# Taking a Chomp out of Creativity So I bought a musical instrument the other day. It's a "quirky, chromatic sampler and tape music instrument" called (dubbed?) [Chompi](https://chompiclub.com/). Besides all the implications with owning an instrument for the first time in 20 some odd years, I find myself face-to-face with my creativity and ADHD in an unexpected way. As I wait for the lil' pink keyboard to arrive, I wanted to wrestle with my brain and write about it. First, I think I just need to answer the questions how I discovered this device and why I bought one. I'm not sure exactly how I became aware of Chompi—I suspect a YouTube recommendation—but I do know I discovered it during its [Kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chompiclub/chompi-a-magical-tape-music-instrument) in March 2023. The bright pastels, knobs, mechanical keys, and the spacey sounds grabbed my attention. I have kept a longing eye on it ever since. I suspect the algorithmic recommendation train left the station a few months prior in November 2022 when I clicked on [this video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=q1ciINr7ePs) from David Hilowitz Music about the [Microcosm effects pedal](https://www.hologramelectronics.com/microcosm) from Hologram Electronics. From the bold title to the simple thumbnail to the six minute run time, my curiosity was piqued. I am also pretty sure that this video kept being recommended to me and the constant sight of the thing wore me down to clicking. I'm glad YouTube wore me down. <div class=iframe-container> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/q1ciINr7ePs?si=-asGL4Q8FMAPQmSr" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> This Microcosm pedal came off as magical to me. How does it make sound *sound* like that? To me, it's one of those beautiful digital meets analog tools that defies logic. You look at and listen to it wondering how: and then, if you're like me, start thinking "I could use that."[^1] [Enter Chompi](https://youtube.com/watch?v=JAmw-TTG2Ds). How could I not just look at the thing and be captivated? The color and knobs and *the mascot* all scream out "play meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." In a word—charming. Thanks to the allure of this candy-colored keyboard, the note of my interest in a musical instruments has been sustained these past two years. Not in the constant manner, but in the "remember that? That'd be fun" sort of way. My music making experience stopped with my piano lessons as a kid. I never stuck with it, but I do enjoy listening and learning about music. I watch [[MFP29 - “Sleepovers with GameCube Games” with 8-Bit Music Theory|8-Bit Music Theory]] and I certainly don't understand everything he is talking about, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the lessons. I think there is value in learning how and why certain things work, decision are made, etc. So why now? I found a (what I think is good) deal on eBay and...this is where my ADHD and creativity come in. My creative brain justified the purchase (do not trust creative brain for financial advice). I immediately pictured tons of scenarios where I could leverage this instrument to make music for my video essays.[^2] My music experience was last tapped into when memorizing the opening of *The Imperial March*.[^3] In my heart and my brain, I know this is a half truth. Sure, I probably can make some ambient bed of sounds to use in videos. Primarily, I just want the thing. I am compelled by its design. I want to spin that knob. I want to experiment and play. I want to noodle on Chompi. I became obsessed with this eBay listing. I saw the price dropping. I saw the views go up. Which, in hindsight, were probably me? I watched video after video on the thing. I have become hyperfixated on Chompi. I feel parts of my gray-matter being carved out by this quirky keyboard. It's engraining itself into my thoughts to the point of headaches. And all of this thought is building pressure. I start thinking "did I make a mistake? Did I waste all that money on something I can't even do? Did I just buy it for the thrill of buying something? Will I lose interest? What do I know about music? Why am I even trying to make music? I'm a writer and a video editor, not a musician," and on and on and on and on. My thoughts have basically spun up into a panic, where I am both excited for and dreading the Chompi's arrival and future in my home. It's not supposed to be this way. It's times like this that I come to loathe my ADHD. Hyperfocus is really dope when I need it to work on a project or meet a deadline. It's not fun when locks my focus in so tightly to a thing that the world around becomes fuzzy and the object/task/idea becomes a hyper-fixation. In the waning days of anticipation, I am earnestly trying to remind myself of the core of why I want Chompi—to create, play, and have fun. I want to do something I've never done before. This preconceived, unfounded anxiety is robbing me of that process. Knowing this fact in one hand does not mean I feel it in the other. One of the more captivating bits of Chompi is how it is designed to be an idea machine. I see it with the lens of giving me permission without being too technical. If you poke around the [manual](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y-mTd2Y9L5QccAVNl8xfKnIvm8dWKxg2J_UyQ8hyfx4/edit?usp=sharing), you gain some insight to Chompi's inspiration. > We tend to approach learning CHOMPI in the same way that we might go about learning to play a new Video Game. Each section acts a bit like a new level in the game, progressively getting more and more challenging while you gain experience and learn techniques along the way... > > ...Eventually you get more comfortable with how the controls and parameters of the game work, and then the real fun begins! You can start to forget about the button combos and the technical pieces, as they become second nature… Allowing you to just get swept up in the adventure! I'm somewhat surprised none of this was expressed during the Kickstarter or on their website. Obviously, this speaks to me. More so, it is a reminder that not everything has to be be accompanied by stress. Another good reminder has been my favorite video about the Chompi [from Red Means Recording](https://youtube.com/watch?v=QCyT6dGo9mU).[^5] <div class=iframe-container> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/QCyT6dGo9mU?si=6sUme3dOjBIk_TF3" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> Chompi is fun. So can I. I can be fun and have fun too. Sometimes you just have to write out your feelings and process it in "real time" on the page. I'm still frustrated at my silly brain for whipping up this internal tornado of anxiety.[^4] Creativity and joy aren't gated behind education or know-how. Just looking at Chompi makes me happy. Hearing the sounds others have made with it makes my head groove along. The idea of taking the [Wii Shop Theme](https://youtube.com/watch?v=yyjUmv1gJEg) into this is *thrilling*. Seriously, I am so exited by the idea of hooking up lots of video game sounds to this thing. That's what I need to hold onto here. It's like some of the marketing for Chompi says..."there's no wrong way to Chompi." [^1]: I still have the tab open from when I looked the first time back in November 2022. [^2]: Perhaps I'll write more about using Chompi for an essay in my newsletter, **[Memory Card](https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency)**. [^3]: It's my *Chopsticks*. [^4]: This will forever be the scene that sticks with me from *Inside Out 2*. [^5]: I have basically watched every video on YouTube about the Chompi. Besides being a big ol' red flag of my hyperfixation on the instrument and convincing YouTube that I want all the synths, I found it extremely interesting to bump up against a limitation of supply on YouTube. It's easy to fall into the trap that YouTube has an endless feed of videos on any given topic, but if you get super specific, you can find the edges of the website.