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Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin Quotes

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Famous Rick Rubin Quotes

“One of the reasons so many great artists die of overdoses early in their lives is because they're using drugs to numb a very painful existence. The reason it's painful is the reason they became artists in the first place: their incredible sensitivity. If you see tremendous beauty or tremendous pain where other people see little or nothing at all, you're confronted with big feelings all the time. These emotions can be confusing and overwhelming. When those around you don't see what you see and feel what you feel, this can lead to a sense of isolation and a general feeling of not belonging, of otherness. These charged emotions, powerful when expressed in the work, are the same dark clouds that beg to be numbed to allow sleep or to get out of bed and face the day in the morning. It's a blessing and a curse.”

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Author:Rick Rubin
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“The recognition of abundance fills us with hope that our brightest ideas still await us and our greater work is yet to come. We are able to live in an energized state of creative momentum, free to make things, let them go, make the next thing, and let it go. With each chapter we make, we gain experience, improve at our craft, and inch closer to who we are.”

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Book:The Creative Act: A Way of Being
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“You may sometimes wonder: Why am I doing this? What's it all for?...If we like what we are creating, we don't have to know why. Sometimes the reasons are obvious, sometimes not. And they can change over time. It could be good for any of a thousand different reasons. When we're making things we love, our mission is accomplished. There's nothing at all to figure out.”

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Book:The Creative Act: A Way of Being
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“To live as an artist is a way of being in the world. A way of perceiving. A practice of paying attention. Refining our sensitivity to tune in to the more subtle notes. Looking for what draws us in and what pushes us away. Noticing what feeling tones arise and where they lead. Attuned choice by attuned choice, your entire life is a form of self- expression. You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.”

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Book:The Creative Act: A Way of Being
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“A river of material flows through us. When we share our works and our ideas, they are replenished. If we block the flow by holding them all inside, the river cannot run and new ideas are slow to appear. In the abundant mindset, the river never runs dry. Ideas are always coming through. And an artist is free to release them with the faith that more will arrive. If we live in a mindset of scarcity, we hoard great ideas.”

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Book:The Creative Act: A Way of Being
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