Music Is A College Student’s Artistic Outlet To Speak To The World
Key Points
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Sam Kim, also known as Skim.Prod, is a full-time college student majoring in business while being an independent music artist.
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Sam shares his creative process of producing an original song, and how creating music has allowed him the freedom to share his world.
Photo from Skim.Prod's music video, Teach Me Right
Sam Kim has always had a passion for music. His curiosity attracted him to start playing instruments at a very young age. As he grew older, he realized he wanted to turn it into a career because music has positively impacted his life. Currently, he is focused on perfecting his skills and discovering his style, so that his songs can be just as personal to someone as they are to him.
The Creative Process From Starting To Finishing A Song
An essential element for Sam to begin writing a new song is to be present in every moment. Paying attention to little details in his life is a technique that allows him to stay inspired throughout the day. These details could include his clothes, the air in the room, the sounds outside, etc.
Once Sam gets an idea of what he’s feeling, he writes it down in his notebook, then it transitions onto his instruments and straight onto his computer for hard-core production.
Creative Block vs. Creative Burnout
“When there is a creative block, we feel that there is no way to release our creative energy and we feel so suffocated," Sam says.
For many artists, getting creative blocks can become a very frustrating time. The advice sam he has is to find inspiration in anything and everything.
“When you really have the desire to express yourself creatively, then there’s nothing stopping you from getting over that creative block. It’s just effort.”
Besides creative block, there’s also creative burnout. For Sam, creative burnout usually happens after he finishes a project. But when he takes a break from music, his burnout only increases.
“Music is my space to breathe, so if I take a break from music, I feel more suffocated because I’m not creatively breathing.” His solution is to keep creating more music constantly.
Sam Playing the Saxophone for an upcoming song
His Artistic Representation
Sometimes it’s not easy for Sam to communicate certain emotions or share his perspective through a conversation. When he turns to his songwriting to release those certain feelings, it makes his music so much more personal.
“Because it’s so personal, it can also be universal. If it’s so detailed, then other people who haven’t experienced it may think that they have experienced it as well.”
Skim Prod’s primary goals are to be able to fully fund his life pursuing music and help people experience new types of emotions. He hopes that his songs will continue to reach a larger audience because he believes that it allows people to release their suppressed emotions and help them navigate them.
Words of Encouragement
If you are an aspiring musician, the best time to release your original music is right now!
Sam emphasizes that if you’re eager and passionate about making music, you have no other choice but to start.
“I think the reason why people are scared to start is that they have that standard of the music they’ve been listening to, and they know that it’s good.” However, he notes, the reason those artists’ music is so popular is that they’ve been doing it for a long time.
“This is your life, and no one is going to make the music for you, so the best advice is to stop waiting and just start.”
If you love what Sam had to say about his music and want to support his music career, you can scan the code or search up, Skim.Prod, on any major streaming platforms:
He also released a new single, “Teach Me Right,” featuring HIGHVYN, so make sure to go stream it!