The #1 New York Times bestseller. "A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation
creativity the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists
everywhere and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning
accomplishment.” —Anne Lamott 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. “ I set out to write a book
about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead it revealed itself to be a book on how
to be.” —Rick Rubin Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its
day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different
genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has
made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to
reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the
years as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn’t he has
learned that being an artist isn’t about your specific output it’s about your relationship to
the world. Creativity has a place in everyone’s life and everyone can make that place larger.
In fact there are few more important responsibilities. The Creative Act is a beautiful and
generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow.
It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime’s work into a luminous reading experience that
puts the power to create moments—and lifetimes—of exhilaration and transcendence within closer
reach for all of us.
