Book Report - "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" by Rick Rubin
In this philosophical approach to art, Rubin illustrates an interesting stance where we are all artists in some way, shape, or form, and art comes from an ethereal “source” in the universe.
I’ll be the first to say I don’t consider myself artistic, nor would I say I am an artist. My drawing skills were passable in middle school, and I have neglected those for several years. I’ll occasionally write a poem or come up with lyrics to a song that will never materialize, but that’s usually just to get it out of my head and alleviate the nagging experience of an idea that won’t go away.
Rubin takes the perspective that this is all art, and it is all valuable to express. And even beyond what is traditionally considered art, he goes so far as to suggest that nearly anything we create is art. Furthermore, things can be art without ever being rendered in reality. An experience is art.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized ANYTHING can be art. This blog? Art. A particularly elegant coding algorithm I wrote? Art. The benches that I made for some outdoor seating? Art. It’s all art if you just look at it from a different angle, and perceiving something as art completely changes what it is. People tend to take more pride in what they create if it’s a work of art.
I went into this book expecting one of those hoity-toity rants from aloof artists about how the peasants just don’t understand art or how the creative process is exclusive to those with some unknown ability. In stark contrast, Rubin was very open to everyone making art. Rather than gatekeeping, Rubin is encouraging anyone who will listen to listen to the “source” and make what they feel inspired to make. It doesn’t matter if it’s bad, that’s just the beginning of the process. Work on it until it’s good.
This “source” idea of his was an interesting one that I hadn’t really considered before. My understanding of the “source” is effectively just the universe and our perception of it. We each have unique perspectives and an individual ability to create something that represents what we see and feel. It’s a little fuzzy and undefined, but I think it’s an apt comparison to the human experience. We’re all just here, and we all go through life with our own lens. Sharing our thoughts, feelings, and creative work with each other is a cool way to pull together.
I was afraid that “The Creative Act” would appeal to those elitist artists and critics that consider you an idiot if you can’t appreciate Rothko’s stupid red boxes (sorry, Rothko fans). I couldn’t have been more wrong. Rubin’s take is super refreshing, and it gives me hope that not ALL artists are pretentious douchebags. It’s fine if you just don’t GET certain pieces of art.
If you like traditional art such as canvas paintings and sculpture, you’ll probably enjoy the book. More mainstream, if you just dabble in occasional drawing or made that one mixtape back in college, that’s probably the target audience. Even if you just listen to music, I think you can get something from it. Rubin takes the idea of art and makes it more accessible to the masses. In my opinion, that’s a great thing, and I think it gives us the opportunity to share our creative side without fearing repercussions for making something bad. It just isn’t finished yet.
I’ll be the first to say I don’t consider myself artistic, nor would I say I am an artist. My drawing skills were passable in middle school, and I have neglected those for several years. I’ll occasionally write a poem or come up with lyrics to a song that will never materialize, but that’s usually just to get it out of my head and alleviate the nagging experience of an idea that won’t go away.
Rubin takes the perspective that this is all art, and it is all valuable to express. And even beyond what is traditionally considered art, he goes so far as to suggest that nearly anything we create is art. Furthermore, things can be art without ever being rendered in reality. An experience is art.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized ANYTHING can be art. This blog? Art. A particularly elegant coding algorithm I wrote? Art. The benches that I made for some outdoor seating? Art. It’s all art if you just look at it from a different angle, and perceiving something as art completely changes what it is. People tend to take more pride in what they create if it’s a work of art.
I went into this book expecting one of those hoity-toity rants from aloof artists about how the peasants just don’t understand art or how the creative process is exclusive to those with some unknown ability. In stark contrast, Rubin was very open to everyone making art. Rather than gatekeeping, Rubin is encouraging anyone who will listen to listen to the “source” and make what they feel inspired to make. It doesn’t matter if it’s bad, that’s just the beginning of the process. Work on it until it’s good.
This “source” idea of his was an interesting one that I hadn’t really considered before. My understanding of the “source” is effectively just the universe and our perception of it. We each have unique perspectives and an individual ability to create something that represents what we see and feel. It’s a little fuzzy and undefined, but I think it’s an apt comparison to the human experience. We’re all just here, and we all go through life with our own lens. Sharing our thoughts, feelings, and creative work with each other is a cool way to pull together.
I was afraid that “The Creative Act” would appeal to those elitist artists and critics that consider you an idiot if you can’t appreciate Rothko’s stupid red boxes (sorry, Rothko fans). I couldn’t have been more wrong. Rubin’s take is super refreshing, and it gives me hope that not ALL artists are pretentious douchebags. It’s fine if you just don’t GET certain pieces of art.
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| Source: https://www.markrothko.org/untitled-red/ |
If you like traditional art such as canvas paintings and sculpture, you’ll probably enjoy the book. More mainstream, if you just dabble in occasional drawing or made that one mixtape back in college, that’s probably the target audience. Even if you just listen to music, I think you can get something from it. Rubin takes the idea of art and makes it more accessible to the masses. In my opinion, that’s a great thing, and I think it gives us the opportunity to share our creative side without fearing repercussions for making something bad. It just isn’t finished yet.
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