Name: Colin Andrew Sheffield
Nationality: American
Occupation: Sound artist, composer, label founder at Elevator Bath
Current event: Colin Andrew Sheffield is one of the artists set to perform at the Molten Plains Festival in Denton, Texas on December 8th and 9th. Other musicians include Patrick Shiroishi, Wendy Eisenberg, Zoh Amba, Sandy Ewe, Joe McPhee, and Carmina Escobar among others.

[Read our Patrick Shiroishi interview about improvisation]
[Read our Patrick Shiroishi interview about collaboration]
]Read our Wendy Eisenberg interview]

If you enjoyed this Colin Andrew Sheffield interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Soundcloud, and Facebook.

If you'd like to compare the thoughts of some of Colin's fellow Elevator Bath artists:

[Read our Rick Reed interview]
[Read our Merzbow interview]
[Read our Merzbow interview about improvisation]
[Read our Francisco López interview]



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

It’s difficult to pinpoint where the impulse to create comes from. I can honestly say that it’s been a part of my life since I was a small child – first through drawing, then writing, then I wanted to make films, and then finally music.

But, yes, other art often inspires me. Relationships and politics do as well, though I am never overt about these reference points.

Dreams generally don’t make a lasting impact on me creatively, with one notable exception: the name of my record label, Elevator Bath. It was the title of a bizarre and frightening film I dreamed about when I was a young teen.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I definitely require concrete ideas to get started on a project. I don’t necessarily consider my work to be “conceptual,” but by definition it clearly is.

As far as a visualization of the finished work, I like to do that in very broad terms, such as the overall length of a piece or project, or the general tone, or format (if possible). But anything more specific than that tends to be futile.

The balance between planning and chance (or between composition and improvisation) is at the heart of everything I do – hence, the futility of specific advance visualization. I certainly like to make plans well in advance (even going so far as to make spreadsheets of the sound components I intend to utilize, as with my recent album, Images), but being open to chance is what makes the creation process enjoyable.



Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

Yes, my preparation phase is usually quite involved (see the previous answer) and fairly tedious. But it’s become central to my current methodology. I have some dedicated space in my house for doing audio work, but it is quite small. So, my tools have to be laid out very particularly!

As far as “research” is concerned, I consider that to be an aspect of my prep phase. And, yes, I create many, many early versions of pieces – often several dozens of drafts with various differences before I arrive at something I consider final.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

I don’t think anything I do when making music is ritualistic. But I do have preferences, of course. A beverage is good (coffee preferred); a cool room temperature is great (when possible – I am in Texas, after all). The only role they really play is to provide comfort.

The most important thing though is time, which I never seem to have enough of. Trying to force creativity on nights and weekends only is certainly not ideal. But that’s how it is.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Sometimes the first sounds come about very easily. But just as often the recording process requires a good deal of work. I try to be cognizant of the flow, if you will. In other words, if something is very difficult, there’s a good chance that I’ll never be fully happy with it.

I find that my most creatively successful work is that which evolves naturally. This is one of the reasons why I consider my 2010 album, Slowly, to be one of my better efforts – it came together quite smoothly and I still enjoy it when I hear it.



To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

Inevitably I discover ideas.

Only once I’ve begun to work on a project do the possibilities really present themselves.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

It’s largely down to trial and error. I usually start work on something when I have an idea that I feel is worth pursuing.

And sometimes my hunch proves to be correct, but even then, quite a bit of finagling has to happen before I can see the big picture of the work at hand.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I generally follow things through to see where they lead me. But I can definitely get carried away and end up wasting time on something that ends up being a dead end.

But then that’s just a part of the creative process. Sometimes those diversions can yield wonderful results.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

When working as a solo artist, my creative state is mostly unremarkable. It’s hopefully a state of focus and concentration. When collaborating in person with other artists, however, the experience is obviously very different and can be quite meditative.

While I think I ultimately prefer working on my own, I do really love and miss playing in a band and having an exchange of ideas in real-time. There’s a kind of magic that can happen in shared improvisations that just can’t be replicated in any other scenario.



Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

For me, this kind of depends on the specific piece, but generally I think it’s very important to give a recording some space before declaring it finished.

Often times, I’m pleasantly surprised when I go back to listen to something new after a few days away. But there have also been times when I’ve been sadly disappointed. Either way, it’s a good idea (for me anyway) to take a break so as to reset and give any new work some fresh ears after listening to it repeatedly during its creation.

I imagine most artists, at some point, have spent so much time on a piece that they can no longer tell if it’s any good or not. Perspective is crucial.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I think for any sound artist, these elements are hugely important. I strive to be competent in each of these areas and I’m learning more all the time. But we each have to know and accept our own strengths and weaknesses too.

Mastering, for example, is something I prefer to outsource to someone more skilled than I.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I certainly relate to this. I released two solo albums relatively recently and each of them took the better part of a year to complete. After spending so much time on these specific projects, I think it was inevitable that I would feel somewhat deflated afterwards. And I did.

But there was also a sense of relief and closure. I wanted to take a break from recording, just to relax and try to focus on other things in life for a bit. But eventually that old impulse to create returns (I’m working on a new album currently).

Hopefully that creative drive stays with me forever. But if it doesn’t, I’ll know it’s the right time to retire.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I really love to cook, for example, and I do feel that it is a creative act, but it also serves a specific purpose. Plus, the range of what can be expressed in the kitchen is admittedly pretty limited (for me, at least). So, yes, I do think that art for art’s sake (such as experimental music) is inherently different.

Mundane tasks such as housework can be aesthetically rewarding, but music allows for emotional engagement in addition to aesthetic appreciation. There’s really no comparison.

Although I take coffee-making very seriously!