..hurt your musicianship?
Not only the ability to do it but also
the lack of inspiration from other musicians.
 
I don't mean bad in saying I'm not motivated
to record so I can post my songs, but it's true-I do think that
other "live" musicians are much more inspiring and give me
motivation to complete a recording. I guess it's more the trip
than the results for me so when I have time to do something
I enjoy I can easily do them. I mean it doesn't bother anybody...not
like there's other musicians driving me or me wanting to fulfill a
commitment.

You saying you need NagBap?

Yeah, I feel you Space.  I'm always better when I'm working with someone, but often left to my own devices.  Nice to knock ideas around and get real-time feedback.  Although, I've never had an actual band, and "real-time" means chatting online and sending quick bounced mp3s.  Close enough. :)

Wow, that only took 8 minutes ... or is it, wow, it took 8 minutes?

Yeah, it sucks being a one man band.

I need to be inspired, self inspiration is something I'm greatly lacking ... unless I'm massively depressed and need to write something to ease the pain.

 In some ways I think being a one man band can make a person push harder because you need to cover more territory with your skill set. If I were always playing in a 4 member band I would be more relaxed to let others cover those basses.

 OTOH I think that having THE RIGHT players in a group can consistently improve ideas and creativity.

 Don't know if you remember me saying that I was looking into a band. A few things about the female vocalist threw a red flag right away...one was her saying "my guitarist" and "my bass player" a simple thing and maybe I took it the wrong way but I seen myself as a "thing"of hers and not a band/team member. IOW this is my thing and you can tag along as opposed to a situation involving "us"....she also forgot update me on an upcoming gig and I seen the writing on the wall.  I just got bad karma from it all round'

 I would still love to get involved with the right people locally here where I am but the combination hasn't been right yet. Sunday we went to see a really good Celtic guitar duo. These guys made me really want to try and jump back in again. For now I'll be content to be a church pianist once a week and work in Sonar. I like that you can take your time in Sonar and make it whatever. No gig dates no deadlines I like that part of it.

It definitely helps when other musicians are about, even though I rarely work with another musician the fact that I am sort of teaching/guiding a friend along the path of guitar playing he helps my own creativity.

For me over these last twenty years its been pretty much a trade off.  While my playing chops are certainly not what they once were (not even close) my production and engineering chops have improved dramatically.  I carped and carped for the longest time about how I was losing my performance chops so last year I decided to do something about them.  I...well...er...you know...practised.  I know, I know...get out your smelling salts if ya feel faint but I actually did and you know what?  No...go on...guess.  I got better pretty quickly.  It's like muscle memory I guess.  Still not at the level I want but I can hang again.  Looking back I don't think I'd change anything.  The new skills I've learned have earned me a (very modest) living lo these long years and I've managed to stay free of smoke and double breasted mattress thrasher filled rooms...which both I and my wife really appreciate;-)

That said, I do miss kickin out the jams in front of live audiences...guess that's my next project.

Well myolpal it closest to how I'm thinking but some great replies and I
can easily appreciate them all.

It has been a trade-off for me as well. Although my chops are on the low
I'm happier.
I learned that the ideas and inspiration of other musicians is missed but
at the cost to enjoy...I can do without. I do know that unless something
changes my playing will keep getting worse but for some reason and for the
first time in my life...I honestly don't seem worried about that...it's just a new
reality.

To answer you Bapu....no...not a need for anything really. Just coming to understanding
the changed musician in me.

When I was in a band in California, the other songwriter would bring a song in and everyone would just play it as they liked. He rarely wanted them to change how/what they played.
I'm more of a control freak when it comes to my songs. I suppose you could say I was the Paul McCartney of the group, but without the power, knowledge and talent.
I definitely have a good idea how I want the song to be played, the drums, bass, everything. So I would tell them, "do it like this" and they did it.
That might be why we only played 2 of my songs, though.
I'm still the same way. I want to do it all.
But can't.
 

By one man band I assume you mean, one man artist-composer-musician-recording engineer-producer. It has certainly affected me. Being just a poet-songwriter with no professional stage-performing experience, adapting to and learning all that has been presented in the DAW experience has been massively time and attention consuming. I sometimes have trouble busting it all down to  basic songwriting on a simple folk level, concept-instrument-voice. Building a song has become a technilogical experience and translating the basic soul of a composition into that technology has become much more than it once was.