The creative way of being
I’m just back from a long road trip that involved six days of driving and a week in an Air BnB near a beach. Aside from the gorgeous sunsets and the smell and sound of the crashing waves, the best thing about spending so many hours alone is the freedom not to to speak. Second best is the number of uninterrupted hours to listen to podcasts.
Lately I’ve been on a creative tear. Painting. Working with clay. Doodling. Meeting and talking with artists who make things with their hands. I’ve also been learning how to love and let love in. And that might be the most creative act of all. I’ll be writing more about that soon, but for now, I’m mulling over the practical creativity advice in Rick Rubin’s masterpiece, The Creative Act: A Way of Being.
In various podcasts about his book, Rubin talks about his legendary career helping bands turn their music into the best albums possible. Along the way, he has learned a few things about making space for creativity, and letting the unexpected reveal itself. The book is organized into 78 bitesized Areas of Thought, designed as an invitation to further inquiry. Here are a few of my takeaways, but they’re just mine. Don’t let them stop you from reading the book!
Creativity doesn’t exclusively relate to making art. In my last post, I said that art is anything that’s created with imagination and intent, and therefore, we all can make art every day. So I was excited to have Rubin’s validation. But he puts is so much more eloquently: Attuned choice by attuned choice, your entire life is a form of self expression. You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.
There’s a time for certain ideas to arrive, and they find a way to express themselves through us. To receive inspiration, we have to be open. So creating that opening—think of it as a being in a state of awareness—is Job One. Lately my brain and my body are on fire. And so, too, is my heart. So I’m seeing and feeling details I’ve long been missing. This morning, the patterns on my shower curtain and towels inspired my doodles. I never even noticed them before!
If we choose to share what we make, our work can recirculate and become source material for others. After several months of hiatus, I think I’m back to writing this blog. I’ve always intended it to inspire myself and others. To be brave and try new things. To see beauty in aging. To ignore the liars and cheaters and giggle in the dark. To keep looking until we find love. Maybe I’ve been making source material all along!
As Rubin says, we can’t make art for an audience, only for ourselves. But, it turns out that when we make something that is truly for ourself, we’re doing the best thing we possibly can for the audience.
I do hope you’ll keep reading. But either way, I think I’ll keep putting words on the page.
