The Creative Act
The sage has spoken, and just like an old Buddha in ancient times, we gather around to listen—or in this case, to read—in peace. Rick Rubin offers the world a doctrine, a well-lit and gently paved path, never winding or unstable, never blocked, that leads each of us toward our own destination: the creative soul.
*“Nothing in this book
is known to be true.
It's a reflection on what I've noticed—
Not facts so much as thoughts.
Some ideas may resonate,
others may not.
A few may awaken an inner knowing
you forgot you had.
Use what's helpful.
Let go of the rest.
Each of these moments
is an invitation
to further inquiry:
looking deeper,
zooming out, or in.
Opening possibilities
for a new way of being.”*
These are the opening words of the book, and here Rick reveals his ultimate goal: to share with the world “a new way of being” that he has been practicing for over forty years.
On a postcard I took from a used book for sale at the "Libreria delle Occasioni" on Via Merulana, here in Rome, it says the following:
*“Dear reader,
I try to publish the books you desire. If there is any book or manuscript, ancient or modern, Italian or foreign, that you would like to see printed or reprinted because it is beautiful and fruitful, would you kindly let me know? The collaboration of friendly readers is very much appreciated, and I will be happy to send you a complimentary copy of the book published upon your suggestion. On the back, you will find some questions that I kindly ask you to answer, so that we can better understand your preferences, add you to our records, send you regular updates on new book releases, and, in short, consider you among the Friends of Bompiani Publishing House.
Please do not lend this book to anyone; if you liked it, you would be doing a disservice to the author; if you didn’t, you’d be doing a disservice to a friend.
Thank you.
VALENTINO BOMPIANI.”*
I can only take the last warning from Mr. Bompiani literally and not “lend” you, metaphorically speaking, this book that I have loved, because alas, it would not repay Rick well. However, there is one thing I can do. I want to give you a taste of this "recipe book for creativity," which, as Rick states in the first chapter of the book The Creative Act, is innate in each of us:
“Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access.
Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It's our birthright. And it's for all of us.
[...] To create is to bring something into existence that wasn't there before. [...] Whether we do this consciously or unconsciously, by the mere fact of being alive, we are active participants in the ongoing process of creation.”
Mick Jagger in the studio with Rick Rubin, 1992 © Lester Cohen/Getty Images. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
There’s a "method" that I hold particularly dear, which I often use—sometimes for pure enjoyment and other times when I’m on the "hunt for clues," as Rick calls it. It consists of this simple exercise: "open a book to a random page and read the first sentence that catches your eye."
So, I will do just that: I will take a part for the whole, a brief sentence to tell you about a book, without “lending it to you,” though. The final choice is yours; whether to read it or not will depend on the case that follows and its already ordered intentions. There remains only one axiom that I am eager to formulate: "it is impossible not to create."
Landing on page 221, I admire a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry from the book Wind, Sand and Stars: “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
I will stop here; I have removed what I consider superfluous and added what I felt was necessary: to close a thought on Rick's book with a—random—quote from another book I have yet to read, by another author, by a "crea(u)t(h)or." Isn’t this the essence of creativity? To discover, to become, to be, or rather: "a new way of being."
Supreme. Rick Rubin Sticker, Fall/Winter 2021. Courtesy of Supreme . © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
