One of the most interesting books I’ve read the past year is Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act. You have have heard or seen Rubin on his podcast tour last year promoting the book, he hit all the big shows — my favorite was on Dan Carlin’s podcast (he of Hardcore History fame).
I find Rubin interesting not only because of his success but also because of his (perceived) pace of life and diversity of musicians he works with (Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Slayer, Johnny Cash, Adele, System of a Down, and one of my favorites — The Avett Brothers).
What comes out in his book is a way of calibrating intuition, problem solving, and creative process that sits above genre — it’s about getting the best ideas and work out of people.
Another book that’s made me think about this a lot is How to Take Smart Notes. In the book, Ahrens discusses the path to expertise through practice and decision-making (chapter 9.4).
To become an expert, we must have the freedom to make our own decisions and make the necessary mistakes that help us learn. Just like riding a bicycle, expertise can only be acquired through hands-on experience.
The most reliable way to build this confidence is by actually doing the work, rather than just studying concepts. Concepts are effective because they are applied with a purpose.
Consistently practicing this approach over time changes everything. You will be able to look back and confidently say, “I’ve done this before, I can do it again”.
Rubin makes an intentional effort to orient his life around creativity. That may not sound like a big deal — lots of authors, musicians, and artists do this. But Rubin’s commitment to his process, perspective, and inner belief is inspiring.
That inner belief is something I’ve been cultivating and leaning into the past couple years. One of the most important components is my reaction to when I get something “wrong.”
Instead of believing that I was wrong, or the decision was bad, or worse — that I can’t trust myself… the change in belief is that I didn’t know what I needed yet, or can improve the process, or the timing wasn’t right. It’s a paradox: I can trust myself to make the right decision while knowing not every decision is going to be correct or work out.
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