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A review by marthaos
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I love books about creativity, how to access that part of ourselves, how to figure out what it is we want to say and how we want to say it, how to see and how to share what we see with others, how to connect to that place deep within us, how to sing our song. I loved “Big Magic”, “The Artist’s Way”, “Improv”. And so when I saw this book by Rick Rubin, I wondered what else could he say?
It turns out he had a lot to say but his framework is clear, concise and to the point.
Rather than seeing the artist’s output as the central goal, he sees creativity or the role of the artist much more as a way of being in the world. And he makes the point that we all have creativity in us and have a responsibility to engage it, grow it, become child-like and have fun with it, be vulnerable and put ourselves on the line with it.
“Practicing a way of being that allows you to see the world through uncorrupted, innocent eyes, can free you to to act in concert with the universe’s timetable”
This book has a poetic quality and a beauty about it whilst also being quite practical with tips on getting out of a rut, editing, blending, collaborating. Many of the ideas are grounded in a spirituality, a way of seeing, and a mysticism, that makes us co-creators with the Creator. I love this idea that art is accessible to all, and often we get in our own way. If we limit ourselves to the tools, media, training and expertise, very often we block the very thing we are trying to call forth. Often it takes beginner’s eyes and a more open and receptive attitude to capture a moment in its purity.
It turns out he had a lot to say but his framework is clear, concise and to the point.
Rather than seeing the artist’s output as the central goal, he sees creativity or the role of the artist much more as a way of being in the world. And he makes the point that we all have creativity in us and have a responsibility to engage it, grow it, become child-like and have fun with it, be vulnerable and put ourselves on the line with it.
“Practicing a way of being that allows you to see the world through uncorrupted, innocent eyes, can free you to to act in concert with the universe’s timetable”
This book has a poetic quality and a beauty about it whilst also being quite practical with tips on getting out of a rut, editing, blending, collaborating. Many of the ideas are grounded in a spirituality, a way of seeing, and a mysticism, that makes us co-creators with the Creator. I love this idea that art is accessible to all, and often we get in our own way. If we limit ourselves to the tools, media, training and expertise, very often we block the very thing we are trying to call forth. Often it takes beginner’s eyes and a more open and receptive attitude to capture a moment in its purity.