The Creative Act
“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.” —Rick Rubin Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn’t, he has learned that being an artist isn’t about your specific output, it’s about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone’s life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities. 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.
Stats for nerds
18recommend
36mentions
26people
2023–2026years
72% recommend19% neutral8% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- There's a book The Creative Act - A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, he's a music producer but the ideas are general, I enjoyed it. I have enough ideas to last me a lifetime, its a pretty inspirational book, there's always something and now we have these wonderful automata to help us discover things - it's the beginning of a golden age imho.
- Making a strict hour and a half of no-interruption a day has worked well for me. Learned this from John Cleese (feel free to ignore the word “management” in the title of the video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5oIIPO62g
Still occasionally get interrupted because of life, of course, but marking off an hour and a half and closing a door and putting all chores/calls on silent during that time is very helpful. And I understand that for many it is simply not possible. Private space is a luxury in much of the world.
A sense of play and no obligation also helps. For more on this I recommend Rubin’s The Creative Act.
- I find enjoyment in everything you mentioned (been reading since the Slate Star Codex days!) and I read a good mix of all book types, so I want to offer some gentle push-back. Reading fun fantasy books allows you to take your inner child and imagination out to play, not everything needs to be serious, intellectually challenging, or highly stimulating. Sometimes you have to let your imagination run free and just have fun. Holding space for your imagination to run free also opens yourself up to receiving inspiration or new unexpected ideas.
At the start of this year I read through Rick Rubin's book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. This book wasn't telling me anything new, but it reminded me of a lot of things that I had forgotten while making me hold space for those ideas related to creativity.
Sometimes I encounter criticism of Newton for having "wasted" time studying and learning alchemy, and people lament how much more he could've gotten done if it wasn't for those distractions. But we don't know if those alchemy-related detours are load-bearing for his achievements!
The sweetest of fruits is fertilized by mountains of shit.
- Worth reading The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. May help your relationship with side projects.
- The Creative Act, Rick Rubin
But I do not read a lot of books in a year anymore.
- When playing guitar, instead of gripping the neck tightly as if your hand was a vise, grip it lightly and pull the neck toward your body instead. Make sure the action of your guitar is not too high; if it is, get it adjusted.
Listening is more important than talking, but don’t automatically believe what you hear. Find out for yourself.
Observing animals and plants can teach one about humans and living in harmony with nature’s cycles.
Some people are not capable of feeling empathy. Learn to recognize them.
Your initial intuition is often wrong about numbers and statistics and many things, even if you are an expert. Double check. Triple check. Discuss with others you trust.
A little at a time goes a long way (understanding compound interest).
Certainty leads to insanity (regarding the “trade” of life).
References:
- The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
- The Listening Book: Discovering Your Own Music by W. A. Mathieu
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti
- The Psychopath Code by Peter Hintjens
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Fingers Pointing to the Moon by Jane English
