The Creative Act

A Way of Being

by Rick Rubin

Hardcover

English language

Published Jan. 25, 2023 by Canongate Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-83885-863-6
ASIN:: B0B3L8W1JJ

(15 reviews)

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

"A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment.”—Anne Lamott

“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 listening experience that puts the power to create moments—and lifetimes—of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.

3 editions

Nibsy reviewed The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Anyone can be creative if they will allow themselves the freedom to be

5 stars

According to Rick Rubin's book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, every one of us, each with our unique experiences, values, and perspectives on the world, has the capacity to tap into a rich spring of creativity in service to our own art. Creative inspiration can come from anywhere, and it can strike at any time. Our job as artists is to be receptive to it when it happens. It requires living in the moment and nurturing an awareness brought about by a child-like curiosity for everything we encounter. Inspiration is transformed into art through an ongoing process of playful experimentation, hard work, and courage to release it into the world once it's complete.

This book is less a prescriptive guide to becoming an artist and more of a philosophy of how to live like one. Although the author is an artist in his own right, this book …

This book is less a prescriptive guide to becoming an artist and more of a philosophy of how to live like one. Although the author is an artist in his own right, this book is not focused on any single art. It is a collection of short vignettes, each focused on one aspect related to creativity, how it's inspired, and what to do with it. There are nearly eighty of them. Some can be read independently of others, while others cannot.

Some books deliver on their first read, and some mature with the reader as they experience new loves, losses, celebrations, and sorrows. This book does both.

steezeburger reviewed Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Review of 'Creative Act' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Great book full of golden nuggets about art, life, creativity, collaboration, purpose, time.

Will definitely be rereading this.

Amanda Quraishi reviewed Creative Act by Rick Rubin

LOVED IT.

5 stars

Here's the thing about this book. It's not meant to be an academic or scientific exploration of the creative process. It's very much a series of reflections and creative lessons from one of the most dynamic creators alive today. It's got tons of little gems - I read it with a highlighter - and I intend to re-read it. Probably multiple times. It's the kind of book you can pick up and leaf through and find some bits of wisdom that will boost your own perspective on creativity and possibly inspire. Some of it will be useful, some will not - and Rubin acknowledges this.

I really enjoyed it.