The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Product ID: 461847537
Desertcart purchases this item on your behalf and handles shipping, customs, and support to Thailand.
The #1 New York Times bestseller. "A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment.” —Anne Lamott From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us. “ I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.” —Rick Rubin Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn’t, he has learned that being an artist isn’t about your specific output, it’s about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone’s life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities. The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime’s work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments—and lifetimes—of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us. Review: This one goes straight to my writer's reference shelf - I studiously avoided reading reviews of this book until I was done because I (correctly) predicted there would be those who praised it as a new book of holy scripture and those who would utterly trash the work as thin and inconsequential. Neither of those two camps is right. And while I do not condone tossing a book before you've given it a fair chance (though I have utterly given up on a book or two, opinions will differ on what a fair chance is. I can see the naysayers who feel that the book is a bunch of twitter quotes strung together, and I can even see why people who went into it not expecting a philosophically-oriented book would be turned off to it (though why you would think that a book about creativity would NOT have a philosophical orientation is beyond me). That said, I lean towards the cult of those who sing this books praises. I'm not all-in drinking the Kool-Aid, but I am at the edge of the clearing watching everyone line up, considering. If one reads the book to the end, one finds the admission: You are you. The work is the work. Each person in the audience is themselves. Uniquely so. none of it can truly be understood, let alone distilled to simple equations or common language. And herein lies the heart of the matter. Creativity is very difficult to pin down. There are exceptions and contradictions. What works one time doesn't work the next. That's the whole point of creativity. If you're looking for an end-all-be-all truth, study Accounting. Paint-by-numbers is not creativity, and it never was. It's good practice, and one can learn principles from it, but the true teachers in creative acts are experience, intuition, and failure. Rubin does, however, share practical ways of thinking/being for those who might be struggling through the creative process. He also shares ways to ensure that you are creating good art when you think you've got a finished product. Any writer who's been writing for a while will tell you that the most difficult part of writing is editing. And if they don't, you can bet that their work shows it. I can categorically state that my early work, even those for which I was paid good money, could stand another edit. Or two. Or ten. Here Rubin doesn't spare the rod, but reminds us of our responsibility to create the best work we can, while giving us some tools to work with. Now many of these tools come in the last third of the book, but if one doesn't buy into the foundational principles (remember that old concept of "willing suspension of disbelief"?), then the latter parts of the book are going to be far less impactful. No, you don't have to drink all the Kool-Aid, but you have to be willing to read and observe with an open mind. If you can't at least accept, theoretically, that "art is our portal to the unseen world," then this book is not for you. But if you'll give that thought a serious chance, the rest of the book will make sense to you. Again, if you want paint-by-numbers-so-you-can-monetize-everything-with-high-productivity, you need to look elsewhere. If you're onboard with exercising a little faith, you'll be able to grok the book. The practicum really starts with the chapter on "Seeds," about a third of the way in. From here to the end, I've marked so many passages and taken so many notes that I won't take the time to put them all (if any) into this review. I've begun marking it up (in pencil - yes, I write in my books) with marginal notes, much like the ancient rabbinical scholars used to litter a verse of scripture with their annotations. As a result, this book has become highly personal to me and will continue to do so as I revisit it. It serves as a mirror to my own creative process, revealing all of its beauty and flaws. I will gaze into this book many times in the future both for inspiration and for practical solutions when I'm stuck (and there are many methods given for how to become un-stuck in the last third of the book). I have a handful of reference books that I keep "hot at hand" in my writing area. An old Roget's Thesaurus, Tim D. White's Human Osteology, Francis D.K. Ching's A Visual Dictionary of Architecture, and now: Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Review: Great book, love it. - Full of wisdom, great takes from a creative frame to life itself. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist it will improve your perspective of what you do.
| Best Sellers Rank | #223 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Creativity (Books) #1 in Popular Psychology Creativity & Genius #5 in Music (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 11,853 Reviews |
F**E
This one goes straight to my writer's reference shelf
I studiously avoided reading reviews of this book until I was done because I (correctly) predicted there would be those who praised it as a new book of holy scripture and those who would utterly trash the work as thin and inconsequential. Neither of those two camps is right. And while I do not condone tossing a book before you've given it a fair chance (though I have utterly given up on a book or two, opinions will differ on what a fair chance is. I can see the naysayers who feel that the book is a bunch of twitter quotes strung together, and I can even see why people who went into it not expecting a philosophically-oriented book would be turned off to it (though why you would think that a book about creativity would NOT have a philosophical orientation is beyond me). That said, I lean towards the cult of those who sing this books praises. I'm not all-in drinking the Kool-Aid, but I am at the edge of the clearing watching everyone line up, considering. If one reads the book to the end, one finds the admission: You are you. The work is the work. Each person in the audience is themselves. Uniquely so. none of it can truly be understood, let alone distilled to simple equations or common language. And herein lies the heart of the matter. Creativity is very difficult to pin down. There are exceptions and contradictions. What works one time doesn't work the next. That's the whole point of creativity. If you're looking for an end-all-be-all truth, study Accounting. Paint-by-numbers is not creativity, and it never was. It's good practice, and one can learn principles from it, but the true teachers in creative acts are experience, intuition, and failure. Rubin does, however, share practical ways of thinking/being for those who might be struggling through the creative process. He also shares ways to ensure that you are creating good art when you think you've got a finished product. Any writer who's been writing for a while will tell you that the most difficult part of writing is editing. And if they don't, you can bet that their work shows it. I can categorically state that my early work, even those for which I was paid good money, could stand another edit. Or two. Or ten. Here Rubin doesn't spare the rod, but reminds us of our responsibility to create the best work we can, while giving us some tools to work with. Now many of these tools come in the last third of the book, but if one doesn't buy into the foundational principles (remember that old concept of "willing suspension of disbelief"?), then the latter parts of the book are going to be far less impactful. No, you don't have to drink all the Kool-Aid, but you have to be willing to read and observe with an open mind. If you can't at least accept, theoretically, that "art is our portal to the unseen world," then this book is not for you. But if you'll give that thought a serious chance, the rest of the book will make sense to you. Again, if you want paint-by-numbers-so-you-can-monetize-everything-with-high-productivity, you need to look elsewhere. If you're onboard with exercising a little faith, you'll be able to grok the book. The practicum really starts with the chapter on "Seeds," about a third of the way in. From here to the end, I've marked so many passages and taken so many notes that I won't take the time to put them all (if any) into this review. I've begun marking it up (in pencil - yes, I write in my books) with marginal notes, much like the ancient rabbinical scholars used to litter a verse of scripture with their annotations. As a result, this book has become highly personal to me and will continue to do so as I revisit it. It serves as a mirror to my own creative process, revealing all of its beauty and flaws. I will gaze into this book many times in the future both for inspiration and for practical solutions when I'm stuck (and there are many methods given for how to become un-stuck in the last third of the book). I have a handful of reference books that I keep "hot at hand" in my writing area. An old Roget's Thesaurus, Tim D. White's Human Osteology, Francis D.K. Ching's A Visual Dictionary of Architecture, and now: Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being.
A**O
Great book, love it.
Full of wisdom, great takes from a creative frame to life itself. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist it will improve your perspective of what you do.
A**A
A quiet, powerful guide back to the creative self
Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act isn’t a book you read. It’s a book you breathe with. It meets you in the quiet places — the ones you usually rush past — and reminds you that creativity isn’t something you force. It’s something you tune into. What I love most is how grounded this book is. Rubin offers clarity without pressure, presence without performance, and guidance without ego. Every chapter feels like a single turning of the head toward your true creative rhythm. This book helped me understand my own process in a deeper way. It taught me to trust timing, to listen for what feels alive, and to treat creativity as a way of being instead of a task to complete. It supported both my writing and my leadership, and it never once tried to overwhelm me. If you’re in a season of rebuilding your creative life — or learning to return to yourself after years of noise — this book will feel like a gentle invitation back home. Five stars, easily.
J**N
An Open Mind, Guys.
I'm a lifelong musician, composer, creative, performer, etc. This book has always been recommended to me by colleagues, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I agree with many of the common points that came up in the majority of reviews, and I'll discuss them here: 1. Perfect Coffee Table Book: Yes, this is a wonderful application. It's an easy book to pick up, put down, and resume later. The chapters are short and are packed full of simple, quiet advice that you can consider and ponder throughout your day. 2. It's "the book": This one depends where you are on your creative journey. I believe that I will read this book again, probably several times, in the future. There is a ton of excellent advise and wisdom in there, and reading through it quickly causes a lot of information to be passed over. It should be digested and internalized slowly. Most of the wisdom was old information that I've heard from teachers, colleagues, friends, or through personal musical discovery and experience. However, it's invaluable to have these shared experiences collected in one place. If you are just starting out on your creative journey or don't currently consider yourself a creative person, I expect that you'll actually learn a lot from this book. 3. The prose meanders. Yes, it does. I think you could largely read the chapters out of order and it wouldn't matter. That's okay - as Rick writes, language is an imperfect filter. Much of what he shares is a different viewpoint or expression of the same idea, so one chapter may be passed over while another may unlock something important in you. The whole book works together to instill growth, confidence, and creative openness - the colorful prose is a necessary feature. This is a book about growth that instills growth. It's going to take time to marinate and be useful to your creative process. I will say that reading Rick's knowledge has helped me find ways to streamline my personal writing process, trust the art, and better navigate roadblocks like doubt and lost direction. I've rated it four stars for its nature - it is not a solution, but a tool. A reference. I'll use this book when I'm stuck in my creating. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't, but something in it will help move the creative flow eventually. It's also necessary to address several popular reviews that mention, and in some cases fixate, on religion. This is not a sacred text or religious doctrine. It is a way of structuring your life and workflow to increase and invite creative moments and creative energy to help you achieve your goals and be more creative. I can't speak for Rick, but if you're viewing everything he writes through a strict religious lens, you're missing the entire point. It is frequently emphasized how important it is to have, nurture, and cultivate an open mind. To see and experience the world though many lenses and experiences. To explore diversity, open thought, and the self. To listen, observe, and connect with the world around us. Practicing these methods is necessary for encouraging creaticity. Reading this book through an extraordinarily narrow lens may help a little, but the majority of the contents will be misconstrued. There are a couple key chapters about that. ;)
D**N
A Series of Letters to Help You Unleash Your Creativity
Rick Rubin's book "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" is for anyone involved in creating any form of art. Indeed much of what he talks about is applicable even beyond the creative arts to anyone involved in creating anything. It is important to know what this book is and what it is not. It is not a "how to " book, nor is it any form of a self help book. Rather, as the title implies, this book focuses on how to think, act, live, and breath as a creative. One could say that one one level, Rubin's book is a philosophy of creativity or being creative. The book is laid out much differently than other books on the creative process. Rather than chapters, the book has 78 "Areas of Thought". The best way to read this book is to imagine that Rubin is your personal creativity coach and he is sending you 78 different letters with the aim of helping you discover your creative self and giving it full voice in whatever creative medium in which you happen to work. Thus, you may not find all 78 "letters" apply to you, or that some open you up to new ways of thinking than others. That is perfectly fine and I suspect Rubin would appreciate that as well. Rather than read the book straight through, I would suggest reading just a few of 'areas of thought' at a time and contemplate how the principles he's discussing might apply to you. I realized after reading the first 4 or 5 'areas of thought' that it wouldn't serve me very well to just plow through. So, I took my time with it and I think I got way more out of it for doing so. To emphasize that last point, the last few pages in the book are blank lined pages for you take notes on what you've read. For those wanting to take the concepts even deeper, there is a separate companion workbook that you can buy separately. The only negative for me was that at times Rubin dives into a bit more spiritual philosophy or mysticism, which, for me, didn't really serve his larger points all that well. I would recommend just ignoring those parts. One doesn't have to have the same spiritual worldview to appreciate the larger points Rubin is making and the creative was of thinking he is attempting (and succeeding) to inspire. In sum, I would highly recommend this book for anyone desiring to unleash their creativity more intentionally regardless of what creative medium is involved.
4**0
Gold
A TouchStone to The Heart of Every Creative. Read It Twice And it’s Ever Unfolding Spirit. Top 5 Favorite OF ALL TIME
M**E
Best compendium on the greater calling of artistic expression.
Wow! This format is forcing me to award a star. I give it an honorable award as a compliment to the author — First place honorable mention! I am beginning a new process whereby “stars” are not awarded for works of artistic expression. This act of awarding stars is too small and sets out to diminish the very act of creating. That is to say, ratings are too pedantic for such a beautifully written form of art. I highly recommend this book alongside the audiobook which I am finding is leading me to hear the words in slightly different ways each time. A wonderful companion in the early morning hours whilst I tangle some crochet knots into something I should like to wear someday.
D**.
Book about being 💗☮️
Great read❤️
J**A
Un libro para leer con pausa
Muy bueno y amable. Motivante. Un libro para leer con pausa mientras uno encara el proceso creativo. Leerlo todo seguido implica dejar de absorber sabiduría importante. El creador necesitará leerlo por partes mientras trabaja. La lectura completa de un tirón no permite sedimentar todo lo que el libro ofrece.
Ü**I
Amazon nun çok yardımcı olması
Ürün istediğim gibi geldi
S**M
One of the best books I’ve read
If you create anything you should read this
P**A
Sensacional!
Muito bom, Rick Rubin é singular!
A**S
It's not a magic formula, rather an exploration of thoughts.
Perfect cover quality and texture, aesthetically pleasing; and of course the book content, from Rick Rubin it does cover many non-conventional concepts, meaning that its more intuition based and not backed by science, but it is indeed in resonance with the artists mind, some of the concepts are based on perception and how one feels about the surroundings, which helps quite a lot reading it put into words by someone like him. I do highly recommend it, since it's pretty unique in many angles.
Trustpilot
2 months ago
1 month ago