboard. I was very very into it at first, then due to financial & health constraints I shelved my gear for several years.. I was still interested in it, but wasn't obsessive about it. Then last Summer I got right back into it & picked up where I left off and ended up spending 12 days on the water and progressing a LOT. Absolutely loved it & am looking forward to getting back to it again come Spring/Summer 2015.

Maybe you're meant to tone down your music composition obsession and be distracted by other things for a while? Maybe you have some other projects to work on, goals to achieve, things to learn, things to do, others to help or teach something to etc.. or maybe you just have your seemingly mundane everyday life to live & at some moment you'll be inspired by something unexpected that leads to your greatest musical composition yet! Just roll with it.. sometimes even losing interest in something for a while happens for a wonderful reason that doesn't reveal itself for quite some time.

I watched 'Arsenic & Old Lace' between 1 to 3 times a day for about a year. Isn't that weird behavior? I always knew there was something 'wrong' with me. No, correction. I never thought anything was wrong with me. I just knew I was different!! !! !! !!

I've also listened to the same song several times every day for about the past 5 years (Stars Of The Lid's Artificial Pine Arch Song - alien music - the way I need it).