Do you listen to music while drawing?

[KoreanTacos]

I was watching some videos on youtube and one of the videos the artist mentioned how he doesn't listen to music while drawing because it takes away the focus of his work and he produces better work. He backs up his claim with some research about whether or not no music, music the artist likes, music the artist doesn't like, and just general noise effect an artist. Me personally I prefer to have background noise (TV, music, my cats begging for food), but what do most of you guys do?

[MaggieW]

I usually listen to music while drawing, but I noticed that I worked a LOT slower than in silence. I still listen to music while drawing despite knowing this because I like it ^^ I also noticed that traditional music (no vocal) worked better for my concentration than songs with vocal, but I think the reason for that is because I tend to sing along xD
I don't know about the quality of my work though.. I think it's still the same regardless.

[Shanny8]

Listen to music while drawing, listen to podcasts while drawing, watch Netflix from time to time while drawing. It's all in the mind....I dont however, turn on a show or movie that I'm heavily interested in, because I'll be distracted trying to watch it. If I do watch something, it's usually stuff I may have watched before or stuff that I dont have to stare at every second.

When I listen to music, I usually tune everything else out & concentrate on drawing. I listen to Pandora, where I dont have to worry about skipping or switching through songs. A song just has to be REALLY bad for me to stop in the middle of drawing and skip to the next one.

[DMBrigman]

I cannot listen to music while I draw, I find it distracting. Instead I prefer to listen to podcasts, I guess I am good at ignoring voices I also put on Netflix and listen to documentaries, the natural break in when shows end lets me know I should get up and stretch my legs.

[Mocha]

For me personally, the quality of my drawings improve tenfold if I listen to music that I like while doing it. If I don't listen to music while doing anything art related I actually either lose focus on what I'm doing or get too caught up in tiny mistakes and get frustrated. Also I sort of go into a bit of a trance when drawing with music, so I actually get my work done a lot faster too. But I can totally see how it would be really distracting for some people.

[KoreanTacos]

I love documentaries too much to do that lol

[AmysGames]

I have a problem where I get distracted by this or that random thought all the time while drawing, so having some background noise actually is really helpful for my focus, lol. Music works great, though sometimes when I'm feeling really fidgety, I'll pull up a Let's Play or something to have running in the background.

[jimena]

YES I cant do anything if Im not listening someting
sometimes I just listen to music, but sometimes I watch movies or series or tv programs while drawing
it is distracting but I guess thats why I like it

[insomniascrawl]

Yup, without anything playing it's just me left in silence with my thoughts... and uh... yeah no thanks.

[Heck]

When I'm doing just regular artsy fartsy work that I'm comfortable with, I listen to music. Otherwise the silence would drive me crazy. When doing study work, I like to just sit in silence, maybe with a fan or the air conditioner or something. I grew up drawing in school so I'm very good at drowning out background noise, and sometimes it actually helps me to work in public spaces if I need a change of pace.

I watched his video too, but I do think that it depends on the individual and how they work. Some tools may make a person's workflow more effective, while the same tool might hider another's. It goes the same for study tools, so it's no surprise that some people disagree. Music can be a very helpful tool when creating art, and it would be silly to say it never can be.

It's kind of like asking "Should you eat popcorn while you watch a movie?" C'mon man we all enjoy it.

[LuciieR]

I listen to music only sometimes when i'm drawing, most of times i'd get distracted with the song and next thing I know, i'm browsing the artist's wikipedia. That I do only when I don't have a deadline or when my works are not very hard. Otherwise I prefer absolute silence, because i can concentrate better(which is why i update so rarely, my house is always full and noisy and i hate it)

Also i get tired much faster when i have music on bc i tend to dance and draw and sing at once kk with silence i can easily pull an allnighter

[hushicho]

I've always found music to be helpful to the creative process. Silence (or more accurately, the ambient noise of the house) is inconsistent and unreliable in most cases, and if you're working during the day, there are other people moving around, conversations, television...it's best to have some reliable music that you can use to help yourself focus. Most artists I know are greatly helped by music. I know my stray thoughts would drive me crazy if I didn't have something playing.

Though the type of music can also be important. It must also fit you and your process. A friend's sister used to paint to classical music, which helped her immensely; she couldn't listen to music with lyrics, because it would distract her. I typically listen to a variety of music, but most of the time it's lyrical and I'm familiar with it. I like to compile playlists that can help me get into the mindset for the specific project I need to focus on.

Some have suggested listening to video game soundtracks, and I agree with this; they're typically made with the intent of focusing a player on the game, so listening to them outside of the game often will help with that focus.

[jurinova]

I need background noises when I work because I find it helps me concentrate. TV or music both work well, but when I really need to focus I listen to podcasts. I put on my headphones to also prevent any noisy distractions (ehem, cats). Listening to an interesting podcast keeps me zoned in and the drawing process becomes almost automatic.

Without podcasts I tend to draw in bits and pieces and get distracted a lot by the internet or something else (...cats), so my work flow slows down a lot. However sometimes working slowly is nice, so that's when I usually prefer listening to my music collection. Occasionally I might listen to one song on repeat if I feel like it suits the mood of the page I'm working on and keeps me inspired.

[JamesMulhollandFilm]

When I was writing JORUND I listened to norse music and scores from Viking films. At the moment, I usually listen to white noise like Rain, or have something like wrestling on in the background (even though I don't watch it).

[shiftingverses]

While drawing I always put on music and even sing along loudly (to the annoyance of my flatmate). I tend to put on music that I know very well. I tend to put stuff that fits the tone of what I've written and I try to channel the emotion of the music into what I'm drawing.

When writing I have to work in total silence - can't even have classical or lyric-less music on.

[punkarsenic]

i typically listen to new music while drawing, because my verbal processing isnt being taken up so i can focus on the music without sacrificing my focus on art. same goes for podcasts - i think i like the effect of listening to podcasts on my work (although if its taz i do end up just. sitting there Listening because its fcking mad)

otherwise, ill listen to playlists that suit the pages im drawing or play a newfound fave on repeat. kevin abstract has been the soundtrack of my life lately

[sainity]

Not really music but I do listen to noise like rain and ocean when I'm doing my comic. I think I've listened this particular video dozens of times through.

[J.Lovelace]

I do listen to music when drawing, but I noticed that I tend to block out background noise when I'm focused (even people talking in the same room), so half of the time I wonder what did I even listen to. I only snap out of it when my top fav songs play XD
I do work slower with music, because I fiddle with the music player when I want to skip a song or find one I'd like to listen to. So I'm wasting time on that.
I only really "hear" what plays in my headphones when I color my art, because I don't have to pay too much attention to details. All in all, I'm just a person with lame multitasking skills :'D

[niinasalmelin]

I guess I draw as much with and without music on the background. But when I do listen music it affects on what I draw, big band music makes things go more cartoony and if Rob Zombie happens to walk by then it's all gore

[TeAlb]

I always listen to music, I think it only distracts me if is that brand new album or something and you're still discovering it? Podcasts and other background noises sometimes work for me, though I really prefer music. Writing is different, most times I need complete silence.