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.

Rubin approaches creativity to show what works…and what doesn’t. Rubin’s lessons apply to every aspect of creativity— whether music, writing, painting, or, as Rubin says, even more pragmatic situations, such as starting a business, or solving personal problems. The Creative Act is as much a guide to life as it is a guide to art. In a series of short, pithy chapters, Rubin focuses on all the elements of the creative process and how they should be used and improved.

I was impressed by Rubin’s warnings about common mistakes in the creative process:

• Clinging to rules or guidelines that may stifle the childlike creative impulse.
• Trying to imbue art with too much intention rather than respecting a work of art’s own natural unfolding. The ultimate purpose or destiny of a work of art is almost never clear to the artist.
• Competing with collaborators, or other artists or creatives, rather than nurturing one’s own voice.
• Forcing art. The more it is forced, rather than allowed to unfold naturally, the more it loses its innate character.
• Prioritizing the criticisms or voices of others, rather than oneself and staying true to the work of art.
• Focusing on commercial outcomes— this can lead to a work of art that feels more artificial or compromised, and will likely not be as successful as it could be.
• Aspiring to perfection. There are no objective measures for the success or purpose of a work of art, and to obsess over achieving perfection is to play a game you can’t win — in fact, sometimes art that is flawed can be more emotionally resonant than something that is “flawless.” It’s a bit of a paradox. Even flawless art contains a flaw, that of a lack of humanity.

If you want to understand and enhance your creativity, check out Rick Rubin’s THE CREATIVE ACT: A WAY OF BEING. Highly recommended! Where does your creativity come from? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Everyone is a creator — 1

Tuning in — 5

The source of creativity — 13

Awareness — 19

The vessel and the filter — 25

The unseen — 31

Look for clues — 37

Practice — 43

Submerge (the great works) — 49

Nature as teacher — 51

Nothing is static — 55

Look inward — 59

Memories and the subconscious — 63

It’s always there — 67

Setting — 69

Self-doubt — 73

Make it up — 77

Distraction — 85

Collaboration — 89

Intention — 93

Rules — 97

The opposite is true — 107

Listening — 109

Patience — 113

Beginner’s mind — 117

Inspiration — 127

Habits — 133

Seeds — 143

Experimentation — 149

Try everything — 157

Crafting — 163

Momentum — 169

Point of view — 177

Breaking the sameness — 183

Completion — 191

The abundant mindset — 201

The experimenter and the finisher — 205

Temporary rules — 207

Greatness — 215

Success — 219

Connected detachment (possibility) — 225

The ecstatic — 229

Point of reference — 235

Non-competition — 237

Essence — 241

Apocrypha — 247

Tuning out (undermining voices) — 253

Self-awareness — 257

Right before our eyes — 263

A whisper out of time — 269

Expect a surprise — 273

Great expectations — 277

Openness — 283

Surrounding the lightning bolt — 289

24/7 (staying in it) — 295

Spontaneity (special moments) — 299

How to choose — 305

Shades and degrees — 309

Implications (purpose) — 313

Freedom — 317

The possessed — 323

What works for you (believing) — 325

Adaptation — 327

Translation — 331

Clean slate — 335

Context — 339

The energy (in the work) — 343

Ending to start anew (regeneration) — 349

Play — 353

The art habit (sangha) — 359

The prism of self — 363

Let it be — 369

Cooperation — 371

The sincerity dilemma — 379

The gatekeeper — 385

Why make art? — 391

Harmony — 397

What we tell ourselves — 403