I can’t stop thinking about how Rick Rubin recently addressed creative block.
He says it (le creative block) usually comes down to self-judgment or fear of outside judgment (sounds about right!). Then said:
“If you’re making something with the freedom of, ‘This is something I’m making for myself for now’…then that’s all it is. It’s a diary entry. ‘Everything I make is a diary entry.’ The beauty of a diary entry is, I can write my diary entry and you can’t tell me my diary entry wasn’t good enough. Or that it’s not what I experienced. Of course, it’s what I experienced. It’s my personal diary. No one else can judge it. It is my experience of my life. Everything we make can be a personal reflection of who we are in that moment of time.”
The whole 2-hour interview is worth listening to, but I HIGHLY recommend tuning into this bit^ right at the 28:30 mark.
Coincidentally, here’s an excerpt from my actual diary on Tuesday where I examined where I’m feeling blocked.
Rick’s (can I just call him Rick?) whatever-I-create-is-just-a-diary-entry idea is expansive and gracious. It doesn’t rely on discipline. It feels child-like and and allows me to create from a place of curiosity and love of the process. Thanks, Rick!
On another note, here are some random things I’m into:
Don’t want it I need it: Ceramic toast candle
Yiayia’s and Friends’ basil-infused olive oil changed my salad game. It tasted like I added fresh basil when I did not. It was hard to find when I ran out so I ordered the Brightland version and liked it just as much.
Snagged this flower floor lamp (in red) for the nursery (babe is due next month!).
Reading Buddhism for Mothers (purchased when pregnant with Etta and recently remembered I have it).
Another reason to love Heidi Gardner.
What do you think about this idea of art just being a diary entry? Do you buy it? Are there any paradigm shifts that have helped your practice?
B
Love it! It seems like this would really take the pressure off.
I wonder how people who make a living off their creations navigate this. I wonder how complicated this becomes when your "diary" is also your main source of income.
One of my favorite Rick Rubin quotes is “all we wanted to do was make cool stuff and show it to your friends,” from his early NYU days, and that’s how I try to write and do what I do. Just make the stuff today, here and now, this is my diary entry.