5 Daily Habits That Fuel Musical Success: Late (Joe) on Art, Routine, and Resetting

At Cutback, we’re building Selects, an AI-powered assistant editor that helps video creators turn long hours of footage into meaningful stories faster. But we know tools don’t exist in a vacuum. Behind every edit is a human creator with unique challenges, inspirations, and workflows. That’s why we launched the “Time for More” Podcast: to explore the real, behind-the-scenes experiences of artists, musicians, editors, and founders navigating today’s creative landscape.

In the third episode of this creative podcast, we spoke with LA-based musician, Late (Joe), about daily habits for success that we should all try to replicate. What starts as a casual conversation quickly turns into a deep dive on discipline, burnout, and the mindset shifts needed to thrive as an independent artist and working creative today.

Hosted by Tom and Chan, two co-founders of Cutback, the company behind Selects, this episode continues a series exploring the behind-the-scenes stories of modern creatives.

Missed the other episodes of the “Time for More” Podcast featuring Late? Check them out to stay in the loop: “Time for More” Podcast Episode 1 Recap | “Time for More” Podcast Episode 2 Recap | “Time for More” Podcast Episode 4 Recap

Key Topics Covered

1. From Classical Roots to R&B Dreams

Late’s musical and creative journey is literally in his DNA; his mother was a pianist, and his father a conductor. But while his upbringing was steeped in classical music, his personal passion led him toward R&B, hip-hop, and indie-pop.

Still, Late didn’t fully commit to music until his early 20s. He originally studied psychology and took music theory on the side, but by 2018, he decided it was now or never. Like many aspiring artists, he describes music as a “toxic relationship” he can’t let go of, but one that gives life meaning.

2. Building Habits That Stick

After taking a break from the creative industry due to burnout and toxic environments, Late came back in 2023 with a new mindset: structure, balance, and consistent creative output.

Here are five habits he credits for helping him reset and stay productive as an artist:

1. Running to Reflect

   Instead of zoning out, Late uses each kilometer of his run to unpack a different thought or emotion.

2. Voice-Memo Ideas

   Inspiration strikes at random, walking through the city, watching people, or decompressing at the park, and all of this creative inspiration gets recorded into voice memos.

3. Sampling the Unexpected

   His tracks often blend sampled textures and real instruments through MIDI, showing how analog and digital tools can coexist.

4. Routine Over Hustle Culture

   Living in Seoul has made him realize the value of slowing down, even when the city won’t.

5. Channeling Lived Experience

   His music isn’t driven by trends; it’s driven by him. Every lyric, beat, and mood comes from what he’s lived through.

3. The Power of Resetting

Late’s biggest takeaway is that inspiration is not a lightning bolt; it’s a system built of creative blocks. When you create space to breathe, reflect, and stay grounded, your creativity becomes reliable.

This episode is a rare look into the mind of an artist who’s building longevity in an industry that constantly demands reinvention. It’s vulnerable and down-to-earth.

How Selects Powers The Creative Process

Just like Late, content teams need systems that support creativity, especially when handling multi-cam, multi-mic setups like this podcast.

With Selects, we were able to:

• Automatically sync 3 camera angles and 3 mics for this podcast

• Cut out silences and filler words in one click

• Quickly generate multiple short clips from a single long-form conversation

Whether you're editing podcast footage, interviews, or behind-the-scenes content, Selects makes it easier to repurpose, polish, and publish without losing creative momentum.

Watch the Full Episode of the “Time For More” Podcast

What did you think of the podcast? Leave a comment on the YouTube channel. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

For more in-depth knowledge about the ins and outs of video editing, check out our latest posts on the Cutback blog or our YouTube channel. You can also join Cutback’s Discord community of like-minded video editors.