SUMMARY

Of

THE CREATIVE ACT

A Way of Being

By

RICK RUBIN

BOLD SUMMARIES
SUMMARY

2
SUMMARY

All rights reserved. No part of this

publication should be reprinted or

transmitted through electronic or

mechanical means without prior permission

by the Author, except for citations by critical

users.

Copyright © BOLD-SUMMARIES 2023

3
SUMMARY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PROLOGUE

ABSTRACT

BOOK REVIEW

ABOUT THE BOOK

BOOK SUMMARY

EPILOGUE

4
SUMMARY

5
SUMMARY

TO READERS

This is a summary of (Rick Rubin) book

(The Creative Act: A Way of Being).

This is not meant to take the place of the

main book; rather, it is designed to provide

you with essential information on the

contents of the book.

6
SUMMARY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

American record producer Rick Rubin was

a former co-president of Columbia Records.

Along with Russell Simmons, he co-founded

Def Jam Recordings, American Recordings.

Rubin produced music for groups including

the Beastie Boys, Geto Boys, Run-DMC,

Public Enemy, and LL Cool J, which helped

to popularize hip hop.

7
SUMMARY

Rubin was listed on Time magazine's list of

the "100 Most Influential People in the

World" in 2007 and was hailed by MTV as

"the most important producer of the last 20

years."

8
SUMMARY

PROLOGUE

The Creative Act is a way of being's main

message is that everyone has the right to

express their creativity. A warning and an

invitation to a new way of being are given at

the outset. Any page can be turned to find

tidbits or entire drumsticks of knowledge.

Some of the creative processes are well-

known, while others seem simply absurd,

such as thumping a pillow for five minutes

nonstop. It is somewhat of a self-help book,

9
SUMMARY

but it does not read at all like one. Not a

step-by-step recipe, but rather a collection

of components that may be creatively

combined to make a variety of multi-course

dinners. Something that should be read

again when one is stuck, not just once.

Imagine having the opportunity to use the

Creative Act in your notes to friends,

furniture arrangements, holiday plans, side

projects, family life, or career. Ruben serves

as a reminder that many of life's events offer

opportunities for artistic expression. A

mode of being that can be improved by

transforming into Source; less of a thing in

10
SUMMARY

the traditional sense and more of an idea-

essence-active-practice If we learn to look

for them, we will find that the seeds for

creativity are everywhere. Many of the best

musical works of our generation were

produced by Rick Rubin.

11
SUMMARY

ABSTRACT

The Creative Act is a very moving book that

will inspire anyone who wants to live a more

creative life.

The creative process is demystified by Rick

Rubin, who demonstrates that it largely

revolves around discipline, experimentation,

and self-reflection. Definitely a good read!

12
SUMMARY

13
SUMMARY

BOOK REVIEW

In this book, fantastic, profound, universal

truths will be revealed. Although it is simple

to read from cover to cover, this doesn't

seem to be intended to be read like a typical

"book." It is more of a compendium of pithy,

proverbial insights about art, creativity, and

life in general.

This book was fantastic! The authors, Neil

Strauss and Rick Rubin, expertly describe

how everyone is creative. Poetry and

14
SUMMARY

spiritual meditation combine to create each

story's stunning visuals. I return frequently

to look for fresh information to highlight.

The advice is sincere, kind, and incredibly

relatable. Highly recommended…

15
SUMMARY

ABOUT THE BOOK

The American super-producer contributed

to the early tunes for the Beastie Boys and

LL Cool J in the 1980s, whose credits stated:

"Reduced by Rick Rubin." In his dorm room

as a student, he also co-founded the hip-hop

label Def Jam.

However, Rubin rapidly began employing

his particular minimalism to amplify other

16
SUMMARY

clamorous genres, with huge commercial

success. Reign in Blood by Slayer and Walk

This Way, the revolutionary rap rock

collaboration between Aerosmith and Run-

DMC, are two of his faves.

He lifts creative achievement to the highest

level of human accomplishment, and this

has a somber, even holy character.

In recent years, Rubin's laconic reductivism

has changed into a more sage-like gravity.

The barefoot, bearded enabler is now

arguably most known for his assistance with

the late-life masterpieces by Johnny Cash,

17
SUMMARY

as well as for his contributions to Adele's 21

and 25 and Neil Young's most recent album,

World Record.

The Creative Act is not, therefore, a

biography of Rubin's explosive career in

which he ripped off 36th takes from titled

guitar superstars. There are no names given.

Instead, it is a distilled version of the

knowledge Rubin has gathered while

making records over the years. Its inevitable

forerunner may be Brian Eno's Oblique

Strategies, a set of artistic challenges the

British producer and Peter Schmidt

18
SUMMARY

established in 1975 to overcome creative

barriers.

Anyone who has even a basic understanding

of Buddhism, management theory, or the

self-help area will find Rubin's style of

operation to be fairly familiar. The aim is to

make clear that at times, these 400+ pages

can read a bit like "the 73 unexpected habits

of great creatives," not to suggest that Rubin

is not creative or is making a mistake. The

tone is gnomic and epigrammatic, and

Rubin's elevation of artistic endeavor to the

pinnacle of human achievement

reverberates with a melancholic quasi-

19
SUMMARY

religiosity that is challenging to square with

his bold production work on Jay-epic Z's

smash hit 99 Problems.

Rubin suggests that the creative person

push all personal limitations and he goes on

to advocate for deliberately accepting some

of the Dogme tradition's limitations before

once more raising the artistic life to that of a

higher calling that should not be

constrained by any kind of rule, particularly

the self-restraining beliefs that artists hold

about themselves.

20
SUMMARY

He suggests that you should "practice." A

regimen-free approach is likewise

acceptable. For Rubin, it is crucial to trust

his gut. He feels just as strongly about

letting go of ego so that the work can

develop more fully. It can be particularly

difficult to square that circle. Does the artist

stick to their guns or compromise? It seems

that the situation will dictate the best course

of action. This book may also seem to some

readers like a compendium of dubious

California new-age nostrums created to

boost Rubin's reputation.

21
SUMMARY

The Creative Act, on the other hand, has just

the right amount of self-assured loftiness to

provide consolation and practical means of

recontextualizing problems to others,

especially creatives in need of a boost or

anyone close to a customer, loved one, or

impending deadline.

22
SUMMARY

BOOK SUMMARY

Rubin offers an apothegmatic examination

of creativity. though Rubin, who is often

motivating, begins by saying that creativity

"is not an uncommon ability," the "oblique

tactics" deck of cards by Brian Eno delivers

gnomic instructions. It is not difficult to get

to. Being human requires creativity. Rubin

responded in a sensible way: "You are a

creative being existing in a creative

universe. Despite the fact that the author

23
SUMMARY

extensively interviewed Paul McCartney for

a recent Hulu series, readers may feel a little

scared by him. a singular work of art. There

are methods for positioning oneself to

prosper in this creative world in the best

conceivable ways. Reading the best books,

seeing the best movies, and looking at the

best art are never bad ideas, according to

the author. The only problem with this

approach is that "no one possesses the same

measures of excellence." However, Rubin

emphasizes that rather than creating a

product to sell, the purpose of art should be

to find a transcending path to something

24
SUMMARY

great within ourselves. We're playing to

play, not to win, he asserts. To do this, one

must adopt a childlike attitude and be

prepared for the possibility that certain

games may not be as pleasant as others. It

also means forming the habit of never

putting oneself on a leash or telling

themselves no just because they haven't

finished a task. The author continues, "If

there is a skill or piece of knowledge you

need for a given assignment, you can do the

homework and work toward it over time.

"Any skill may be learned.”

25
SUMMARY

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Universality of creativity

"Creativity is not an uncommon talent.

Accessing it is not tough. Being creative is

important to what it means to be human. It

is a natural right. And that pertains to us all.

Each of us is creative. Though some people

may be more aware of their creativity than

others, everyone is capable of creativity in

some capacity. The book by Rubin is a

rambling manual for assisting you in

26
SUMMARY

comprehending and developing the

potential of your creativity.

What is an artist?

"Living as an artist is a way of approaching

existence. a method of perception. an

attention-training routine. improving our

ability to detect softer tones. searching for

the things that entice us and repel us.

observing the emergence and progression of

any emotional tones.

27
SUMMARY

All forms of art, including music, poetry,

painting, and other creative works, result

from paying attention to the outside world

and using your experiences to inform your

work.

It takes practice to live an artistic life. Either

you participate in the practice or you don't.

Saying that you are not excellent at it is

absurd. Saying "I'm not excellent at

becoming a monk" is analogous to this.

Either you live as a monk or you don't. The

output is typically thought of as the artist's

creations. The true product of the artist is a

mode of existence.

28
SUMMARY

Not how prolific or successful you are, but

how you are in the world is what it means to

be an artist. It's a way of being that enables

you to access your individual creativity and

to share with the outside world a portion of

your inner environment.

Each concept has a time.

Have you ever had the experience of having

a wonderful idea for a company or a product

that addresses an issue you have, but not

acting on it, only to see your concept take off

in the world a year later? When you do not

act on your ideas, it happens frequently that

29
SUMMARY

someone else will carry them out. That is

not because someone else plagiarized your

idea; rather, it is because the moment for

the idea has come.

It is not about commerce to create.

"We are not creating to make or market

tangible goods. The act of creativity is a

venture into an enigmatic world. a desire to

advance. Through our work, we can convey

glimmers of an inner world that is beyond

our comprehension. Our entryway to the

invisible world is art.

30
SUMMARY

It is not necessary to sell a certain amount of

books or have a certain number of people

listen to your song in order to be considered

creative. It is doubtful that you will produce

your finest work if you create for that

reason. Instead, creating involves tuning

into the experiences you have in the world

and allowing those experiences to flow

through you into a kind of art that enhances

communication beyond what you could do

on your own.

Environment and our inner world

31
SUMMARY

"Our inner world is just as fascinating,

stunning, and unexpected as nature itself. It

was created by nature, after all. We are

absorbing what is happening outside as we

enter the house. We have merged into one,

we are linked.

Consider how many different shades of

green there are in a single forest or how

many different hues there are in the fish in

the ocean. Even a little portion of the

natural world offers an infinite variety of

singular variations, hues, patterns, and

indescribable beauty that we could never

fully comprehend, despite our best efforts

32
SUMMARY

and lifetimes of study. Our inner world is

immensely rich, intricate, mystical, and

beautiful, much like nature. And becoming

aware of the wealth in your inner landscape

is a crucial component of becoming a maker

in the world.

Heed your intuition

"To the best of my ability, I have followed

my instinct to change careers, and every

time, it was advised against doing so.

Realizing that it is preferable to follow the

cosmos than those around you is helpful.

33
SUMMARY

Many people base their decisions on the

principles and counsel of the people in their

lives. This can be effective at times, but it

frequently results in us spending a lot of

time veering off the route. You must learn to

deeply value and trust your intuition, the

wise intellect inside of you that guides you

even when you are unsure of why something

needs to be done if you want to live free

from the cultural gravity of the world

around you.

Leaving a rut

34
SUMMARY

"Take into account continuing with the

more true perspective that it's a tiny work, a

start. The goal is to finish the project so you

can start the next one. The work that comes

after is a stepping stone. For the duration of

your creative life, it goes on in a fruitful

rhythm.

It is simple to become overwhelmed by your

desire to create something outstanding

when you are working on something

significant. In fact, if you do not learn how

to zoom out and look at the wider picture,

that drive could paralyze and overwhelm

you. The reality is that anything you are

35
SUMMARY

working on is really just a seed you planted

and are hoping would grow over time. You

have no idea what the seed will grow into or

how that will affect other areas of your life.

If you are having trouble, try imagining a

project as a seed that you need to finish in

order to plant the next one.

Creativity is uninhibited.

"It's simpler to immerse oneself joyfully in

the process of generating things if you start

from the premise that there is no right or

36
SUMMARY

wrong, no good or evil, and creativity is just

free to play with no rules."

Two types of uncertainty

There are two kinds of uncertainty. Self-

doubt, or failing to believe that you are

capable of producing the art you want to, is

the first. This kind of uncertainty frequently

results in a paralyzing sense of

hopelessness, which might prevent you from

producing anything at all or lower the

quality of your work.

Doubts about the caliber of your work are

the other form of uncertainty. While this can

37
SUMMARY

potentially be detrimental, it can also

inspire you to look for methods to make

your job better. You can produce something

amazing if you erase your reservations about

the caliber of your work one step at a time.

You are not just one thing.

“There are numerous unique qualities of the

"self." It is conceivable to make a piece, fall

in love with it, and then have an entirely

different opinion of it the next day. Your

38
SUMMARY

inspired artist and craftsperson sides of you

might disagree, with the craftsperson feeling

frustrated that they cannot make the

inspired artist's idea come to life. Since

there is no direct connection between an

abstract idea and the physical world, this is

a frequent source of tension for inventors.

Every piece of work is an interpretation.

Limit the laws.

It is beneficial to approach your work with

an open mind, a childish ignorance about

the people and circumstances around you.

39
SUMMARY

When you apply too many restrictions to

your work, you constrict your creativity and

frequently produce more of what has

already been produced rather than

producing something that is authentic to

your inner landscape and particular to your

experience of the outside world. Rules can

serve as useful benchmarks, but most

artistic mediums include a number of norms

that, if ignored, might make it difficult to see

your way clearly.

Adjusting it

40
SUMMARY

When you are stuck, it may be beneficial to

change your method or the way you

approach the task. There are numerous

methods for doing this, but in reality, you

must experiment to see which method suits

you best at any given time. a few concepts to

consider little steps If you are having trouble

writing, attempt to compose one sentence

every day. To gain traction, divide your job

into the tiniest increments of progress

feasible. Alter your surroundings. Change

your location, alter your furnishings, or

experiment with lighting. Make changes to

the environment where you create.

41
SUMMARY

Raising the stakes Consider that this is your

final opportunity to paint. Next, paint.

Change the viewpoint. Increase the volume

of the song you are listening to or double the

font size on the pages you're reading.

Use different images. Include any additional

or unnecessary visuals in your work. Watch

how it affects your thinking.

Change up your inputs

"Think about changing your inputs to

change your inspiration. Watch a movie

42
SUMMARY

with the sound off, play the same song over

and over, read a short tale using only the

first few words, arrange stones according to

size or color, and develop lucid dreaming.

Test your theories.

You may have wonderful ideas in your head,

but they may not work out as planned.

Create tiny experiments to test ideas rather

than using your mind to judge them. You

will discover some ideas are more viable

than others when you start to put them into

practice. While doing this, use your intuition

43
SUMMARY

rather than your analytical thinking to find

the optimal solution.

Stages in the formation

By finishing the job, "art may only exist, and

the artist may only progress."

You must develop an idea from its birth into

a finished work in order to put a work into

the world. This method includes four

separate stages, and the artist must provide

a different set of skills in each one.

Seeds: Gather as many concepts as you can

in this section. You let the world around you

44
SUMMARY

and your own inspiration fill your mind with

ideas that you can later plant. Here, it is

important not to evaluate the concepts or

give them too much thought. simply to

gather them so that you can think about

them afterward.

Experimentation: This is when you start to

experiment with some of the high-potential

seeds, investigating them in all the possible

directions to find which ones have the most

promise for life. Here, you are not changing

anything; rather, you're just playing around

a lot to see where you might direct your

attention in the future. The level of

45
SUMMARY

enthusiasm you experience over time is a

useful indicator of which seeds to prioritize.

The crafting stage is when you have ideas,

have experimented freely, and have a firm

feel of where you are going. As you start to

hone your concepts and get new knowledge

that aids in the direction of the art, you can

find yourself rotating back to the

experimental stage. As a result, even if you

are in the execution phase, you're still

flexible and open to the numerous

possibilities of your task.

46
SUMMARY

Finishing: This is the last stage of your

work, which can be backed up by a deadline

to assist spread your art around the world.

The focus here is mainly on completing the

stuff, which implies that it is the best you

can create it as. Discovery and construction

are less important because they belong to

previous stages. Avoid making this stage last

too long since you risk losing interest in the

task at hand.

Original work

47
SUMMARY

Anything innovative has a tendency to

divide people. As many people as you

alienate, you will also draw. Even if

everyone appreciates what you are doing, it

could not be at its best. However, ensuring

that you enjoy your work is a useful

barometer for any endeavor. Without

fulfilling that mission, you are not fulfilling

your responsibility as an artist.

48
SUMMARY

Do not store up concepts

Give each assignment your best creative

suggestions. Do not hold onto those

concepts until you have a larger audience or

until your creative well is full. If you let it

flow through you, there is an endless supply

of creative material. You run the danger of

stifling the unrestricted creative flow that

will enable you to produce high-quality work

over the course of your life if you adopt a

scarcity mindset and hold back your good

ideas.

49
SUMMARY

Testers versus finishers

Artists can be divided into two categories:

experimenters and finishers. Researchers

enjoy playing when things are still being

created. They enjoy daydreaming, tinkering

with concepts, and sowing seeds. They may

also find it difficult to finish their

assignment because they dislike that phase.

Finishers are distinct in temperament. They

take pleasure in finishing their job quickly,

frequently skipping the experimentation

stage that would enable them to improve it.

50
SUMMARY

If you're an experimenter or a finisher, you

must embrace both traits if you want to

create excellent art.

Success is a personal, internal process.

"It isn't fame, fortune, or respect from the

critics. Success takes place in the solitude of

the spirit.

Being able to tune out

It is simple to become sidetracked from

creating your art by things that aren't

related to it. Deadlines, marketing, your

reputation, and audience growth are just a

51
SUMMARY

few of the elements that may intervene and

divert you from your current task. These

extraneous opinions can frequently

immobilize you and keep you from being

able to strike a balance between the need to

service your inner artist and the need to

make sensible commercial judgments.

If this begins to happen, you must have the

ability to block off distractions. Let go of the

need to fulfill all of your and your own

expectations of yourself. It is useful to

remember that you have no control over

your commercial success. When you truly

52
SUMMARY

embrace this, you can let go and concentrate

on giving it your all.

Observe the waves

"Artists are at the mercy of the creative

rhythms of nature, much like a surfer

cannot control the waves. Because of this, it

is crucial to always be alert and at the

moment. observing and waiting

Avoid taking advice

"Well-known artists frequently draw from

their own life experiences and offer the fixes

that have worked for them. These typically

53
SUMMARY

apply to their path alone, not yours. It is

important to keep in mind that their method

is not the best.

Advice might be useful for providing you

with experimental ideas. But keep in mind

that you will not produce excellent art if you

adopt the methods and values of other

people. Finding what works for you requires

experimentation and being attuned over

time. Additionally, when you grow as an

artist, what once worked for you might not.

You can avoid letting any rules prevent your

creations from entering the world by

remaining adaptable and open, both to your

54
SUMMARY

own methods and to those you attempt from

others.

Adhere to the excitement

"The artist's calling is to go with the thrill.

Energy is there wherever there is

excitement. Light exists everywhere there is

energy.

Do not seek the "truth"

Sincerity is a difficult quality to define. It is

distinct from other objectives we might

have. Setting our goals on sincerity may not

55
SUMMARY

be the best course of action when excellence

is the goal we should be pursuing. The

further distant it gets, the more we stretch

to get there.

Your inner landscape is imperfectly

communicated through art. You cannot fully

express the reality of your life or the ever-

evolving, transient character of your

experience in words or via any form of art.

What you create is merely a little part of

who you are or what you are thinking right

now. You will become paralyzed and may

produce art that is empty and unresonant if

you try to capture experience perfectly. Do

56
SUMMARY

your best and recognize that it is the flaws

that give your work resonance.

Final adjustments

When you are ready to finish editing a piece,

you should focus on reducing the work to

the essential elements that will make it

shine. Cutting your book in half or selecting

the top five songs from the 20 you recorded

might be two options. Instead of using some

arbitrary statistic, the objective is to

determine what is absolutely necessary for

57
SUMMARY

this work. Moreover, to be merciless while

distilling the work to its core.

58
SUMMARY

EPILOGUE

In The Creative Act, Rubin has assembled a

charcuterie of snacks or meals that don't

necessarily need to be consumed in any

particular order. With its various patterns,

routes, crescendos, and decrescendos that

might not catch you on the first read, this

book is amusing, unusual, and

sophisticated. If you look closely, you'll see

that there are 78 different areas of thinking

about creativity rather than numbered

59
SUMMARY

chapters. There are short quotes that refer

to both the subconscious and creativity that

are included between the majority of the

thought sections. Each mouthful can be read

independently; it is not necessary to read it

from beginning to end. It brings up

memories, wonders, and maybe even a little

hysteria about what the majority of us have

been missing. The Creative Act is a seed that

encourages more of us to adopt a mindset in

which being creative comes first.

60
SUMMARY

THANK YOU FOR READING!!!

61