#umbrellabrat

what always helps is obviously listening to new music and genres, but always have a way of collecting and documenting music you like. i use spotify a lot seeing as there’s tons of mood inspired mixes there, always have an app like itube on your phone or ipod & always jot down songs that sound good playing after each other (shuffle is your bff, if you’re really struggling for inspiration just write down the first 20 song on shuffle and start from there).

for finishing mixes, just know i have around 20-30 unfinished playlists lying around. most of these are made whilst on the bus, when im half asleep in bed, during maths class, that three-hour-long period before you study, basically anytime your brain is idle as fuck (esp if you have a auditory/musical thinking process).

i’m a writer so a lot of the things i do artistically follow a very essay-like structure;

personally, i find it’s always important to be aware of the ‘template songs’ (idk what to call it tbh) in mixes, they’re the bases and the songs you start out with. they’re like the main ideas that you want to express to the listener and unless some of the base song sound sonically compatible, i like to keep these a song or two apart.

after that, seek out the secondary base. these songs are used to link the template songs together smoothly. i would call these songs fillers, but they’re possibly even more important than the first songs you have. this is because a well executed and structured playlist will always be killer, no matter what you play.

you can continue adding ‘layers’ to the playlist, keeping in mind that your initial idea is still prominent, though usually my themes for playlists change quite drastically by the time their done. always aim for at least 8 tracks, even if you’re not using the 8tracks website. it just gives you an achievable goal and longer playlists typically make it harder to keep momentum running. 

the one thing that got me into making playlists (esp on 8tracks) is the cover art. this is optional, but if you personally love your cover art, nothing else matters bc life is beautiful just like your playlist.

overall, it is important to find your own way of making playlists. you can try following the kind of structure above or completely disregard this. it’s your music and expression and taste.