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Steal these 3 easy ways to cultivate creativity from a Grammy winner
Dacoury Natche’s creative process reveals simple strategies that anyone can use to power up their creative flow.
There’s a fair chance that at some point, Dacoury Natche has been your favorite recording artist’s favorite artist. Even in his early work (like Drake’s “Worst Behavior,” or Kendrick Lamar’s “Money Trees”), Natche, whose stage name is DJ Dahi, developed his reputation for innovative sounds. His skills shone on the album released near the onset of the pandemic lockdown, Donald Glover’s (aka Childish Gambino’s) 3.15.20. You may also know his work from the Grammy-winning song “A Lot,” by 21 Savage featuring J. Cole.
When I was researching my book, I interviewed Natche about his creative process. Here are three techniques I learned from our conversation.
Work with your hands
Using only analog equipment — nothing connected to the internet — practice your craft. Make something.
In his early days as a musician, Natche used to play, practice, and experiment with instruments. As he gained success in his industry, more and more of his work was done on a computer. “So much of what I was doing just felt rigid because I’m stuck within a…