The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

**Mike Parsons** (0:06)
Hey Moonshotters, it's Mike here, and this episode is part of the creativity series. That's right. We're going to look at some new creative superstars, but we also are going to revisit a few of our favorites. And today we are revisiting The Creative Act by Mr. Rick Rubin. Wow, what a guy, what a book. And I'm trying to think about what's the one habit that I've really taken from that book and from that episode more than anything else. And I think it's this, think and write early and then let it grow.
And what I mean by that is, if I have a deadline for something and I really want to apply some creativity to it, I try and start thinking and noting and journaling on it two weeks before, because that gives me time and space. That gives me the opportunity to let my subconscious do some work, maybe reveal some ideas in the shower, walking, wherever. So there's so much in the book, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. There's so much in the episode for you to take out. I really do hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Let's begin.
Hello and welcome to The Moonshots Podcast. It's episode 263 I'm your co-host, Mike Parsons, and as always, I'm joined by the man himself, Mr. Mark Pearson-Freeland. Good morning, Mark.

**Mark Pearson Freeland** (1:39)
Hey, good morning, Mike. Good morning, listeners. Good morning, members, subscribers, viewers, everybody who's out there who's part of The Moonshots family. Thank you for tuning in on what is bound to be an incredibly exciting kickoff, Mike, for our brand new series on creativity.

**Mike Parsons** (1:57)
Yes, I'm ready to rock and roll, Mark.

**Mark Pearson Freeland** (2:00)
Oh, well, you know who else is ready to rock and roll? That's right. It's the subject and topic of today's episode. That is the legend, the renowned music producer himself, Mr. Rick Rubin. And Mike, I know we're probably going to touch upon him a little bit during this episode. Probably going to reference some of his accolades, some of his impressive behaviors around creativity. But I just want to name drop a few people that I know that he's worked with. They are people, you know, small fry like the Beastie Boys or Run DMC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Metallica, maybe Kanye West, Adele. Oh yeah, and Jay-Z, Eminem, Tom Petty, Black Sabbath. You know, you get the idea. It's a lot of impressive people from a lot of different musical genres and verticals. And I think Mike, that's what attracted you and I, as well as the Moonshots members, I think towards getting into somebody as unique and creative as Rick Rubin, right? He's managed to penetrate a number of different musical genres and still be able to have almost a record breaking volume of Grammy nominations and musical accolades to his name.

**Mike Parsons** (3:08)
Yeah, it's so true, man. Like this guy can play any genre, he can play any game and deliver the goods.
But I think even more importantly than that, I don't remember a book on creativity that so clearly outlines a methodology that you can follow super down to earth, super relatable, super doable and can really give you a framework to produce truly great creative work. I think that's what we have in his new book, The Creative Act. So if you're thinking to yourself, how do I stay the course? How do I actually get a project from A to Z that has a lot of creativity requirements? This show, this book is for you.

**Mark Pearson Freeland** (3:54)
What a setup, Mike. You know what? I don't think there's anybody or anything that you and I can do at this point better than handing over to himself, Mr. Rick Rubin himself that is, to help introduce us and kick off today's show. So, without any more further ado, why don't we hear Mike from Rick Rubin? He's going to be talking to Andrew Huberman about his creative process and how we should all start by holding things lightly.

**Rick Rubin** (4:20)
When I engage in a particular project, whatever it is, I dedicate all of myself for that period of time, whatever it is, whether it be 20 minutes or whether it be five hours, whatever it is.
Total focus and no outside distraction whatsoever. When I leave that process, I do my best not to think about it when I'm away from it. I don't bring any materials with me. I don't leave the studio with works in progress and spend time listening to them during the day or looking for ideas. I stay as far away from it when I'm not directly engaging in it as possible. And in the best of situations, I have something else to totally engage myself in in between. So instead of working on Project A for five hours and then leaving and doing nothing, I'm hoping to engage in a Project B or B, C, and D with all of myself before going back to Project A again, which might be the next day, let's say.