The Creative Act: A Way of Being – Rick Rubin

The Art of Bringing Out the Artist Inside

The Creative Act: A Way of Being Book ReviewComing back home from work for the 465th time I wondered what would remain after the 4,650th time I come back from work. After so many more monthly salaries, summer vacations, winter holidays, new people coming and going, what would I become? What would I leave behind? What would be my witness? I wanted to engrave a big fat “I was here”. Not on a wall, but possibly, on time. I want to engrave something on the thread of time. The engraving and the people who watched it being my witness. Time-capsualizing something, possibly a part of myself from that moment in time, materializing an essence. IF YOU, can relate. Or even better, have writings, photos, or any creation that you mull over sharing, it wouldn’t hurt to give Rick Rubin’s two cents a try. A legendary music producer with more than 40 years of experience or just another fellow creator – Rick Rubin shares valuable insight on the creative mindset, bringing out the artist inherent within everybody.

Recommendation for Readers

Written from scratch by Junic Andy So – Meston Ecoa

No assistance was received from any form of Artificial Intelligence.
No assistance was received from any grammar or vocabulary enhancing software.

One Paragraph Summary

contains no spoilers

Rick Rubin shares his philosophy of being an artist. The perceptive nature of being an artist. The joy and despair that comes with the pursuit. How to deal with the vulnerability that artists face. The hurdles and how to overcome them. The book is a good balance of abstract and practical ideas relevant to all readers.

One Paragraph Review

contains no spoilers

A chapter on its own, outside the context of the other 77 chapters, is not inspiring. The 78 chapters outside the context of Rick Rubin would be equally uninspiring. In essence, the book got everything just right. This is Rubin’s first book in his 40 plus years of his career as an artist. This gives the generic words of truth a personal, professional vouch. The extensiveness yields something to offer in whichever section of the journey as a creator you are in. His mentorship was thoroughly applicable to me, a novice blogger. In other cases, some advice were beyond my current scope of experience. Perhaps providing more guidance to an already established artist who feels stagnating. I was reminded of the discography of John Mayer. There is always a track to play no matter the mood I am in. Likewise, it seemed there would be an advice that rings no matter which stage I am in. I try to reverse engineer how anyone could have written a book like this. What kind of path would be required to have come up with this piece. And I think the path would be one incredibly difficult to fake. For that reason, I am sold on the sincerity that this piece embodies. Even if all the content of the book were an utter bs, which some readers may actually think, I don’t think it’s feasible for a person to be 78-chapter thoroughly bs, that I would rather choose to give credit even if some parts are beyond me.

Some Information

• 405 pages, around 46,500 words

• Vocabulary level: Easy

Library of Congress Subjects: Creative ability, Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)

Goodreads Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Self-help

• Meston’s Rating: 4.0

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