Issue #37
Discipline
So much of songwriting and architectural design practice boils down to self discipline. Ultimately, songs and buildings are only as good as their creators—working within a delicate ecosystem with countless resource constraints, distractions, and competition.
Certain tasks like my guitar practice hinge on setting up systems for self improvement. This looks like taking regular lessons and practicing with my band weekly. Regularity and frequency is key. If I waited for the ideal conditions, mood, and motivation to practice and write new songs, I’d never make any real progress. So self discipline can look more like carving out spaces for creative output. It is even better when this time coincides with other basic creative needs like fostering community and supporting other creatives’ work.1
I see self discipline as an investment in my own creative practice. Many songwriting workshops begin with this organizing principle. What is stopping you from writing your best song yet? The answers usually boil down to “well, I keep getting in my own way”. This sentiment rings true for most creatives I know.
Creative work takes commitment, time, and perseverance; however, self discipline doesn’t have to look harsh or menacing. For me, self discipline looks like putting a block on my calendar that says “✨creativity time✨” or organizing a craft night with friends. It means giving myself permission to play. Some advice: channel your inner kid, and get out of your own damn way.
Self discipline can be hard when you are primarily motived by outcomes like a fully mixed and mastered record or an approved construction document drawing set. I call these types of outcomes: serious business. These complex tasks require careful planning and coordination.
When I set out to complete my latest drawing set for work last year, I knew it would be a long way out. I settled in for the process. After months of planning, meetings, and drawings, another major design change comes in. What do you mean? We were months into bidding out this project! The client decided against an elevator for their 1899 Brooklyn rowhouse. This change requires continued coordination with consultants and contractors. We cannot file the set as is. It needs more work, more discipline.
Discipline asks us to pay attention. What needs more work? What are you neglecting? Only through discipline and practice, do the cracks start to show. Serious business demands careful study and patience.
I suggested adding a landscape element to a renovation project involving a condominium gym outlooking a courtyard. I now had to produce a landscape plan (I’ve never done landscape design). After strapping myself in for the ride, and researching precedents, I got to work. Here’s the result.
Discipline just asks us to show up. When I have the self-discipline to sit myself down and write, I typically get a song out of it. I took a 3-week songwriting workshop at the end of 2025. Each week, we were asked to write new songs based on certain prompts. After 10 minutes of free writing after class, I wrote a song based on a character who had the phrase “Where is my money?” The lyrics teeter between fiction and non-fiction (as most songs do). The song came together in under 15 minutes.
I recently brought the song in its most basic form (lyrics and chords) to band practice, and we had fun experimenting with the song form and genre. Here’s a very in-progress recording from practice.
Make Your Bed
I lifted up the mattress
In the house we used to rent
I remembered stashing $150
In the basement or the cabinet
In the absence of Benjamin, and Andrew, and Alex,
My belly went to turn–
Where is my money?
Where are my friends?
I should have listened to that mouse
She kept me up all night
Chewing through drywall
Nesting inside the wall by my bed
In the absence of Julie
My jaw began to clench
Where is my money?
Where is my friend?
You can make anywhere a home
With pieces of the past
If you’re lucky like Julie
my money can make your bed
I just want to be free! This life is hard enough as it is! Why the self-imposed discipline?
Because you deserve the work that comes from it. You owe it to yourself to work hard at whatever you choose to do. It takes time and hard work, but it is worth the effort. My songwriting and architectural work has improved from careful planning and continued effort. You owe it to yourself to try.
My guitar teacher also fronts the NYC band youbet. When I take a lesson, I can more directly support my local music scene.