Justin's Notes

Feb. 21, 2024

This book was inspiring to me. It made me think about my own creative journey and how I want to grow creatively. The chapters feel simultaneously simple yet dense. I often spent twice as much time processing and taking notes on a chapter than I did reading it. I enjoyed that Rubin would bring up similar ideas throughout the book, honing in on the most important aspects of creativity. Honestly, even if you don't see yourself as a creative person, I think you could benefit from reading this book. We are all creators in some way.

Being creative has felt like an elusive trait for much of my adult life. There have been times where I felt like I was a creative person. Where I felt like I had ideas worth sharing. There have also been years where I labeled myself as more of an “actor” of someone else's creativity. That I didn't have my own ideas, I just did a passable job at contributing to someone else's art. I think both of these can co-exist. You can be creative while also being a resource to others. Creativity isn't linear. Rubin at the very beginning of the book talks about creativity being a response to the world. We create based on what we experience, what we feel, what we live through.

As a follower of Christ, I believe that I create as a response to God. I believe I am creative because I was created by a creative God. I believe God cares about creativity. He cares about art. He cares about what we have to say and how we say it. Interestingly enough, Rubin touches on spirituality and its role in art and the creative process. Rubin explains it more in the sense of having a spiritual connection with the world. Rubin writes about having a spiritual connection with your art and the world opens your mind to truly create. Rubin writes of seeing the world and finding inspiration. I see the Creator and find inspiration.

My favorite idea Rubin made continually throughout this book is that the most important thing is to create for yourself. Over the last year, this has become more of my mindset. I really am most interested in creating things that I want to create. Things that mean something to me. I do want people to experience what I create. To feel something as they consume what I have created. I want people to see what I make. Yet in the end, what is most important is that the art I create is something I love. That my art shows what I am passionate about. That my art shows who I am. It doesn't matter to me if five or five thousand people enjoy what I create. What matters is that I love it. If I love it, the chances others will as well grows.

There was a ton that stood out to me in this book. So much that I pretty quickly realized I wanted to take notes. I wanted to have a digestible way to remind myself of my favorite points. Instead of writing about all of them, I am just going to add them to the bottom. Feel free to take a look if you want a raw version of all the thoughts I had while reading.