The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Rick Rubin is one of the most well legendary producers of all time. He’s worked with some of the greatest artists of all time in just about every genre you can imagine. Some of my favorite projects of his include Yeezus (Kanye West), Toxicity (System of a Down), The New Abnormal (The Strokes), Utopia (Travis Scott), & Red Album (Weezer). Some other big names he’s worked with include Lady Gaga, Beastie Boys, Adele, Eminem, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash & Jay-Z.
Kendrick Lamar & Rick Rubin (2016)
I discovered Rick Rubin through a GQ video where him and Kendrick Lamar sit down and talk music. I was so intrigued by how Rick spoke of music. It was unlike anything I had ever seen at that point. I highly recommend this video to anyone with a passion for music.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being
This is my favorite book of all time. In it, Rick dives deep into 78 different areas of thought, all centered around creativity, presence, and the art of making art. I want to share some of my favorite ideas from the book—the ones that really changed my creative process.
Source.
A big aspect of the book is the idea of Source. Source is basically the inspiration that exists all around us. Rick compares Source to clouds—shifting, reshaping, and changing forms. These clouds rain down on us, filling our vessel (our mind) with thoughts, experiences, and dreams.
Our vessel has a filter though—our worldview, opinions, and emotions. This filter changes how we interpret all the information we receive. And no two people have the same filter. This is why two people can listen to the same album and walk away with completely different thoughts on it.
When we create art, we’re taking that filtered water from our vessel and releasing it back into the world in the form of a new cloud. But this cloud isn’t the same as the one that inspired us—it’s been transformed through us. That’s why Rick says “art is a continuous circulation of energetic ideas.”
Seeds.
Seeds are those barely-started FL projects with just a beat and a low quality clip of you humming a melody. They’re the random notes on your phone that consist of a couple of lines and maybe some keywords. The quick sketches you draw in a few minutes.
It doesn’t matter if you got the seed from a bag of magic beans or a zip you bought from that guy down the street—don’t make assumptions about your seeds. Don’t try to predict which ones will grow tall or which ones will die in a week. Just collect them.
The next step is to water those seeds. Open those FL projects, revisit those notes, refine those sketches. Give time and attention to each of them. This process might take weeks, months, or even years. And that’s okay.
Would you rather pour all your effort into growing a shitty lil dandelion? Or do you wanna experiment until you grow a magic beanstock?
Every idea has value.
Even the ones you think are ass and won’t work. That’s why you should try everything. Just because something sounds dumb in your head doesn’t mean it’ll sound dumb when you actually make it. And the opposite is true—when lightning strikes, and you think “wow I’m such a genius!” that idea may very well end up sounding like SHIT when you execute it.
So try absolutely everything.
Swap the presets between your main vocals and your adlibs. Space out every other line. Breathe into the mic on purpose. Try recording from the other side of your room. Add layers. Remove layers. You can’t cross out an idea until you’ve tried it.
Bob Ross, the GOAT, said “mistakes are just happy accidents.” Rick says music is like a puzzle—when you place the wrong piece, that’s not a mistake. You just eliminated an option and got closer to the finished picture.
This mindset is especially important when you’re collaborating.
“It’s impossible to know exactly what someone is thinking. And if we can’t predict how our own ideas will work—and we can’t!—how can we draw conclusions about what someone else imagines?”
Artists don’t clock out.
Yeah, we close our notebooks, shut down FL, and leave the studio. But inspiration can strike at any moment. It’s like a lightning bolt. And while you can’t control the lightning bolt itself, you can keep your mind in a place where lightning is more likely to strike—like a storm chaser.
You could be at the gym, hitting a new PR. BOOM. Idea.
You could be driving to your day job. BOOM. Idea.
You could be hooping with your friends. BOOM. Idea.
This only works if you allow your mind to be creative 24/7.
Rick says that as an artist, you have to constantly stay in that creative mindset—even when you’re not actively working on music (or whatever art you do). You never know when lightning will strike, and as artists, it’s our job to chase the storm. Stay in it. 24/7.
And here’s the key: take notes.
You don’t want to lose any of the ideas that strike you throughout the day. My Notes app has over a thousand entries. Even the smallest idea can turn into something big later.
Sincerity.
Rick believes you shouldn’t try to make your art sincere. That’ll just come off as corny. Your art should represent you—and you’re not perfect. Your art shouldn’t be either.
We’re flawed, so flaunt those flaws. That’s true sincerity. Don’t present yourself as sincere—speak your truth and say it with your chest.
You could make a song that’s completely “wrong,” but if it’s true to you, that’s what makes it sincere.
“If we get out of the way and let the art do its work, it may yield the sincerity we seek. And sincerity may look nothing like we expected."
I highly recommend The Creative Act to anyone who is drawn to music, content creation, fashion, or any form of art. It offers a completely new worldview—one that 99% of us have never experienced.
Even if you aren’t a creator, there’s so much to learn from it.
This post only scratches the surface of the ideas Rick Rubin explores in the book. I really think you should go experience it for yourself.
