I was hoping to comment on this topic sooner but here we are 6 months later...
I can and do listen to my works for pleasure now. The earliest works unsurpisngly come with a substantial cringe factor, but on those earliest works I try to listen for the good ideas that maybe never got proper expression, or just try to enjoy things for what they are. I find that I am surprisingly satisfied with the execution of my material released after 2015.
I also typically listen to my original masters rather than the released versions because sometimes labels or duplicators have made changes to the master prior to duplication, against my wishes, in a way that can radically change the sound.
Because I generally record live and do minimal editing after the fact, I'm spared the tedious and enjoyment sapping process of putting unfinished works together on the computer for very long periods of time. and because my hearing is normally ravaged after recording I typically don't start whatever editing I might do until a few days after recording.
Quote from: Euro Trash Bazooka on January 13, 2020, 11:30:03 AM
Quote from: HateSermon on January 13, 2020, 01:08:55 AM
I find that, much like visual art, sometimes you need to walk away from the project for a week or so and come back to it with fresh ears or eyes.
Taking regular breaks from recording or working on something is mandatory, it's called quality control. It's even more important during the mixing phase of a recording.
^^^ This is my experience. But I also find there are times were I'm just in the zone working on the audio or visual side of a release and wind up doing a lot of good work fairly rapidly. There's no 100% rule.
I can say that there are several tracks and whole releases that I still listen to regularly. I feel like they have no equivalent or similar release out there and they deliver exactly what I want to hear. Whether it's earned satisfaction or narcissistic fantasy, I feel like I'm in a place where I make the music I want to hear better than most. As a result I feel like I have the privilege to be more discerning with what I buy and less easily satisfied by stuff. But maybe that's because I'm getting older and crankier?