Pop/Hip Hop/R&B
A Creative Workbook Based On Illenium’s ‘Next Gear’ Drive
Oct
Toyota and UPROXX have teamed up for The Next Gear, a new series that puts emerging creatives on a ride-along in the All-Electric Toyota C-HR. We paired these emerging creatives with Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, and songwriter Illenium to talk creativity, big dreams, and how to build a career that lasts. Throughout the series, Illenium served as The Next Gear’s Amplifier — part curator, part connector, and part mentor for DJ and producer St. Mary, stylist and designer Toreno Winn, and singer, songwriter, and producer Otis Kane.
Each of their respective episodes got a companion workbook built around what they brought to the All-Electric Toyota C-HR.
For our final workbook, we built it out of the wisdom Illenium brought to all three episodes. Across the episodes, he kept circling back to how he decides what to measure, what he’s chosen not to be great at, and who gets a vote on his work. We’ve built that into this workbook, which offers actionable advice and creative practices you can run on whatever you’re creating right now.
This workbook does not assume you tour, have a team, or have anything out. But if you’re a creator in any field, these tools will help you take things to The Next Gear.
SECTION 1 — WHAT’S IN YOUR CONTROL
“There’s so many things that have to go right — luck has to be on your side. Timing is out of your control. But the things in your control are being really tapped in with your audience and relating with them…. Be very focused in the present, living in the moment, making the best music you can and putting everything into that. Then planning the next thing you want to achieve, and what it takes to get that done.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 1.1 — THE CONTROL LINE
List what’s taking up your attention right now. For each one, mark whether you can actually act on it. If you can, write the next action. If you can’t, write what you’ll stop doing about it.
| What’s taking up my headspace | Mine to move? (Y/N) | If Y, what’s the next action? If N, what do I stop doing about it? |
|---|---|---|
WORKSHEET 1.2 — THE METRIC
“The first headline show I did was the Bluebird Theater, which is 500 people, in 2015. A year later I came back and did two 1,500-person venues… That was always my metric of success, growing as a hard ticket act.” — Illenium
Pick the one number you use to judge how the work is going, then answer the questions below about it.
SECTION 2 — LEARNING TO SAY ‘YES,’ AND ‘NO’
“I was of the mindset at the beginning of my career: get in front of as many people as humanly possible. Even if it’s not your thing. So I took everything. And then I think there’s a time where you need to cut back on that and focus on your stuff, and really have your headlining shows be something special.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 2.1 — WHICH PHASE AM I IN
List the last five things you committed to. For each one, mark whether you did it to get in front of new people, or because it was your own work. Then answer the questions below.
| The last five things I said yes to | Was this reach, or was this mine? | Would I say yes again? |
|---|---|---|
WORKSHEET 2.2 — THE TWO MODES
“There are times where you take everything really seriously and it needs to be perfect. And then there are times to just go have fun. I’m a DJ at the end of the day. It doesn’t all need to be crazy, earth-shattering storytelling… It took me a while to be okay taking things less seriously.” — Illenium
Fill in the table for your own work. Do it now, before the next job comes in.
| Write it | |
|---|---|
| The work of mine that has to be right | |
| The work that just has to be good and fun | |
| The job or room that taught me the difference | |
| What I gave up to learn the second kind | |
| How I tell early on which mode I’m in | |
| The last time I got it wrong, and what it cost me |
SECTION 3 — EVALUATING YOUR OWN WORK
“I can tell when [the work is] right — once it’s there and I see it, I’m like, ‘oh yeah that’s fire, that fits with everything perfectly.’ But I do not have the eye to actually pick it.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 3.1 — TASTE VS. EXECUTION
List things you can judge as right or wrong on sight. For each one, mark whether you can also make it yourself. Then answer the questions below.
| What I can spot instantly as right or wrong | Can I make it myself? (Y/N) | If not, who has the eye that I don’t |
|---|---|---|
WORKSHEET 3.2 — THE HONEST CLOCK
“It probably took me three or four years of grinding on production to be decent… I don’t think I’m in the world of top tier producers. There are people that are wizards. I love songwriting — I love trying to create timeless songs. I’m more on that part of the spectrum.” — Illenium
Answer with real numbers and specific names. Estimates and general answers won’t tell you anything.
WORKSHEET 3.3 — THE PREDICTION LOG
“Most of the songs I’ve thought are going to blow up, half blew up. A lot of times I thought I had something and it doesn’t turn out that way.” — Illenium
Fill in the table using work you’ve already put out. Write down what you expected beforehand and what actually happened. Then log a prediction for the next one before you release it.
| The piece | What I predicted before it went out | What actually happened | Over or under? |
|---|---|---|---|
SECTION 4 — THE PEOPLE WHO BET ON YOU
“There was a five or six month period where my manager put food on my table. I’d dropped out of college and I was delivering sushi at the time. He was like, quit your job, just focus on music for six months, let’s see what happens. I wouldn’t be here without that.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 4.1 — THE BET
The first four questions are about someone who supported you early. The last two are about someone you could support now.
WORKSHEET 4.2 — THE MISTAKE BUDGET
“Remember everyone’s human. There’s always going to be mess-ups. I’ve had the same sound guy since day one, and he’s made some terrible mistakes, and I love him to death. He’s a brother. We’ve all grown together… A lot of artists have gone through a new management team every year, every two years, expecting this perfect life and thinking they’re going to make all of these moves. At the end of the day, you’re in charge. No one’s gonna work harder than you.” — Illenium
Fill this in before a problem comes up rather than after. Be specific about what you would forgive and what you wouldn’t.
| Write it | |
|---|---|
| A mistake I’d forgive twice, and why | |
| A mistake I’d only forgive once | |
| The kind of problem that tells me we’re a bad fit | |
| How I’ll raise it the first time it happens | |
| What I’ve been blaming on someone else that’s actually mine |
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