I vividly remember my first day assisting with a professional studio recording. It was time to put a year's worth of training to real use, and I showed up bright and early to greet the session producer with all the morning's necessities put in order. I was going to own it. Best assistant ever. Twice the brains, twice the awesome. How could it go wrong?
The producer arrived and set up his desk, the artist showed up not long after. Each filled up their first coffee of the day, and the two proceeded to get to work. I sat on the studio couch like a puppy eager for someone to throw the nearest stick, to give me a task, let me show off my knowledge. The stick never came. The session rolled like a well-oiled machine, churning out creative energy. I felt useless.
Only once we were wrapped up did I understand the first of many lessons to come in the studio: namely, you can often learn deeply by simply sitting back and observing someone with far greater experience.
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