The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (2023)

In the music world, there is not a more influential producer than Rick Rubin (in my opinion). He has produced with some of my personal favourite artists on some of my personal favourite records: Stadium Arcadium by RHCP; Toxicity by SOAD; Audioslave’s self-titled debut; and The New Abnormal by The Strokes, to name a few. He has worked in nearly every genre of music and somehow has the wherewithal to make them all sound great. I don’t think there’s ever been a mix of his I have listened to that I have disliked. This is to say that I have an enormous respect for the man when it comes to his art.

I did not like his book.

I’m not sure why I didn’t like it. Maybe it was because I had a preconceived idea of what he would be like in my head. Maybe it was because I expected more concrete examples or stories. Maybe it was because I lack the patience or wisdom to truly appreciate what he was trying to teach in what I consider a lesson book. I could say “maybe this, maybe that” all day, but in the end I did not care for it.

The author’s philosophy I actually tend to agree with; it is a mixture of hard work and something indescribable that makes it possible for artists to create. It is about going after it, and working through things diligently like a craftsman that makes great art possible. Being open to receiving new ideas from all avenues of life help make this possible, and having those opportunities is something to be grateful for.

Unfortunately, there is so much else I disagree with. The author is extremely inconsistent about some of his messaging; sometimes it’s about having a consistent work schedule, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it’s about disregarding medical advice (he is lucky to be alive), sometimes it’s about thinking about yourself as a doctor and doing no harm. Sometimes it’s about how artists are tortured and have an urge to create, and sometimes it’s about ignoring that urge. The author’s ideas are woefully unfocused throughout, and he often repeats the same messaging with a new coat of paint every few chapters. Some of these ideas I again agree with, but then he’ll turn around and contradict them or twist them in a new way.

And maybe that is the point. Every idea can be taken in a new way, a new point of view, a new ray of light to shine into the crystal of creativity that is a human being. But if that is the case, then why would I spend time reading his advice? Why listen to the advice of anyone if I’m going to have to figure it out for myself anyways? For every wonderfully insightful piece of truth the author brings, he shoots it down a few chapters later.

Maybe he was trying to appeal to the broadest audience possible with this, and the stuff that resonated with me doesn’t resonate with someone else. Fine. But if that is the case, then this book could be summed up as “work hard, be flexible, and don’t take anything super personally.”

Another aspect the author didn’t touch on as much as I thought necessary was luck. He preaches gratitude to be able to create art as a living, but goes on to say that it might not be for everyone. That it’s too hard to do, it demands too much. Again, there is some truth to that, but look someone in the eyes who has to work 12 hour shifts every day in the oil fields and tell me making art and struggling in a city is “too hard.” I don’t think the author acknowledged getting lucky nearly enough; knowing the right people at the right time and taking the right risks is just as (if not more) important to making it as an artist as the actual quality of the art (which while subjective, still has to have some objective appeal).

The last bit, and the reason it took so long to get to the review, was that it wasn’t enjoyable to read. It didn’t engage me, it didn’t demand anything from me. I learned some things that I will take with me when making art going forward, but as a written piece I wasn’t impressed. Not every written work has to be deeply profound, but this books lessons are almost two to three bite size chunks of ideas rather than one cohesive whole. It felt half-baked, unrefined, almost unedited. I expected more.

While there were some true pieces of wisdom in this, I was overall disappointed. I wasn’t excited to read more, many of the lessons were contradictory, and it was a slog to get through. I might consider returning to it in five to ten years to see if my perspective changes, but as it stands I can only recommend reading this as follows: when you’re feeling uninspired, flip to a random chapter, and read it. Do this sparingly to help yourself out of a rut; do it too often and you may end up with more questions than answers.

Verdict: 2/5