What do you do while you work?

[Joe Hanson Tannous]

I listen to Classical music, particularly soft sounding cello or piano, nothing to energetic.
Here’s an example if you want to take a listen. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jGSZPRk6aXA
Ignore his weird hand motions.

[JoshuaDages]

Fun question! When I'm drawing/painting I listen to a lot of podcasts. I have been meaning to get into audiobooks more, however.

When I'm doing the more business-y side of things that require me to read, write (portfolio organization, research, emails, etc.), I love listening to bossanova music, haha. It's calming, a little upbeat and because I don't speak Portuguese, I'm not distracted by listening to the words!

[Heather Boyd]

@Gary-Wilkinson I like 4 channels on my tv set (stingray music) which includes: Nature, Spa, Christian Pop and Rock, and Canadiana. I can't listen to podcasts or I'll loose my concentration on both.

[jsnzart]

I like to listen to podcasts, mainly on YouTube.
Sometimes, rock n roll, classics like The Rolling Stones, Beatles, etc. I have a fav radio station app that plays classic hits.
It's better than listening to guys go past my apartment/room singing.

I also brainstorm, with me, myself, and I.

[braden H]

Silence freaks me out. I need something to keep the hamster wheel engaged or it'll spin in ways that are... counterproductive. I tend to binge on different media for a few weeks/months. Right now I'm on music. In a couple of weeks it'll be podcasts (probably something paranormal or true crime like 'my favourite murder'). Audiobooks don't do it for me. If I'm writing I'll put on a white noise generator (stormy rain) and video game music.

If I ever need to REALLY concentrate and buckle down I'll put an episode of something truly awful on (like a Jackass movie or an episode of Kenny Vs Spenny) so that if I dare look up from my screen I'll see a semi-nude drunken idiot rolling around in rat traps or a total moron tripping balls with an octopus on his head. At which point I go "oh, that's awful" and look back at my work. Sounds weird, but it works!

[jsnzart]

I also checkout my other stores, and stuff.
Try to learn how to do it better.

Especially, this year!

Trying to answer best I can.

[charitymunoz]

What I listen to depends on what I'm doing. If I have to think of a concept or generate ideas, I usually can't listen to anything with words. Pandora stations help with that, especially if they set the mood with movie soundtracks or classical. Beethoven's 6th symphony does wonders! If I'm at a more relaxing stage or just sketching randomly, I'll put on podcasts, audiobooks, or music with words. My kids uaually come in at some point so they pick records to play on the victrola or generate some conversation about what I'm drawing or how I'm drawing it so there's always something happening.

[amiklo]

I always have a youtube window open up in the corner of my screen. I'll put on something talky without a lot of visuals, or a music channel. I like to feel a bit creeped out when making comics so I listen to Iron Cthulu Apocolypse and Cryo Chamber a lot (dark atmospheres and music). It's no mystery why the youtube algorithm favors longer videos these days...

[Jacy13]

I usually draw/paint in silence. It's easier for me to focus and concentrate that way. I find having anything on in the background to be way too much of a distraction for me.

[lpetiti]

I need to have something going on in the background most of the time, mostly because I don't like my thoughts wandering, haha.

I flutter between binge watching something, listening to podcasts (Critical Role, Sneak Attack, You Must Remember This, and of course Three Point Perspective), listening to music, and recently I've been enjoying listening to Ambient sounds (the closest I think I'll get to actual silence, haha).

Sometimes I'll try to listen to something on theme with what I'm working on. A few weeks ago when I did this, I was listening to the soundtrack from The Witcher tv series. It made it more fun and actually helped me focus more

[aska]

@Gary-Wilkinson Usually classical covers by 2cellos/ Brooklyn duo. However when I paint custom shoes, then only hip hop Apart from that svs podcast and courses from masterclass. Sometimes I just want silence...

[Kyle Tobey]

I watch old wrestling shows. I know it’s 2-5 hours of stuff I’ve already seen and don’t need to mess with the remote to find something else. It also comes with built in break times.

[jdubz]

It's fun to see what everyone does

I'm kind of all over the place. I probably spend about 25% of the time with nothing at all. That probably has more to do with having 3 young kids and being constantly assaulted with noise. I think the rest is an equal split of audio books, movies, anime and podcasts. I don't like listening to music with lyrics though when I'm working, so it's always ambient stuff or jazz beats or something like that.

[VeronicaMui]

I listen to podcasts or music on pandora/Spotify. I would like just the outdoor noises but the studio I’m currently in doesn’t have much in the way of windows sigh....Sometimes I listen to pop music, but I find that moody soundtracks get me more in the mood to make the kind of art that I want to so I’ve been listening to a lot of Miyazaki soundtracks and similar ones ( I love the Ponyo soundtrack so much..and the movie too

[chrisaakins]

I have various backgrounds or none at all but it doesn't really matter. When I start drawing I enter a weird state in which you could set me on fire and I probably won't notice. Same thing happens when I read. Drives my wife crazy.

[danielerossi]

I have a wide variety of taste in music from scratchy jazz to classical to electronic music to French Canadian folk music (somehow that seems to always puts me in a creative mood) so whatever happens to tickle my fancy at the moment is what I’ll listen to while I work.

[TessaW]

If I'm planning or constructing the skeleton of the piece, I don't really listen to anything. Once I get into a more refined sketch and rendering I switch between mukbangs with Stephanie Soo, fiction and self help audio books, or a limited selection of bands/soundtracks I'm into at the moment. I usually listen to the same shuffle of songs over and over and over again for a few weeks, until I move onto something else. Right now I'm listening to Alt J, Cororosie, Fleetwood Foxes, First Aid Kit, and a little bit of Sevdaliza. I also really like Tiny Desk Concerts.

[Emma T.]

What a great question/ responses.

Concepting & writing (heavy brain work): light white noise like rain sounds on YouTube, Emancipator or Vivaldi

Painting & Post production tedium (after color sketches are done/ light brain work): long podcasts and fiction audiobooks like Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman, etc.

Multiple beverages always close at hand, clearly set apart on my desk from painting water. The latter tastes quite disgusting and I always regret the mix up.

[Emma T.]

@TessaW Love First aid Kit!

[Gary Wilkinson]

@Emma-T I'm very much the same. White noise is a great background sound for initial sketching.

Speaking of Neil Gaiman did you listen to Sandman yet? I just finished my recent painting along with that