📚 My 100 Favorite Books, The Creative Act, and more.

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📚 Books Summary:

This week’s book is “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin.

Rick Rubin is a legendary music producer.

He’s worked with Eminem, Kanye, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and dozens of other artists. In the music world, he’s known as the guy who can help artists overcome creative blocks and create something amazing.

This is a great book, not just for musicians, but for anyone who does creative work.

Here are 3 lessons from the book:

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1) Consume Greatness To Produce Greatness

If you want to create great art, Rubin recommends spending time consuming great art:

“Read the finest literature, watch the masterpieces of cinema, get up close to the most influential paintings, visit architectural landmarks…exposure to great art provides an invitation. It draws us forward, and opens doors of possibility.”

The reason this is so important is that your inputs will determine your outputs.

For instance, you could be a great chef, but if all of your ingredients are spoiled rotten, you won’t have a chance of baking a delicious cake.

But if all of your ingredients are fresh and organic, you have a good shot at making something delicious.

The same is true for your creative inputs.

Rubin gives the example of an aspiring writer. If the writer reads classic literature every day for a year, rather than reading the news, by the end of the year, he’ll have a better eye for recognizing greatness from books.

By consuming great work, we level up our taste and decisions:

“The objective is not to learn to mimic greatness, but to calibrate our internal meter for greatness. So we can better make the thousands of choices that might ultimately lead to our own great work,” advises Rubin.

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2) Change Your Environment To Change What You Create

If you’re feeling stuck in a creative project or want to create something new, it helps to change your environment.

When working with musicians, Rubin dims all the lights in the room, has the artist hold the microphone instead of standing in front of it, or records early in the morning instead of late at night.

One time, he even hung a singer upside down to get a unique vocal from them.

Now you don’t have to hang yourself upside down, but it is worth experimenting with your surroundings and routines.

Always following your usual creative habits can limit your thinking patterns. But by introducing new elements, you force your brain to approach the task differently, helping you overcome creative blocks or explore new directions.

Additionally, varying your environment can help you tap into different emotional states or mindsets. The energy of a busy cafe will inspire you differently than the peacefulness of a calm park.

So embrace the opportunity to experiment with your creative process and to create art through a fresh lens.

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3) Build Momentum Through Small Steps

Sooner or later, every creative person gets stuck in a creative rut.

Rubin’s advice is to create momentum by taking one step at a time.

For instance, he’ll tell his musician to just write one line every day:

“It didn’t matter how good or bad he felt about the line, as long as he committed to writing it. If more came through, that was fine but not necessary.”

By writing one line every day for several days, the artist was able to create a piece of the song, which helped reopen their creative channels and inspired them to finish the song.

I’ve heard similar advice from dozens of authors.

Most days, they don’t feel like writing or feel like their work is hot garbage, but they’ll commit to writing just a few sentences a day.

After a while, they’ll have written a few chapters, and before they know it, they’re halfway done with the book and are excited about finishing it.

So whatever your creative project is, break it down until it’s so small it becomes manageable. And then just chip away at that creative dam day by day. After enough time, the block will crack, and your creativity juices will come rushing in.

✅ Actionable Advice

1) If you want to create great art, consume great art:

• Visit an art museum.

• Read a classical book.

• Watch an award-winning film.

2) Experiment with creating art in different environments:

• Try writing on your phone instead of your laptop.

• Try painting with your left hand instead of your right.

• Try coding at the park instead of at home.

3) Make something every day, even if it’s small:

• If you’re a musician, write one lyric every day.

• If you’re a writer, write one paragraph every day.

• If you’re an artist, draw one sketch every day.

💎 Weekly Gem:

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Thank you for your support,

Alex W.