How to live a creative life.
From "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" by Rick Rubin:
From "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" by Rick Rubin:
1/ Share your filter
The cover—some see a bullseye. Others, a record. Rubin sees the alchemical sun symbol.
"It's open to interpretation," Rubin says. And it illustrates: "The goal is to share how we see the world...in the arts, our filter is the defining factor of the work."
The cover—some see a bullseye. Others, a record. Rubin sees the alchemical sun symbol.
"It's open to interpretation," Rubin says. And it illustrates: "The goal is to share how we see the world...in the arts, our filter is the defining factor of the work."
2/ Start from not knowing
Rubin opens The Create Act with, "Nothing in this book is known to be true..."
He says elsewhere, “I’m often surprised by what comes out of my mouth. I really feel like I don’t know anything. Maybe that’s part of the secret—starting from not knowing.”
Rubin opens The Create Act with, "Nothing in this book is known to be true..."
He says elsewhere, “I’m often surprised by what comes out of my mouth. I really feel like I don’t know anything. Maybe that’s part of the secret—starting from not knowing.”
3/ Submerge yourself in great art
Rubin reads the great books. He goes to museums. He drives around just to look a beautiful architecture.
"To calibrate your internal meter for greatness," he writes, "consider submerging yourself in the canon of great works.
Rubin reads the great books. He goes to museums. He drives around just to look a beautiful architecture.
"To calibrate your internal meter for greatness," he writes, "consider submerging yourself in the canon of great works.
4/ Embrace imperfection
Rubin likes "kintsugi," the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery.
If a piece of pottery breaks, a kintsugi artist "accentuates the fault by using gold," Rubin writes. "We can apply this same technique to ourselves and embrace our imperfections."
Rubin likes "kintsugi," the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery.
If a piece of pottery breaks, a kintsugi artist "accentuates the fault by using gold," Rubin writes. "We can apply this same technique to ourselves and embrace our imperfections."
5/ Reduce to produce
On the very first album Rubin produced, the credit he took was, “reduced by Rick Rubin,” instead of, “produced by Rick Rubin.”
In the book, he quotes Saint-Exupery, "Perfection is finally obtained...when there's no longer anything to take away."
On the very first album Rubin produced, the credit he took was, “reduced by Rick Rubin,” instead of, “produced by Rick Rubin.”
In the book, he quotes Saint-Exupery, "Perfection is finally obtained...when there's no longer anything to take away."
6/ Listen
"While the eyes and the mouth can be shut," Rubin writes, "an ear has no lid...It receives but can't transmit. The ear is simply present to the world...Listening is paying attention."
"If it's listening to music, consider closing your eyes." As he does:
"While the eyes and the mouth can be shut," Rubin writes, "an ear has no lid...It receives but can't transmit. The ear is simply present to the world...Listening is paying attention."
"If it's listening to music, consider closing your eyes." As he does:
7/ Follow your excitement
When asked what he pays attention to in the studio, Rubin doesn't say the instruments or the vocals.
"Excitement tends to be the best barometer," he writes. "An energizing feeling of wanting more. A feeling of leaning forward. Follow that energy.”
When asked what he pays attention to in the studio, Rubin doesn't say the instruments or the vocals.
"Excitement tends to be the best barometer," he writes. "An energizing feeling of wanting more. A feeling of leaning forward. Follow that energy.”
8/ Just show up
The creative process is like fishing, Rubin likes to say. "You can go out fishing, but you can't say, 'I'm going to catch 3 big fish today.'"
To make great art, he writes, "A dedication to the practice of showing up on a regular basis is the main requirement."
The creative process is like fishing, Rubin likes to say. "You can go out fishing, but you can't say, 'I'm going to catch 3 big fish today.'"
To make great art, he writes, "A dedication to the practice of showing up on a regular basis is the main requirement."
9/ Never judge the description of an idea
"There is a gap between imagination and reality," Rubin writes.
An idea can sound brilliant but turn out to not work. Another can sound awful but turn out to be brilliant.
"The only way to truly know if any idea works is to test it."
"There is a gap between imagination and reality," Rubin writes.
An idea can sound brilliant but turn out to not work. Another can sound awful but turn out to be brilliant.
"The only way to truly know if any idea works is to test it."
10/ Go deep
Zipping through time-consuming work with AI or watching YouTube at 2x speed—as Rubin writes, "our continual quest for efficiency discourages looking too deeply."
That's a problem because, he writes, "The ability to look deeply is the root of creativity."
Zipping through time-consuming work with AI or watching YouTube at 2x speed—as Rubin writes, "our continual quest for efficiency discourages looking too deeply."
That's a problem because, he writes, "The ability to look deeply is the root of creativity."
11/ Put the audience last
When working on an album, Rubin says, "the audience comes last. The audience doesn't know what they want."
He writes, "The best art divides the audience."
And besides—“the end, you are the only one who has to love it. This work is for you.”
When working on an album, Rubin says, "the audience comes last. The audience doesn't know what they want."
He writes, "The best art divides the audience."
And besides—“the end, you are the only one who has to love it. This work is for you.”
TL;DR
How to live a creative life (from "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" by @RickRubin):
How to live a creative life (from "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" by @RickRubin):
“The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” — Robert Henri
Follow me @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!
Follow me @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!
Loading suggestions...