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To be creative: an act

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To be creative: an act

Fancy title.

Erin Ashley
Apr 6, 2023
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To be creative: an act

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My reading life has been slow lately. Still, I did manage to read two books in March, Rick Rubin’s book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being,” and “Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross,” by Craig Seymour. I loved the book on Luther Vandross and suggested it if you are a music fan. Still, I wanted to spend some time talking about Rick’s book.

When I first read about this book coming out via this Rolling Stone article, I went to buy it, and finally, a few months later (have a big to-be-read-but-bought-hella-book life), I read the book, and it was a pretty good read, although I will be honest, I got lost sometimes.

In the book, Rick talks about how creativity is a process and a journey of self-discovery and exploration. The book also discusses the importance of taking risks and pushing boundaries and how creativity is not a linear process but an ongoing exploration of ideas. In the book, he encourages readers to explore their curiosity, embrace failure and be open to new possibilities and opportunities.

In typical Erin fashion, I made a list of the things that I learned from the book:

  1. Take risks, and don’t be afraid to fail

  2. Find ways to stay creative even when you’re not actively working on something

  3. Use the creative process to explore the unknown and challenge yourself

  4. Recognize that creativity is consistently happening

  5. Experiment and explore different approaches to creativity

  6. Be open to criticism - but honestly, for your girl, only constructive, please

  7. Have self-discipline and be consistent about working on your craft

  8. Connect with others and use that experience to enhance your creative process

If you read this book, let me know your thoughts.


In other news, here are a few other things I thought were worth checking on this week:

Watch: Jason Lee on the Pivot Podcast
Unpopular opinion, but Jason Lee doesn’t bother me, so I thought this was a good conversation. I laughed, even though all his name-dropping had me rolling my eyes.

Read: The ChatGPT King Isn’t Worried, but He Knows You Might Be, NYTimes

Read: A Scammer Who Tricks Instagram Into Banning Influencers Has Never Been Identified. We May Have Found Him, Propublica

Read: We’re In The Age Of The Intimacy Trap, Buzzfeed

To Watch: Tiny Beautiful Things - This weekend, I am hype for some reason. YAY for Cheryl - here’s the trailer:

Well, that’s it for this week - I’ll be back in your inbox soon.

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