There's no such thing as being "musically inclined" or "creatively inclined". You have drives and you have desires. If you desire something, you'll try to achieve it.

What I meant by musically inclined was that some people have an affinity or interest in music and some don't. When you are interested in something, you have the desire to learn everything there is to know about it. So it goes hand in hand. Some people do not have an interest in music, like some of my high school friends, etc..

Everyone desires to be creative, because artistic expression allows us to get out thoughts and emotions we cannot otherwise express.

Haha NOT everyone... some people are quite content being told what to do by their boss, as long as they earn a steady paycheque, not that there's anything wrong with that.. I know people who are 0% creative. They just do what's already been done a billion times before.

I'd like to think that artistes are special people. Not everyone has what we have.

I don't rely on anything external besides coffee... mainly because I love the taste and smell of it mmmmmm

My day job is writing music for media so I am trained to just show up and deliver, all within crazy deadline limitations. In the ad/jingle house scene, you just don't have the time to get high or play video games or watch TV. It is excellent training because now I can sit down and come up with something really fast without relying on anything besides my own creativity and musical tastes.

Sometimes I feel that you are either creative/musically inclined or you're not.. it's just like with the other thread about forcing yourself to produce.

I like this idea a lot!

I just came back from school today (10pm) and I just don't feel like producing.

So don't.

I feel guilty

Why? You don't owe anything to Music and vice versa.

so I'm probably gonna force myself after I'm done writing this post. Is this unhealthy do you guys think?

It's not that it's unhealthy, it's just weird. Weird that you would force yourself like that.

I feel like I should be excited to produce but I just don't feel that way at all.

Ok, so you don't have to produce if you don't want to. If you don't feel excited to produce, then don't. It's all very simple. But it sounds to me like you're trying to expedite your 10,000 hours of practice... producing every single day whether you like it or not. This is a lesson in patience, my friend.

Is it counterproductive to force yourself to write?

I don't think it's counter-productive. But I'm sure as heck that anything you do as a result of being/feeling forced to do it will sound exactly like that.

Always remember that when it comes to Art, the Muse comes to you, not the other way around. So when the Muse does come around, make a shit ton of music for as long as the Muse is with you because days like that do not come every day, as you might already know.

But just a little tip, since you asked. If you want to get into the habit of being able to produce every single day, start smaller.. force yourself to open up your DAW every single day. Gradually this will become a habit... opening up your DAW every single day. Eventually you'll reach a point where after you've opened up your DAW, you start writing some music, not out of force but out of habit. Then you will build the habit of making music every single day, which I think is what you're trying to achieve.

I don't get the whole "I need to feel extreme emotions to write music" thing.

I do. Ever heard the quote "You can't sing the blues if you've never lived them"?

It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but after producing for 2 years I've only finished a few songs.

A "few songs" just isn't enough... come back when you've done like 100. Watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbC4gqZGPSY and this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqZAxLqJkzA&index=59&list=WL

I have a hard time getting all the frequencies to be as balanced as I hear in professional tracks.

So work on it! You already know what you need to work on. Mix with reference tracks, put them up against your track, I mean literally place them in your DAW and A/B them against your track. Listen to professional mixes attentively. Analyze them with spectrum analyzers... etc..

I would rather produce 1 masterpiece than 10 turds but I feel like because of that it takes me a long time to finish my songs.

This is the wrong way to look at this, it does not work this way. Watch the first video I linked again. You're not going to write 1 masterpiece if you've only written 10 turds... you need to write more like 100 or 1000 turds, seriously.

At the same time however I feel like once I'm finally able to habitually get good mixdowns the songwriting speed will eventually catch up to me.

Again, focus on your mixdowns for a few weeks/months. Grab some unmixed song files here http://www.cambridge-mt.com/ms-mtk-newbies.htm#Triviul and get to work. Practice mixing A LOT to the point that you feel you've gotten somewhere.

Should I be concerned about my producing speed?

No. Your concern should be more about how you can get your 10,000 hours in, since it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to be a master at any given skill.

Will my producing speed eventually get faster as I get better?

Or course it will... if you practice something over and over again, you get faster at it, right? Also, there are things like setting up your own templates so that you can make the process even faster.

What are some things you do that helped you get past the same situation that I'm in?

Un-plugging the Internet and getting to work. Doing something about it. Putting in the 10,000 hours. I know there's nothing glamorous about it but that's the truth.

You have identified the problem yourself ... the problem is not about writing faster... the problem is that you feel your mix downs are sub-par. What you need to do next is already cut out for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqZAxLqJkzA&index=59&list=WL

Such great advice and so relevant.

hardhardwork

Hey, that's two words!