The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Rick Robin's book on creativity is part Zen, part Art, part instructional manual and part philosophy. Worth reading more than once.

An amazing book. Part memoir, part philosophy, part inspiration, part exercises to build your self confidence when it comes to exploring and expressing your creativity. Written by a master and professional. A fantastic book!

The lessons are very precise in discribing the artistic experience and its actual value from the subjective perspective of the author.

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. ;)

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.

Amazing. This is my life long companion. Rick wrote the masterpiece. Should use this book as reference to go into each time when flow is stopped.

Fantastic book. Rick certainly has an impressive understanding of how the creative process works. No wonder why he has such a solid track record collaborating with great artists. It’s one the those books that you would read multiple times because it feels like a manual filled with pro tips. Loved it.

I’ve enjoyed reading this book it’s a great source of inspiration, for life and art in general.

I first saw this book as a post on LinkedIn, shared by a famous designer, who worked with Rick Rubin on the design of the book. As a designer it caught my attention and I was intrigued after recently listening to Rick Rubin on Desert Island Discs. I bought the book and also downloaded it on Audible. A lot of the content resonates and it’s been an inspirational experience. Very easy to read and understand, and so many gems that now I’ve finished it I’m going to read it all over again, and again to make sure it sticks.

Amazing book

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.

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If you create anything you should read this