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LEARN SOMETHING NEW
I want to help my fellow game developers bring their careers to the next level.
I write about life, the industry, and how to better yourself so that you become more successful.
Let me know what other topics you want to see covered, and how I can help!
I've also written a book that you can purchase on Amazon!
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It’s More Important than Ever to Generate Your Own Experience
Unfortunately, internships and beginner-friendly entry level jobs in game audio are few and far between. So, it’s more important than ever before to generate our own experience. Whether it be through game jams, student work, or mini-projects that satiate your curiosity, all of those little bits of experience go a long way. The output doesn’t always need to be amazing, but the sheer fact that you’re doing something, *anything*, of your own accord is immediately impressive.
Akash Thakkar
3 hours ago1 min read


Frustration is a Sign of Learning
As we become more advanced in our skillset, we can also become more frustrated. The smallest things start to become tougher as we refine, hone in, and improve in the tiniest ways. And often, our attempts feel like they yield no results whatsoever. It feels like the total opposite of when we were a total beginner, where massive improvements were much easier to make. But that frustration is often a sign of learning and progress. Yes, a good teacher, system, or tutorial can get
Akash Thakkar
Nov 181 min read


Anyone Can Be Taught to be a Good Composer
Many moons ago after one of my classes at Berklee, I remember overhearing the always-wonderful Michael Sweet say something to another professor: "Anyone can be taught to be a good composer." Even though I was but a humble eavesdropper in that moment, that statement has stuck with me ever since, and I feel you can fill in the word "composer" with almost anything. While it often feels that meany of the skills we need to learn to become full-time creatives are mysterious and imp
Akash Thakkar
Nov 111 min read


Focus on the Problems You Solve
I’m in the midst of running my cohort-based course for boosting the careers of those in game audio, and this week, we started to work on our positioning. We’re really starting to think more deeply on the sorts of problems that we audio folks are truly solving. Ultimately, we’re wondering: What are we helping with that goes beyond just “making good sound/music?” All too often, we think just because a developer or director says they need audio, that that’s the only issue we’re
Akash Thakkar
Oct 281 min read


It’s Impossible to Know Where Your Goals Will Take You
My favorite time to set goals and think about the next year is October.
Akash Thakkar
Oct 211 min read


How to Get Good at Sound Design (Even if you Have No Idea What You're Doing)
In my last two newsletters, we talked about the deep frustration of learning sound design , and how to think like a storyteller when you...
Akash Thakkar
Mar 54 min read


How to Make Sound Design A Lot Easier
If you view your sound design from this angle, things suddenly get a lot easier.
Akash Thakkar
Feb 242 min read


The Deep Frustration with Learning Sound Design
There's something that happens to most sound designers that I call “The Silent Spiral.” This is the horrible downward spiral that happens...
Akash Thakkar
Feb 182 min read


Keep Going
I was recently talking to Aaron Cherof, a wonderful composer who very recently got his big breaks as a composer. Just last year, he...
Akash Thakkar
Jul 15, 20241 min read


How to Make Practice Easy with the Expiry Date Method
To start the new year off, let's indulge in a thought experiment: Imagine yourself casually sipping on straight, unadorned cow's milk...
Akash Thakkar
Jan 11, 20243 min read


Why One Habit Can Give You a Great Sound Design Career
There's one habit that separates sound designers from the rest of the pack, and almost no one does it.
Akash Thakkar
Jan 3, 20235 min read


The Four Seasons Method: Know Exactly How to Spend Your Time
How, exactly, to use your time this year.
Akash Thakkar
Jan 4, 20224 min read


The Myth of the Creative Grind, Growing a Personal Brand, and Being a Balanced Artist with Dot
This week on the Sound Business Podcast, we're interviewing the badass Dot!
Akash Thakkar
Oct 6, 20211 min read


Creative Flow, Following Your Intuition & Loving the Practice with DiViNCi
This week on the Sound Business Podcast, we're interviewing the incredibly wise DiViNCi!
Akash Thakkar
Sep 29, 20211 min read


Mental Health, the Myth of Talent, and Impostor Syndrome with Sydney Kjerstad of Smart Game Piano
In this interview with Sydney Kjerstad, we discuss the myth of talent, imposter syndrome, mental health, and much more!
Akash Thakkar
Sep 15, 20211 min read


In a Slump? Here's How to Bounce Back
How to bounce back after a long time away from your craft.
Akash Thakkar
Sep 14, 20213 min read


Why a Single-Numbers-Focus Prevents us from Reaching our Goals
Why focusing on these metrics makes us miserable (and what to focus on instead).
Akash Thakkar
Aug 9, 20211 min read


Touring, Music Entrepreneurship, and Live Show Designing with Laura Escudé
In Episode #5 of the Sound Business Podcast, we're interviewing the brilliant Laura Escudé.
Akash Thakkar
Aug 4, 20211 min read


The Terry Crews Method: Quit More, Get More Done
How quitting more actually leads to greater results.
Akash Thakkar
Jun 23, 20212 min read


The In-Between: How to Wisely use your Downtime
Way back when the earth was a wee lass and the moon had just barely formed, our planet was spinning so fast that a day would have just...
Akash Thakkar
Jun 14, 20214 min read
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