Fwd: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

When an idea’s time has come, it will always be a combination of old ideas in a new way. Nothing is new. Everything is made up of the past. (View Highlight)

“There’s a time for certain ideas to arrive, and they find a way to express themselves through us.” “Art is a circulation of energetic ideas. What makes them appear new is that they’re combining differently each time they come back.” (View Highlight)

💡 Idea #4 — Competition is for losers. That is not how you create greatness. (View Highlight)

What others see as competition is actually collaboration. You are working with other people and other ideas. Embrace it. Collaboration, not competition. (View Highlight)

Note: hilarious the syncronicity in the idaa of collaborate don’t compete seems like a good one to lean into collab - good intuition or jsut weighted remixing of the ideas of the time

“Nothing begins with us. The more we pay attention, the more we begin to realize that all the work we ever do is a collaboration. It’s a collaboration with the art that’s come before you and the art that will come after. It’s also a collaboration with the world you’re living in. With the experiences you’ve had. With the tools you use. With the audience. And with who you are today.” (View Highlight)

Note: great quote - good exsample of something that could easily expand into a whole blogpost

“Rules, by their nature, are limitations.” “The rules artists learn are different. They are assumptions, not absolutes. They describe a goal or method for short-term or long-term results. They are there to be tested. And they are only of value as long as they are helpful. They are not laws of nature.” (View Highlight)

“These childlike superpowers include being in the moment, valuing play above all else, having no regard for consequences, being radically honest without consideration, and having the ability to freely move from one emotion to the next without holding on to story.” (View Highlight)

“The great artists throughout history are the ones able to maintain this childlike enthusiasm and exuberance naturally.” (View Highlight)

We can quiet our inside so we can perceive more on the outside, or quiet the outside so we can notice more of what’s happening inside. (View Highlight)

Of all the great works that we can experience, nature is the most absolute and enduring. (View Highlight)

To dismiss an idea because it doesn’t work in your mind is to do a disservice to the art. The only way to truly know if any idea works is to test it. And if you’re looking for the best idea, test everything. (View Highlight)

My second big takeaway was Rubin’s fascination with open-mindedness, curiosity, and the beginner’s mind. He talks about these concepts throughout the book. Sometimes he relates them, other times they appear independently. I took his fascination to be a strong signal that creativity is nearly impossible without curiosity. Don’t have a rigid mind. Ask questions. Work diligently to understand something new. Be humble enough to say “I don’t know. Can you explain?” A beginner’s mind is actually a sign of maturity and intelligence. (View Highlight)