book review rick rubin

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

406 pages, Hardcover

First published January 17, 2023

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The Rick Rubin Guide to Creativity

Can the legendary record producer’s book really make you into an artist?

The Rick Rubin method: It’s not for everyone. Warm-voiced, flowing, bearded like a deity, the legendary record producer (nine Grammys) is about mindset. He’s about essence. He’s hands-off, allowing the possibilities to manifest, and then abruptly, disorientingly, hands-on, demanding take after take of a guitar solo or vocal line. And if you are, for example, a late-stage rock star from the postwar slums of Birmingham, England, it might all tend to make you a bit grumpy. “I still don’t know what he did,” Geezer Butler, the Black Sabbath bassist and lyricist, told SiriusXM a few years ago, recalling Rubin’s work on Sabbath’s 2013 comeback album, 13 . “It was a weird experience … He played us our very first album, and he said, ‘Cast your mind back to then, when there was no such thing as heavy metal or anything like that—and pretend it’s the follow-up album to that,’ which is a ridiculous thing to think.”

Ridiculous? Perhaps, perhaps. But if you’ve read Rubin’s mega-selling artist’s manual, The Creative Act: A Way of Being , you’ll recognize the strategy. Inviting Black Sabbath to forget heavy metal— which, by the way, the band invented —would come under the rubric of, in Rubinspeak, “detaching from the story.” Which is one of his techniques or mystical protocols for dumping artistic baggage and reconnecting to (more Rubinspeak) “Source.” If it gets between you and Source, Rubin says, it must be discarded. “Any label you assume before sitting down to create,” he writes with his co-author, Neil Strauss, “even one as foundational as sculptor, rapper, author, or entrepreneur, could be doing more harm than good. Strip away the labels. Now how do you see the world?” Are you listening, Geezer Butler? The past 50 years don’t exist. Heavy metal is a figment. The Big Bang never stopped: It’s happening every second. Now pick up your bass and play , daddy-o.

From the June 2011 issue: James Parker on how heavy metal is keeping us sane

The Creative Act is three books in one, really: a how-to for aspiring or faltering artists, an opening-up of Rubin’s own bag of tricks as a producer/cosmic facilitator, and an account of the spirituality that defines his method. (That subtitle is a missed opportunity, by the way. My suggestion: The Creative Act: How to Be Transcendental and Still Make Records With Sir Mix-A-Lot .) It’s been a fixture on the New York Times best-seller list since its publication in January of last year.

Why? Why is there such a turned-on audience for a book that contains lines like “The outcome is not the outcome” and “We’re on a distant metaphysical journey from the here to the now”? Well, partly because there’s always an audience for that kind of book. But more specifically, because Rick Rubin knows what he’s doing. His discography is too massive and various for there to be a distinctive Rick Rubin sound, but there is a Rick Rubin feel , and you can locate it somewhere between Slayer’s South of Heaven , LL Cool J’s Radio , and Johnny Cash’s American Recordings . It’s a thrilling, ageless sense of presence, of instrumental friction, of waves pushing through space. Stripped-back but superabundant, the elements laid bare and the fundamentals boosted, from John Christ’s guitar tone—dark blue, luridly defined—on the first Danzig album (1988) to the roof-falls-in percussion of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” (2004). Rubin, in this respect, is the true heir to the mighty essentialist Mutt Lange, producer of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell and Back in Black : Each whump of the kick drum seems to carry a statement about the nature of the universe.

And the fullness of the kick drum expresses the fullness, the all-in-ness, of the artist. Genuine expression is a totality. “Creation is original freshness related to God,” as Thomas Aquinas put it. And Run-D.M.C.’s Tougher Than Leather is original freshness related to Rick Rubin. He’s been a serious innovator in the realms of hip-hop and metal, and also—with those Johnny Cash albums particularly—a gifted expediter of the American tradition. When it comes to getting the best out of an artist, in other words, Rubin can teach.

Read: How Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. begrudgingly made a masterpiece

Also: His book is not just for musicians. It’s for everyone. To a slightly insane degree, in my view. We’re all artists, Rubin says, all creators, every one of us, because—as human beings—we perceive . “In each moment,” he writes, “we are immersed in a field of undifferentiated matter from which our senses gather bits of information. The outside universe we perceive doesn’t exist as such. Through a series of electrical and chemical reactions, we generate a reality internally.”

Now, call me old-fashioned, but I find this claim—that we are all adrift in a species of electrified data-porridge, inexplicably endowed with something between our ears that converts it into trees, boyfriends, penguins, slices of pizza, etc.—rather astonishing. (Technically, I believe, it’s called subjective idealism : You can find it in the philosophy of Bishop Berkeley and the Yogācāra school of Buddhism.) Only a little less astonishing is the fact that most readers, if they pause over these lines at all, will do so only to award them a grunt of unruffled assent: Yup. Sure. But there we are. Or here we are: America, 2024, up to our eyeballs in the primacy of individual experience, each of us bubbling around in our personal truth, our privately generated reality.

Nevertheless, from this (to me) dubious starting place, Rubin proceeds to lay out a very clear and helpful and thoroughly road-tested vision of the stages of creativity. Energy, the raw stuff of creation, is coming at you all the time, in hints, clues, rhymes, or blasts of inspiration. The trick—or the great task—is to make yourself available to it, and then, with craft and cunning and stamina, convert it into art. And although stylistically The Creative Act has a light furring of New Age waffle—there are warm breezes, and hummingbirds, and flowers blooming in the trueness of their flowery nature—once you go through that, it’s bare-bones practical, even stern.

Excessive complaining is a sideshow: “We’re not being ordered to do this. If we’d rather not do it, let’s not do it.” Open yourself up. Be fearless. Be attentive. Tune out the bullshit. Do whatever you have to do to maintain yourself in a state of receptivity. And get the job done, bring it to completion. Don’t piss about, or that original creative impulse might curdle or back up on you: “Think of inspiration as a force not immune to the laws of entropy.”

There’s a time—a moment in the process—for distraction, and a time to put distraction away. There’s an Experimentation phase, during which you note carefully your body’s reaction to an idea and postpone the “head work” of analysis, and a Craft phase, where you get down to business. Then this, which I find fascinating: “Think of an artistic impasse as another type of creation. A block of your own making. A decision, conscious or unconscious, not to participate in the stream of productive energy that is available to us at all times.” Writer’s block as inverted art project: a willed thwarting of the celestial flow.

Being so bearded, being so Zen ( he’s a lifelong meditator ), Rubin is determinedly nondogmatic. This might be true, but so might that. Try one thing, then try another. Get comfortable with paradox. “Self-awareness is a transcendence. An abandonment of ego … This notion may seem elusive, because in the same breath, it includes tuning in to the self and surrendering the self.” After 400 pages of this, or variations of this, you’ll be an accidental adept in what Keats called “negative capability”: “when man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact & reason.”

For all that, Rubin’s book will charge you up. With art, the stakes are high. In fact, they could scarcely be higher. You will be attacked by self-doubt, by the pressure to make a living, by a vulgarizing commercial system, and by “undermining voices.” The sensitivity required to make good art can leave you feeling … sensitive. But—for your life to fulfill itself—you’ve got to do it.

That’s the neural message, that’s the stimulus, that I took from The Creative Act . And it all brought me back to a scene from Funky Monks , the 1991 documentary that tracks Rubin and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as they bounce around a mansion in Laurel Canyon recording Blood Sugar Sex Magik . In this scene, John Frusciante, the Chili Peppers’ wayward guitarist, barely 21 at the time and worryingly handsome, is talking to someone behind the camera. Frusciante is stretched on a couch or bed, propped against a wall, cigarette in hand, pale-chested under a silken-looking robe. Half-avatar, half-casualty. And he’s holding forth with beautiful, drastic earnestness: “Anything at all that I thought wasn’t directly aimed at helping my creativity come out,” he says, “I treat it as if it was a knife to my heart.”

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I Almost Quit, Then I Read Rick Rubin’s Book

This started as an attempt to review Rick Rubin's new book 'The Creative Act: A Way of Being.' It ended up being a much-needed reminder to keep creating.

I’ve been to Shangri-La. Years ago, back when I was a big wheel at the cracker factory—or more accurately, a cog in the hype machine—I visited Rick Rubin’s fabled Los Angeles studio. I was there to interview Rubin as part of a documentary series. I was excited to speak with a legend but found myself inspired by just sitting down on a bean bag big enough for two. It was placed in the middle of a huge room that was otherwise completely empty. The room was bathed in natural light, the hardwood floors were so clean they were gleaming, and the walls were freshly painted with a soothing tone of white. The entire space had a calming vibe, designed for creative contemplation. My mental chatter became a smooth hum, my thoughts flowed clearly. I felt inspired. I don’t feel as inspired these days. I was laid off from a cushy job in late 2021. Despite many interviews, I haven’t been able to find a new full-time position. I once used to think of myself in the same way Mad Men ’s Don Draper described Peggy Olson: “You’re not an artist Peggy, you’re a problem solver.” Writing is an art, sure, but I wasn’t really an artist as much as someone tasked with coming up with creative solutions for content creation. Looking back, it all feels like a blur. As if it happened to someone else. Maybe I wasn’t there . I scraped by last year doing freelance. Lately, I’ve been thinking about leaving the media business behind. Then, out of the blue, Jacob asked me to review Rick Rubin’s upcoming book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being . It felt like the universe was sending me a message. The Creative Act is essentially a self-help book designed to guide an artist through the creative journey. It’s something like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People but for musicians, however, its lessons can apply to any art form. “I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be,” writes Rubin. I found it especially enlightening because it told me something I desperately wanted to hear: creativity isn’t strictly limited to a profession. The book is 400 pages but its welcoming tone makes it an easy read. The sentences are short, as are the chapters. The writing oscillates from Morpheus’s calm, all-knowing voice encouraging you to take the blue pill in The Matrix  to James Franco talking about art in This Is The End . Rubin doesn’t exactly make an argument—in the beginning, he admits that nothing is a fact and everything is simply based on his observations in life.

“I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be,” writes Rubin. I found it especially enlightening because it told me something I desperately wanted to hear: creativity isn’t strictly limited to a profession.

You can imagine Rubin in the studio gently reassuring an artist of all the insight he shares here. He recalls navigating real studio sessions, though he almost never identifies the artist by name. He references the creative habits and process of everything from Eminem to Andy Warhol to The Ramones to The Leaning Tower of Pisa. None of them are meant to be the definitive how-to guide, just reference points. The situations he describes will resonate with anyone who has done any kind of creative work for an extensive period. The highs and lows, the roadblocks and self-doubt, and the antenna you have to keep attuned to the universe’s signals.

For example, I had an interview set with an important person at a prominent brand for a job. I planned to pitch investigating Ticketmaster and the problem of nepotism in society. The meeting was canceled and I shelved the ideas, only to see them become talking points weeks later. Meanwhile, Rubin writes: “If you have an idea you’re excited about and you don’t bring it to life, it’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker. This isn’t because the other artist stole your idea, but because the idea’s time has come.” There are tips for how to connect with your subconscious. He cites artists who listen to instrumentals for the first time and just start blurting out gibberish with no thought or preparation, something I’ve heard artists like Snoop Dogg and Rico Nasty claim they do. He makes the case for utter randomness. In one passage, he suggests opening a book to an arbitrary page. Recalling a time when his doctor told him he should have his appendix removed, he picked up a book by Dr. Andrew Weli, opened it to a random page that said, “if a doctor wants to remove a part of your body, and they tell you it has no function, don’t believe this.” He opted against the surgery. While I probably wouldn’t take his medical advice, he’s really just trying to convince you to be open and let the universe guide you when you’re unsure. He encourages experimentation and holding on to childlike wonder. He’s against competition and comparison, assuring artists that their competition is only themselves while they’re on the path of evolution. This is unlikely to ring true with the audience at large who love to compare, but it’s something any artist in the creative mode would benefit from hearing. “Putting your best effort in at each moment, in each chapter, is all we can ever hope to accomplish,” writes Rubin. One of the most relatable sections is a bullet-pointed list of “Thoughts and habits not conducive to the work” which include, “Believing you’re not good enough,” “Abandoning a project as soon as it gets difficult,” and “Thinking you can only do your best work in certain conditions.” I’ve had every single thought on the list at one point or another, and I’m sure every artist I know can attest they’ve had them as well.

[Rubin] grapples with the tension of art vs. commerce that every professional artist must confront. What he cares about is very clear, as he succinctly writes, “The business thinks in terms of quarterly earnings and production schedules. The artist thinks in terms of timeless excellence.”

Many of the sections where Rubin reflects on his personal experiences of crafting an album sound like the story of an album I know but not one Rubin had a hand in. He describes situations where an artist is no longer interested in the completion process ( DONDA 2 anyone?), and another one where an artist suddenly wants to start over because they spent too much time in one phase of crafting, citing things like “demo-itis.” He describes the difference between what he calls “experimenters” and “finishers.” He describes experimenters as people who find it difficult to complete and release work—it made me think of Dr. Dre. He describes finishers as people who move quickly to the endpoint with immediate clarity. It makes me think of prolific rappers like Lil Wayne, Future, and YoungBoy NeverBrokeAgain. He grapples with the tension of art vs. commerce that every professional artist must confront. What he cares about is very clear, as he succinctly writes, “The business thinks in terms of quarterly earnings and production schedules. The artist thinks in terms of timeless excellence.” He also is frank about what often happens to artists who do finally blow up: “Most aspects of popularity are not as advertised. And the artist is often just as empty as they were before, probably more so.”

Direct from Artist

Ultimately, he isn’t trying to make the case for being permanently inspired in a zen-like state of boundless creativity. Instead, he advises us to continuously work towards a goal, be okay without everything being perfect, and not let the voices in our heads dissuade us from making it to the finish line. When you finally do get to the end, the world’s greatest reducer explains how to strip it down to its bare essentials. Reading the book I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes that Roger Ebert often cited though he did not originate: “The muse visits during, and never before, the act of composition.” People often think they need some grand idea before they can start working when in fact, you need to sit down, start working, and while you’re working a grand idea will come to you. Most of Rubin’s advice is so practical it’ll seem obvious if you actually follow through. At one point, I put the book down and started using voice dictation on my Notes app and came up with the first drafts of several ideas I’ve been thinking about. I would often press the dictation button by mistake and panic trying to figure out how to get back to a keyboard. Now I look at it as a tool that I’m going to use for every first draft. Perhaps every time I clicked it by mistake, the universe was giving me that signal like Rubin says. There’s a great anecdote where he recounts working with a woman coming off a successful album who had lost the will to keep working. When he told her she can stop making music if it wasn’t making her happy, her face lit up because she realized she would be happier putting her work out in the world. I thought of SZA, who seemed disenchanted with the music business after CTRL and took five years to craft SOS , an even better album. Like the anonymous artist Rubin refers to, even as I find myself ready to give up, I can’t stop. I started writing on SubStack . I don’t really know why. Maybe I am an artist, after all, compelled by some unknown force. “You’re the only one with your voice,” assures Rubin. I’ve only had two jobs in media, I may never get a third. Maybe that’s okay, I’m going to keep writing anyway. I’ve been to Shangri-La. I know the way back.

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THE CREATIVE ACT

A way of being.

by Rick Rubin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 2023

Learn, do, have fun: terrific encouragement for anyone embarking on a creative project, no matter what it might be.

The renowned music producer offers an apothegmatic study of creativity.

“However you frame yourself as an artist, the frame is too small,” writes Rubin, producer of albums across genres, from rap to metal to country. Rather than issue gnomic instructions in the manner of Brian Eno’s “oblique strategies” set of cards, Rubin, always encouraging, begins by insisting that creativity “is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human.” Though readers may feel slightly cowed next to someone like, say, Paul McCartney, whom the author interviewed at length in a recent Hulu series, Rubin has an apt reply: “You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.” There are ways to position oneself in this creative universe and work to best advantage. The author counsels that it’s never a bad idea to read the very best books, view the very best movies, and study the very best paintings. The only shortcoming in this strategy is that “no one has the same measures of greatness.” Regardless, Rubin urges that the point of art is not to create a product to sell but instead to find a transcendent path to something wonderful within ourselves. “We’re not playing to win,” he writes, “we’re playing to play.” This means getting into child mode and preparing for the possibility that one game might be less fun than another. It also involves getting into the habit of not saying no to oneself or imposing limits just because you haven’t done something. “If there’s a skill or piece of knowledge you need for a particular project, you can do the homework and work toward it over time,” writes the author. “You can train for anything.”

Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-65288-6

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Penguin Press

Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022

BODY, MIND & SPIRIT | BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | PSYCHOLOGY | SELF-HELP | ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS & CELEBRITY | GENERAL NONFICTION

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New York Times Bestseller

by Stephanie Johnson & Brandon Stanton illustrated by Henry Sene Yee ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.

Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2

Page Count: 192

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS & CELEBRITY | GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

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by Brandon Stanton

by Brandon Stanton photographed by Brandon Stanton

by Brandon Stanton ; photographed by Brandon Stanton

LOVE, PAMELA

by Pamela Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 31, 2023

A juicy story with some truly crazy moments, yet Anderson's good heart shines through.

The iconic model tells the story of her eventful life.

According to the acknowledgments, this memoir started as "a fifty-page poem and then grew into hundreds of pages of…more poetry." Readers will be glad that Anderson eventually turned to writing prose, since the well-told anecdotes and memorable character sketches are what make it a page-turner. The poetry (more accurately described as italicized notes-to-self with line breaks) remains strewn liberally through the pages, often summarizing the takeaway or the emotional impact of the events described: "I was / and still am / an exceptionally / easy target. / And, / I'm proud of that ." This way of expressing herself is part of who she is, formed partly by her passion for Anaïs Nin and other writers; she is a serious maven of literature and the arts. The narrative gets off to a good start with Anderson’s nostalgic memories of her childhood in coastal Vancouver, raised by very young, very wild, and not very competent parents. Here and throughout the book, the author displays a remarkable lack of anger. She has faced abuse and mistreatment of many kinds over the decades, but she touches on the most appalling passages lightly—though not so lightly you don't feel the torment of the media attention on the events leading up to her divorce from Tommy Lee. Her trip to the pages of Playboy , which involved an escape from a violent fiance and sneaking across the border, is one of many jaw-dropping stories. In one interesting passage, Julian Assange's mother counsels Anderson to desexualize her image in order to be taken more seriously as an activist. She decided that “it was too late to turn back now”—that sexy is an inalienable part of who she is. Throughout her account of this kooky, messed-up, enviable, and often thrilling life, her humility (her sons "are true miracles, considering the gene pool") never fails her.

Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023

ISBN: 9780063226562

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

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The Creative Act by Rick Rubin: Book Review, Summary & Notes

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Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being is a 432-page book. Instead of having traditional chapters, it is divided into 78 sections, which are shorter and usually 2 to 4 pages long. 

This setup makes it easy to read and helps readers get quick ideas about creativity.

The book encourages readers to think about creativity in different ways and to explore their creative potential in various situations.

From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us.

The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. 

It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments—and lifetimes —of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.

Book: The Creative Act: A Way of Being

• Originally published: 2023
• Author: Rick Rubin
• Genre: A self-help book
• Original language: English
• Nominations: Goodreads Choice Awards Best Nonfiction

Buy from Amazon

About the Author: Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time and the most successful producer in any genre by Rolling Stone. 

He has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty to Adele, Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys to Slayer, Kanye West to the Strokes, and System of a Down to Jay-Z.

Book Review

This is an inspiring book written by music producer Rick Rubin. In this book, he led me into the world of creation and explored the mysteries of art, music, and creation.

After reading The Act of Creativity, I have a deeper understanding of creativity. The book emphasizes an important point:

Creativity comes from inner touch and unique expression. Rick Rubin shares his experience of working with many musicians, showing how they create unique musical works through creative actions and thinking.

Excerpts of wonderful sentences :

The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.

The goal is not to create art but to live in an optimal state so that artistic creation is unstoppable.

Thinking along this line and turning your attention to "living well and living with high quality" can relieve you of the psychological burden of creation and stop worrying about it.

Practicing a way of being that allows you to see the world through uncorrupted, innocent eyes can free you to act in concert with the universe's timetable.

Practice a way of being that allows you to look at life with untainted, innocent eyes so that the universe walks with you.

The author gave the example of flowers blooming and cells growing, saying that everything is the creative process of the universe, and we just need to open our hearts, allow blank space, and allow this creative energy to enter.

So don't be tripped up by the trivialities of life, open your eyes, and experience and feel carefully.

The universe is only as large as our perception of it. When we cultivate our awareness, we are expanding the universe.

The size of the universe depends on our perception. Only when we deliberately improve our "consciousness or perception" can we expand our universe.

This point is very similar to the books about a spiritual awakening that I have read before, such as 'The Power of Now'. It turns out that the fields of books are all connected.

This book taught me an important lesson about creativity: everyone has unique creativity, we just need to be brave enough to release it and make unique contributions to the world.

I have only read 200 pages of this book, but I already feel that it is a good book and worth reviewing again and again. So, I will first share the first few chapters I have read, and I will continue to reflect on them later. 

Book Summary: Why this book is worth reading?

• Rick Rubin is a famous music producer who has worked with many popular artists. He has a lot of experience with creativity.
• The book has 78 short chapters called "Areas of Thought". This makes it easy to read in small chunks.
• Rubin says nothing in the book is 100% true - it's just his thoughts and observations about creativity.
• The book is not just about music. It talks about creativity in general and how to live a creative life.
• Rubin believes creativity comes from outside yourself, not just inside your head. He encourages looking for inspiration in everyday life.
• The book has practical tips for getting unstuck creatively and finishing projects. It covers the whole creative process from start to finish.
• Even if you don't consider yourself a "creative person", the book argues everyone has creative potential. It may inspire you to express yourself more.
• The book has a conversational, thought-provoking style. It reads like a wise friend sharing insights, not a textbook.
• If you struggle with self-doubt or fear when creating, the book offers a fresh perspective to help you enjoy the process more.
• Rubin believes that creativity is not just for artists. Everyone can create in their own way, whether it’s through conversation or solving problems.
• The book teaches that inspiration can come from everyday life. It encourages readers to pay attention to their surroundings and interactions.
• Rubin outlines different stages in the creative process, including planting ideas, experimenting, crafting, and completing projects. Each stage helps you grow as a creator.
• He emphasizes following what excites you emotionally rather than just thinking logically. This excitement can guide your creative choices.
• Working with others can enhance creativity. Sharing ideas and feedback can lead to better outcomes.
• The book suggests that art is a reflection of our inner and outer worlds. What we create shows who we are at that moment.
• Rubin encourages readers to see their creative work as part of a larger journey. Each project is just one chapter in a much bigger story.

"The Creative Act" is an easy-to-read, insightful look at creativity from an experienced expert. 

It may inspire you to embrace your creative side and find more joy in self-expression, no matter your age or interests. 

Reading "The Creative Act" can inspire anyone to explore their creativity and find their unique voice in the world. The book's wisdom applies to many areas of life beyond just the arts.

Reading Notes

"The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable."— Robert Henri

If you have an idea you’re excited about and don’t bring it to life, it’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker. This isn’t because the other artist stole your idea, but because the idea’s time has come.

Many great artists first develop sensitive antennae not to create art but to protect themselves. They feel everything more deeply because everything hurts more.

Turning an idea into reality can make it seem smaller, changing it from unearthly to earthly. The imagination has no limits, but the physical world does. The work exists in both.

The universe is only as large as our perception of it. When we cultivate our awareness, we expand the universe.

As artists, we seek to restore our childlike perception: a state of wonder and appreciation not tied to utility or survival.

"The act of creation is an attempt to enter a mysterious realm. A longing to transcend."

What we create allows us to share glimpses of an inner landscape, one beyond our understanding. Art is our portal to the unseen world.

The real work of the artist is not the output but a way of being in the world.

If you make the choice of reading classic literature daily for a year rather than the news, by the end of that period you’ll have a more honed sensitivity for recognizing greatness. This applies to every choice we make: the friends we choose, the conversations we have, and even the thoughts we reflect on. These aspects affect our ability to distinguish good from very good, and very good from great.

Deepening our connection to nature will serve our spirit, and what serves our spirit invariably serves our artistic output.

There’s a reason we are drawn to gazing at the ocean. It is said that the ocean provides a closer reflection of who we are than any mirror.

"The making of art is not a competitive act."

An unhealthy self-image or hardship can fuel great art, creating a deep well of insight and emotion for the artist to draw from.

The Buddhist concept of Papancha, which translates as "preponderance of thoughts", speaks to the mind’s tendency to respond to experiences with an avalanche of mental chatter.

Once this concept has a name, it becomes easier to normalize doubts and not take them seriously. When they arise, we can call them papancha, notice them, and move forward.

Insecurities can be reframed as guiding forces in creativity. They only hinder us when they prevent us from sharing what’s closest to our hearts.

Art creates a profound connection between the artist and the audience. Through this connection, both can heal.

The creative energy exists in the journey to the making, not in the act of constructing.

Most creators think of themselves as the conductor of the orchestra. However, when zoomed out, we are more like instrumentalists in a larger symphony the universe is orchestrating.

The purpose of art is to innovate, self-express, show something new, and communicate your unique perspective.

There are no shortcuts. Just as lottery winners aren’t always happy after their sudden fortune, hastily built homes rarely survive the first storm. The full story matters more than the single-sentence summary.

"Talent is the ability to let ideas manifest themselves through you."

To create space for inspiration, consider practices like meditation, awareness, silence, contemplation, or prayer. This helps fend off distractions and Papancha.

The artist’s goal is not merely to produce, but to create the finest work they are capable of.

Art is choosing to do something skillfully, caring about the details, and bringing all of yourself to make the finest work possible. It is beyond ego, vanity, self-glorification, or the need for approval.

"Carl Rogers said, ‘The personal is the universal.’ The personal is what makes art matter."

A point of view is different from having a point. A point is an idea intentionally expressed, while a point of view is the perspective—conscious or unconscious—through which the work emerges.

Set aside concerns about whether your work will be understood. Great art is created through freedom of self-expression and received with freedom of individual interpretation.

Great art opens a conversation rather than closing it. Often, this conversation starts by accident.

Truly innovative work may alienate as many people as it attracts. The best art divides the audience; if everyone likes it, you probably haven’t gone far enough.

Tune into the idea of making and sharing things without being attached to the outcome, and the work is more likely to arrive in its truest form.

Revolutionary ideas have no context and invent their own.

"Art is about the maker. Its aim: to be an expression of who we are."

This makes competition absurd. Every artist’s playing field is specific to them. You create the work that best represents you, and another artist creates what best represents them.

Wanting to outperform others rarely results in true greatness. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."

Being inspired by someone else’s best work and rising to the occasion is not competition—it’s collaboration.

"Great art is an invitation to creators everywhere to strive for higher and deeper levels."

Each new project challenges us to most beautifully reflect what’s living in us at that particular time. Don’t stop at greatness—venture beyond.

Distractions may arise, but don’t focus on them. Let them pass, like clouds around a mountain.

Work as if the project is bigger than you.

Artists may experience stagnation, but creativity is ceaseless. Sometimes, we simply choose not to engage with it.

"Living in discovery is preferable to living through assumptions."

Making great art may not always require great effort, but without effort, you’ll never know. Ride the lightning until the energy is exhausted.

Do what you can with what you have—nothing more is needed.

"Creativity is something you are, not only something you do."

Once you accept the demands of the creative life, it becomes second nature. You remain open to what’s around you, paying attention, listening, searching for beauty, and knowing all of this will be useful when you sit down to work.

"Think to yourself: I’m just here to create."

Returning with a clear perspective allows you to see what the project needs.

Works hinting at greatness contain a charge we can feel, consuming their maker, becoming the artist’s reason for living.

"The call of the artist is to follow the excitement."

Where there is excitement, there is energy. And where there is energy, there is light.

"The best work is the work you are excited about."

Sharing art is the price of making it. Exposing your vulnerability is the fee.

"Like a kaleidoscope, we can adjust the aperture on our vision and change the results."

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Can Rick Rubin’s creative genius rub off on you?

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The Creative Act: A Way of Being

By Rick Rubin Penguin: 432 pages, $32 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan was president; “Beverly Hills Cop” topped the box office; and Rick Rubin , a Jewish NYU student with an abiding love for hard rock, punk and rap, joined forces with Black music manager Russell Simmons to give fledgling Def Jam Recordings the creative boost it needed to become a hip-hop juggernaut. His dorm room initially served as Def Jam’s headquarters.

Over the next few years, Rubin produced or executive produced several hip-hop classics, including “Radio” by LL Cool J, “Raising Hell” by Run-DMC , “License to Ill” by the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy ’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.” Rubin’s minimalist, sparse production style, combined with the mellow vibes, sensitivity and unflagging encouragement he brought to the studio, helped these and other artists unleash their creativity.

In 1988, he left Def Jam and headed to L.A. in search of fresh sounds and a new beginning. If the story had ended there, Rubin would still go down as one of music’s most important producers. But he was just getting started.

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Over four decades, Rubin has produced everyone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Slayer to Tom Petty . Rubin revived Johnny Cash ’s flagging career over the course of several albums that stripped the Man in Black down to his emotional core. Along the way, the shaggy bearded, Zen-like impresario has picked up nine Grammy awards, most recently for his work with the Strokes. Rolling Stone has named him the most successful producer in any genre.

Now, Rubin has distilled his hard-earned wisdom into a book about creativity and how to access, nurture and liberate it in the service of great art. For the most part, “ The Creative Act : A Way of Being” succeeds on these terms, although readers can find many of the same ideas in myriad self-help, business and spiritual books. The difference is in the telling, which, with the assistance of writer Neil Strauss , is clear, convincing and engaging.

To Rubin, art is the ultimate form of self-actualization, a noble calling that enriches the soul. “The reason we’re alive is to express ourselves in the world,” Rubin writes, “and creating art may be the most effective and beautiful method of doing so.”

So, how does an artist move from conception to creation? Rubin methodically lays out the process, offering a mixture of encouragement, inspiration and tips.

Artists of all types, according to Rubin, should open their senses to the world to take in information, to gather seeds that can germinate into an idea. Meditation, communion with nature and exercise could help open those pathways. Artists should trust their instincts and feel free to experiment with form, function, materials and differing viewpoints. They can steep themselves in great works for stimulation and even try to emulate them to find a new way of expressing themselves.

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Some Rubin rules: Tune out naysayers. Avoid chasing money or fame. Aim for authenticity.

Then there are practices best avoided. “Fear of criticism. Attachment to a commercial result. Competing with past work. Time and resource constraints. The aspiration of wanting to change the world. And any story beyond ‘I want to make the best thing I can make, whatever it is’ are all undermining forces in the quest for greatness,” he writes.

Throughout “The Creative Act,” Rubin offers useful advice. If an artist feels stuck, for instance, he suggests they could work around the problem to maintain forward momentum. “A bridge is easier to build when it’s clear what’s on either side of it,” he says. Similarly, an artist might tap into their subconscious by keeping a pen and paper next to the bed to record dreams as soon as they wake up.

Rubin’s musings mostly hit the mark. However, he occasionally sounds more like a cool graduate student of philosophy than the musical and spiritual guru touted by his admirers. Take the stereotypical tortured artist, whom Rubin seems to romanticize: He excuses their selfishness because “their needs as a creator come first.”

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Along the same lines, Rubin suggests that artists’ ability to see and feel things others don’t — both a blessing and a curse, in his opinion — can make creators feel alienated and alone. True, perhaps. But only affluent artists — multimillionaire record producers, for example — have the money and time to marinate in their own misery as they chase that elusive muse.

Rubin also intimates that artists possess superpowers. “Whether we know it or not, we’re a conduit for the universe. Material is allowed through us,” he writes. “If we are a clear channel, our intention reflects the intention of the cosmos.” Right on, man!

In the end, Rubin has written a fascinating book infused with deep thoughts, insight and, yes, lots and lots of creativity. Although it would have benefitted from more personal anecdotes, “The Creative Act” merits a close read with an open mind, body and soul.

Ballon, a former L.A. Times reporter, teaches an advanced writing class at USC. He lives in Fullerton.

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