Writing and Videos

If you could have seen me just before I sat down to write this, you would have thought I had lost my mind.

And let me tell you, to an on-looker, I must have looked like a complete fool.

The cringe-factor was at eleven.

The scene was so awkward that if you had been walking into the room to say hello to me, once you saw what I was doing you would have quietly turned around and tip-toed away hoping that I hadn’t noticed you were there.

So what was I doing?

Today I want to share with you Rick Rubin's nine approaches for getting unstuck. In the book he applies these strategies to the Craft Phase of the creation process, but most could be applied to the earlier phases as well (Seed Phase, Experimentation Phase).

Before abandoning a stalled work, Rubin says, "it's worth finding a way to break the sameness and refresh your excitement in the work, as if engaging with it for the first time." (185) As a record producer, Rubin sometimes suggests exercises to his collaborators to encourage this experience. Here are the nine strategies he uses:

ou and I have talked about Rick Rubin's book, The Creative Act, before. Over the course of the book, he describes four phases of the creative process: Seed, Experimentation, Crafting, and Completion. Use these four phases to clarify your own creative process.

The Seed Phase.

Throughout the book, Rubin talks about creative ideas as “seeds.” In this phase, you collect as many potential ideas as possible.

No significant growth happens inside of your comfort zone.

Building muscle, learning a new language, learning a cutting-edge skill in your field. All require you to endure discomfort, stress, and even pain to reach the goal.

Think of two artists. One seeks out a single activity every day that pushes her out of her comfort zone. The other avoids all discomfort and tries to replicate past successes.

After one year, which artist do you think has experienced more creative growth?

In a superstar economy, the best get way more than the almost best.

So how should you respond as a creative artist? Here are two advanced ways you can position yourself to succeed:

1. Cross-train to become the best at a niche, cutting-edge aspect of your discipline.

2. Instead of fighting to be hired amid a sea of qualified artists, organize a project that others want to be a part of.

Let’s break it down.

Boredom is boring. It feels painful. At the slightest twinge of it, our brain screams for relief.

Perhaps that's why so many companies exist to entertain us. Constantly. No need to wait in line—here’s a video. No need to drive in silence—take your pick from this podcast, audiobook, or album. Going to the bathroom? Don’t just sit there, take TikTok with you!

It seems our mission is to eradicate boredom in our lives as if it were a plague.

But is boredom a plague? Or could it be a hidden wellspring of creativity?

I started The Creative Process Newsletter back in June so that I could share timeless principles and concrete examples of creativity. Now that we are over six months in, let’s reflect on what we’ve learned. Here are five top lessons that I focused on in my newsletter articles in 2023.

Last week we talked about ​how to prepare​ before a Creative Deep Work session. It’s just as important to take time at the end of a session to reflect. ​To finish well​.

Think of your reflections as feedback, not judgment. How did things go? What can be improved?

Asking the question “where did I fail today?” is a supremely hopeful question. If you don’t identify where you’ve faltered, you are more likely to fall into the same trap in the future.

If you want to get better faster, start reflecting on your work every day.

Here are four questions you can ask at the end of each session.

You and I have talked before about the creator’s daily struggle and how important it is to cultivate your very own creative deep work routine as a daily habit.

Sometimes the hardest part is just to start. That first five minutes. That’s why it can help to add a ritual to the beginning of your work sessions.

Think of it as a mindful warmup, a transition from everyday noise to creative flow.

I call it the Prepare Phase of your creative deep work routine. Here’s how to do it.