Rick Rubin and his book “The Creative Act”
I strongly believe, that the right people and resources find you at the right moment for you, and I really appreciate this synchronicity of the universe :o). Therefore, I am not surprised that it is while I am preparing for my exhibition that I came across the first video about Rick Rubin and his ideas about the creative process.
Rick Rubin is a record producer, who, over the years has worked with musicians such as Adele, Eminem, The Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Slayer, Metallica, Johny Cash and has won more than one Grammy award. Being an interesting character, his approach to creation is also extremely unusual, but infinitely effective and close to the world of the creator.
In the beginning, I watched a few of his interviews, which I am happy to share here. In them I found out that Rick has written a book – “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”. In this post I also share some of the quotes that “spoke to me” and made me think.
In over 20 years of creating artworks, many of the things Rick shares in the book are not entirely new to me. But it was written so fluidly, almost like a diary, and with a certain gentleness, that validated all the things I’ve learned of the art Process, that I couldn’t help, but admire it.
Rick’s wisdom and his insight into the creative process have certainly helped me through the endless and exhausting hours in the studio, in front of the big canvases for the exhibition, and I already know that they will carry me through the upcoming months of hard work and tension (according to his definitions, more I’m partially in the Crafting period (still painting), but I’m already in the Finishing part, trying to organise the event very early on).
The subtitle of the book suggests that it is actually for everyone, not just for people with creative professions, because we all apply creativity in everyday life.
Here are some quotes:
“To live as an artist is a way of being in the world. A way of perceiving.”
“You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.”
“Oscar Wilde said that some things are too important to be taken seriously. Art is one of those things.”
“It’s possible to create a piece, love it, and then look at it the next day and feel completely different about it. The inspired-artist aspect of yourself may be in conflict with the craftsperson aspect, disappointed that the craftsperson is unable to create the physical embodiment of the inspired artist’s vision. This is a common conflict for creators, since there is no direct conversion from abstract thought to the material world.”
“In fact, it is impossible for anyone to experience your work as you do, or as anyone else does. You could have a distinct idea of what a piece means, how it functions, or why it’s pleasing-and someone else can like it or dislike it for an entirely different reason. The purpose of the work is to awaken something in you first, and then allow something to be awakened in others.”
“It’s helpful to continually challenge your own process. If you had a good result using a specific style, method, or working condition, don’t assume that is the best way. Or your way. Or the only way. Avoid getting religious about it. There may be other strategies that work just as well and allow new possibilities, directions, and opportunities. This is not always true, but it’s something to consider.”
“Patience is developed much like awareness. Through an acceptance of what is. Impatience is an argument with reality. The desire for something to be different from what we are experiencing in the here and now. A wish for time to speed up, tomorrow to come sooner, to relive yesterday, or to close your eyes then open them and find yourself in another place. Time is something we have no control over. So patience begins with acceptance of natural rhythms. (…) When it comes to the creative process, patience is accepting that the majority of the work we do is out of our control. We can’t force greatness to happen. All we can do is invite it in and await it actively.”
“Crafting contains a paradox. To create our best work, we are patient and avoid rushing the process, while at the same time we work quickly without delay. By remaining too long in this phase, many pitfalls may arise. One is disconnection. If an artist is creating a beautiful work, and keeps endlessly crafting it beyond the need, sometimes they suddenly want to start all over. This can be because they have changed or the times have changed. Art is a reflection of the artist’s inner and outer world during the period of creation. Extending the period complicates the artist’s ability to capture a state of being. The result can be a loss of connection and enthusiasm for the work over time.”
“Art is choosing to do something skilfully, caring about the details, bringing all of yourself to make the finest work you can. It is beyond ego, vanity, self-glorification, and need for approval.”
“Great art is created through freedom of self-expression and received with freedom of individual interpretation.”
“How shall we measure success? It isn’t popularity, money, or critical esteem. Success occurs in the privacy of the soul. It comes in the moment you decide to release the work, before exposure to a single opinion. When you’ve done all you can to bring out the work’s greatest potential. When you are pleased and ready to let go. Success has nothing to do with variables outside yourself. To move forward is an aspect of success. This happens when we finish a work, share it, and begin a new project. Whatever comes after this quiet feeling of accomplishment is subject to market conditions. Conditions beyond us.”
“The best work is the work you are excited about.”
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace,” Charles Mingus once said. “Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”
“The reason we’re alive is to express ourselves in the world. And creating art may be the most effective and beautiful method of doing so. Art goes beyond language, beyond lives. It’s a universal way to send messages between each other and through time.”
P.S. Rick Rubin has a podcast called Tetragrammaton. As expected, his guests are artists from all fields, and he is an extremely good presenter – thoughtful, listening, with in-depth questions. You can find the talks on Spotify and on YouTube, where some of them are on video.
