The Creative Act: A Way of Being

“If you have an idea you’re excited about and you don’t bring it to life, it’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker. This isn’t because the other artist stole your idea, but because the idea’s time has come.”

In Rubin’s philosophy of creativity, an artist doesn’t create an idea in and of itself. Rather, The Source constantly sends messages to artists which they can manifest through their creative self-expression. Awareness and attunement to the universe means knowing when an idea’s moment has come to be expressed.

“It may be helpful to think of Source as a cloud. Clouds never truly disappear. They change form. They turn into rain and become part of the ocean, and then evaporate and return to being clouds.”

In this passage, Rubin defines The Source through the metaphor of a cloud. This figure of thought identifies the abstract and infinite nature of the universe with the physical mutability of a cloud. Because The Source is always present, artists can always access its plenty with the appropriate cultivation of awareness.

“The ability to look deeply

is the root of creativity.

To see past the ordinary and mundane

and get to what might otherwise be invisible.”

Rubin writes this passage and a versified style and situates it at the end of the chapter. Often, Rubin uses these intermediary lines of aphoristic writing to convey the central message of the chapter. In this case, Rubin defines exactly how the practice of awareness benefits creativity.

“It’s not unusual for science

to catch up to art, eventually.

Nor is it unusual for art

to catch up to the spiritual.”

This quote exemplifies the apparent mysticism that Rubin attributes to art itself. Science, the study of the physical world, follows the innovation of creativity. That creativity then reveals truth about the nature of the universe. Here, Rubin fully displays his emphasis on the importance of the spiritual in art and creativity.

“Living life as an artist is a practice.

You are either engaging in the practice

or you’re not.”

Rubin compares the life of an artist to that of a monk. One who lives as a monk doesn’t worry about being “good” or “bad.” They either live as a monk or not. Rubin uses this example to show that artistry does not occur through conscious determination, but instead through living and creating in the fullest expression of the self.

“Demo-itis happens when the artist has clung too tightly, for too long, to their first draft.”

Rubin coins this term to describe when artists get stuck in the crafting phase by obsessing over their first draft: the demo. Living with an unfinished project doesn’t allow the artist to receive new seeds for creative ideas. To avoid demo-itis, Rubin advises readers to only looking, listening to, sharing, or playing the work in question unless actively working to make it better.

“Set aside such concerns about whether your work will be comprehended. These thoughts can only cause interference, for both the art and audience. Most people aren’t interested in being told what to think and feel.”

Rubin uses this passage to assuage the inevitable feelings of doubt readers can experience during the creative process. Rubin recommends that artists trust their gut feelings on artistic choices. Interpretation of the work should not interfere with its creation and expression.

“Is it time for the next project

because the clock or calendar

says it’s time,

or because the work itself

says it’s time?”

Rubin reiterates the importance of artistic awareness to the transmissions from The Source. The completion of a work should be known through instinct, an indescribable yet intense experience of satisfaction that the work is the best it can be.

“A rule is a way of structuring awareness.”

Rubin presents a paradox about rules through The Creative Act. On the one hand, artists should seek to break rules and unlock innovation. On the other hand, rules can offer structure and feedback for how well a work is progressing. The artist’s ability to be aware of when rules need to be followed and or broken is an aspect of creativity.

“If we can tune in to the idea

of making things and sharing them

without being attached to the outcome,

the work is more likely

to arrive in its truest form.”

Another one of Rubin’s versified and aphoristic sentences located between chapters, this quote emphasizes the importance of detachment to the self in the creative process. Paradoxically, for artists to achieve the truest form of self-expression, their egos must be set aside during the creative process and the universe (The Source) must be fully embraced.

“The closer we get

to the true essence of each work,

the sooner they will somehow, at some point in time,

provide clues as to our own.”

Rubin insists that art as way of being connects the artist to the spiritual realm of inner insight and awareness. Rubin’s preference in his own music production for minimalism and simplicity correlates to this suggestion that artists locate the essence of the work to find truth in themselves.

“We are dealing in a magic realm.

Nobody knows why or how it works.”

This quote illustrates the mystical quality of The Creative Act in simple terms. Logic and the scientific method can help us create art, but they cannot explain why art exists or how it functions. Connection to the spiritual realm of the universe helps the artist create their work. Explanations for why only obfuscate the purpose of art, which is to provide the fullest expression of the self at a given moment in time and place.

“It’s helpful to work as if the project you’re

engaged in is bigger than you.”

Creativity as a Way of Life advises artists to detach the self from the work. This means openness and trust that the artists’ participation in the universe will result in creative output. By minimizing the role of the self, the artist can more fully express the universe’s transmissions about the nature of existence.

“What if this is all a story?”

This quote appears after a long description about the feeling of doubt that artists face. Rubin begs the question of whether the self merely presents this doubt as a response to a fictional narrative. If the self creates a story to justify a feeling, then that same story can be changed. With detachment, artists can distance their point of view from “character” to “reader.” In turn, artists can judge their work with less bias after this change in perspective.

“Living in discovery is at all times preferable

to living through assumptions.”

Rubin recommends that readers live in a state of openness. Self-constructed narratives of the universe are simply illusory stories that the individual has fabricated. Trust, openness, and awareness allow the artist to receive ideas purely and transmute them into unfiltered physical expressions.

“Many people may seem walled off.

But sometimes walls can provide

different ways of seeing

over and around obstacles.”

Rubin insists that artists need to perceive the world differently to create great work. Openness, even to limitations like rules, leads artist to create better work.

“We have no responsibility

to anything other than the art itself.

The art is the final word.”

This quote addresses the artist’s responsibility in relation to the Relationship Between the Artist and the World. The social responsibility of artists cannot be determined by them and will most likely change as they create and share their works. Focusing only on the art, as the truest expression of the self, is the primary purpose of the artist.

“Begin, completed, released. Begun, completed, released. Over and over again.”

In simple language and repetition, Rubin explains the stages of creativity in art. Artists gather seeds of ideas, craft, experiment, and complete to share the work with the world. This cycle must be constantly operated for new ideas and innovative works to emerge.

“Take art seriously without going about it in a serious way.”

Artists need to recognize the importance of playing in their creative process. Play gives way to openness, experimentation, learning and innovation. Rubin also presents another paradox: the seriousness of play. Artists work with discipline to create art in a manner that resembles children energetically playing with the physical space around them and engaging their imagination.

“Think back to when you were a hopeful beginner, when the tools of your craft were exotic and new. Remember the fascination of learning, the joys of your first steps forward.”

Openness, trust, and innocence in creative work requires the artist to cultivate the beginner’s mind. This concept in Zen Buddhist Philosophy dictates that the practitioner must always maintain a willingness to receive wisdom and insight from the universe around them. Every step in the artistic journey is new and should be treated as an amateur devoting their time, energy, and love to learning again and again.

“When we spend time with other artistic people, we absorb and exchange a way of thinking, a way of looking at the world. This group can be called a Sangha.”

Rubin defines another term from Zen Buddhist philosophy: the sangha. The sangha is a community of Buddhist practitioners who live together to meditate and live in a monastery. As a metaphor for artistic communities, the sangha conveys the importance of exchanging ideas and immersing oneself through a group of people with shared values and creative pursuits.

“In a prism, a single beam of light enters and is broken into an array of colors.”

To Rubin, the self constantly changes depending on time, environment, external stimuli, and internal emotions and thoughts. For this reason, he recommends viewing the self as prism and art as the light that allows the self to depict its diversity through unique creative works.

“Communication is the core of skillful cooperation.”

Rubin stresses the importance of collaboration in the creative process. Artists who can detach from ego often make their collaborators better artists, because they concern themselves only with the art itself. The goal of collaboration is to create great art; not to assert the dominance of oneself over the work.