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The Creative Act
From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us- SIGNED EDITION!
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2023
About the author
Rick Rubin
30 books1,291 followersRick Rubin is an American record executive and record producer. He is the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popularise hip hop by producing records for acts such as the Beastie Boys, Geto Boys, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J. He has also produced hit records for acts from a variety of other genres, predominantly heavy metal, alternative rock, hard rock, nu-metal, and country.
In 2007, Rubin was called "the most important producer of the last 20 years" by MTV and was named on Time's list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World".
His debut book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, was published in January 2023.
Rubin helped popularise hip hop by producing records for acts such as the Beastie Boys, Geto Boys, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J. He has also produced hit records for acts from a variety of other genres, predominantly heavy metal, alternative rock, hard rock, nu-metal, and country.
In 2007, Rubin was called "the most important producer of the last 20 years" by MTV and was named on Time's list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World".
His debut book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, was published in January 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 30, 2026
The ideas of the book is great, if you can read/see past the writing style (or perhaps the editing). Some great ideas (or reminders) summarized below:
1. You don’t need to paint or sing to be creative. Creativity is just how you see and interact with the world.
2. A creative person is just someone who notices things others walk right past — a weird cloud, a funny conversation and turns it into something.
3. Making anything you follows these steps - idea, experiment, do, complete. The trick is not skipping the messy middle parts.
4. Your brain has limited energy. Stop spending it on small, pointless decisions. Save your best thinking for your best work.
5. Great things take time. Getting frustrated that something isn’t done yet is like arguing with math. Accept the pace, trust the process.
1. You don’t need to paint or sing to be creative. Creativity is just how you see and interact with the world.
2. A creative person is just someone who notices things others walk right past — a weird cloud, a funny conversation and turns it into something.
3. Making anything you follows these steps - idea, experiment, do, complete. The trick is not skipping the messy middle parts.
4. Your brain has limited energy. Stop spending it on small, pointless decisions. Save your best thinking for your best work.
5. Great things take time. Getting frustrated that something isn’t done yet is like arguing with math. Accept the pace, trust the process.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2026
Pretty insightful for the first book I've ever read on creativity. The references to the unknown - the unexplainable nature of the universe and how we can harness creativity through training ourselves in curiosity is a perspective I needed to hear I think. This book sometimes felt saturated in descriptions that I found a little repetitive, but that might just be the writer trying to really drive the message home.
I'm glad I came across Rick Rubin and this book which I can rely on as a pretty good guide whenever I need to reframe the idea of creativity and what it means to be an artist.
I'm glad I came across Rick Rubin and this book which I can rely on as a pretty good guide whenever I need to reframe the idea of creativity and what it means to be an artist.
February 6, 2026
Very good book and spark some creativity, definitely a book you return to and it will give you different understanding
June 28, 2026
Lost me at the appendix anecdote; not wasting the rest of my afternoon
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews