Rick Rubin: How to Access Your Creativity

My guest is Rick Rubin, one of the most renowned music producers of all time, known for his work with a wide range of artists, including Run DMC, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, JayZ, Adele, Johnny Cash, LL Cool J, Slayer, Neil Young, Ye (formerly Kayne West), Tom Petty, and many more. He is also the author of a new book, "The Creative Act: A Way of Being," which explores the creative process and how to access creativity. We discuss topics such as finding inspiration, the role of feelings as guideposts, learning from observing nature, balancing self-doubt and anxiety, and adopting new perspectives to channel the creative process. Rick also shares his thoughts on using deadlines, eliminating distractions, and how our experiences and emotions influence the creative process. Additionally, we discuss his love for professional wrestling. Our conversation can be applied to any activity or profession to access creativity.

#HubermanLab #RickRubin #Creativity

Thank you to our sponsors

Supplements from Momentous

Huberman Lab Premium

Huberman Lab Social & Website

Rick Rubin

Other Resources

Timestamps
00:00:00 Rick Rubin
00:04:08 Maui Nui Venison, Thesis, WHOOP, Momentous
00:08:23 Creativity & Ideas, Cloud Analogy
00:12:26 Language & Creativity; Kids
00:17:36 Feelings & Creative Ideas
00:22:01 Rules, Choice & Art; Personal Taste & Other’s Opinions
00:30:20 Changing Perspective & Creativity
00:33:55 AG1 (Athletic Greens)
00:35:04 Scientific Knowledge; Opinions & Art
00:41:27 Finishing Projects; The Source & Nature
00:47:40 Perception Filters, Contrast & Novelty
00:58:42 Music & Identity, Evolving Tastes
01:03:03 InsideTracker
01:04:14 Focus, Disengaging & Subconscious; Anxiety
01:13:22 Collaboration, Art & Rigorous Work
01:18:26 Process & “Cloud”; Perception & Storytelling
01:29:13 Limited Resolution, Considering the Inverse
01:35:38 Wrestling, Energy & Reality; Dopamine
01:49:43 Wrestling, Style & Performance
01:52:40 Resetting Energy & Nature; Nostalgia
02:01:56 Sleep, Waking Up & Sunlight, Capturing Ideas
02:08:16 Creative Work Phases; Structure & Deadlines
02:15:32 Self-Doubt & Performance
02:19:13 Predictability & Surprise, Authenticity
02:25:02 Past Experiences, Other’s Opinions
02:29:42 Public Opinion & Science: Light, Acupuncture & Nutrition
02:39:44 “Look for Clues”, Belief Effects
02:46:25 Attention, Emotion & Art
02:48:07 Mantra Meditation, Awareness Meditation
02:57:33 Rick Rubin Questions, Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

The Huberman Lab podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

[atuanoiniin]

10 years ago if someone would have told me that I'll hear Rick Rubin going deep about the creative processes and the perspectives he utilizes, I would have laughed. To be able to hear these kind of conversations and for free is insanely cool. Thank you!!

[Surrounder]

I just found out about Rick Rubin today, and to me he is an incredible inspiring man. This man is a down to earth spiritual master imo. There is a calmness about him, and he can listen. I love how he is demonstrating how life is actually working and daring to be curious to the unknown instead of wanting to control every possible outcome. I love how he speaks about how limitation can actually be more helpful then infinite possibilities. I also like the contrast of a scientist interviewing a man who is not interested in facts or beliefs. Thank you both

[magneticexpansionradio]

I can feel Rick's childlike sense of jump in and go for it, and I can feel Andrew's resistance to burning the sage and cutting loose at a dead show. This has helped me immensely because I am as free creatively as Rick but I catch myself resisting like Andrew and I fully relate to both of you so well I wish you would do this together again.

[dmz]

Andrew asks highly complicated over analyzed wonderful questions and Rick takes a moment, takes it in and responds, “ it’s just a good feeling, a surge of energy”. I love it. These two are the yin and yang of Complex and simple.

[sillynelson]

1:58:55 This was the most interesting part for me. As someone who constantly longs for the past and deals with intense nostalgic depression, it amazes me that Rick says he never feels that way and only focuses on the present and future. I’m currently trying to find ways to not let nostalgia affect me so much, but anything can set me off. An old movie, an old song, my childhood, my friends that died, anything. I want to live in the present as much as possible but its so hard to not think about the times that have come and gone.

[melaniereeder]

Question for Rick: have you heard the parable of the sower?

Seeds (ideas in this case) fall on different soils (our minds/bodies) but only the good soil produces fruit. Essentially we need to be open to new ideas, skilled enough to execute, have a good work ethic in order to make something great, and protected from different/negative thoughts that will crush the new idea in order for that new “seed” to grow to fruitfulness. Focusing on the question “am I the good soil today?” Has really changed my life. Thank you Rick and Andrew!

[claudelk]

Unbelievable how either Rick Rubin either turns out to be the one doing the interview, or absolutely no one can ask him a direct question. Most of his interviewers always take ~5 min giving background before asking a question.

The dude has a way to get it out of people, get people to talk, feel at ease, feel listened, etc. By simply framing his questions, Andrew got to the answers all by himself so many times. Truly incredible to witness!

[joselugo]

It would be so good if you would make an episode about Music.

Music and the brain and nervous system!

I am a musicology student and it is very difficult to find reliable and valuable information on neuroscience.

Thanks for your work! You are changing the game of learning.

[rainaybanez]

Wow! Where do I even begin?!

This podcast could have never shown up in the most profound way! It took me almost four days to listen till the end! I loved there were two different types of beings scientific and creative (both important perspectives) watching them engage in conversation.

I’m a highly creative person and recently discovered Rick Rubin. My creative process can be a very messy experience where it’s like going down a rabbit hole, a lot of the time I’m unaware of what I’m doing until I’ve completed a project, wait a couple of days than clarity starts to come.

When Rick is talking about his creative process, the level of trust he has in the unknown when something is trying to be created through him is so admirable. I knew the was a lesson for me to learn or perhaps surrender.

I knew one of my gifts was my ability to FEEL. Although I’m an emotional person, my emotions help me connect to something that is bigger and outside of myself which than guides me to create. The more I engage with the emotions I feel the more of a beautiful outcome it is.

My thing is that, although I can feel a large amount of loving and light energy coming from Source. I can tap into the dark emotions too. I find that once I reach a new level of “Light energy” the opposite side is yet to experience. It took me awhile to understand Balance. Source shows me two sides of coin because there is truth. Sometimes it’s hard for me not to get lost on both side. Because when I’m “lost” that when i’m experiencing the most.

Thank you for this podcast, this conversation has helped me to surrender just a little bit.

[jasper]

Wow..!

I had brain surgery last July at UCSF to help control bad seizures I've had since my mid 20's, and the procedure was overseen by Eddie Chang. He was really cool. He asked me about my drumming during our pre-surgery meeting, specifically ambidextrous rudiments, paradiddles etc.

I managed to tour around as a pro drummer for awhile with a couple of bands years ago, but my condition and treatments have pretty much taken over. Hearing you guy chat is really encouraging. Thank you!

[labsanta]

Takeawey:

1. Creativity is closer to magic than science, and kids are more creative than adults because they have no baggage and are open to seeing what is.
- Art making is a process of looking for feeling within ourselves.
- Creativity is closer to magic than science and language is insufficient to drill down on it.

2. Creative artists need to focus on changing their aperture to come up with new ideas and recognize when something feels creatively right.
-In art, it's important to be able to recognize when something feels creatively right and to be able to translate that into actionable suggestions without relying on language.
- Limiting your palette to something manageable forces you to solve problems in a different way and understanding how you feel in the face of other voices without second-guessing yourself is key to developing as an artist.
-People who have a compulsion to do things their own way and ignore feedback are more likely to develop The Taste than perfectionists.
-Creative artists need to depart from the commercial endeavor of creating a story to please others and instead focus on changing their aperture to come up with new ideas.
-Artists have the superpower of recognizing the obvious and accepting that we don't know anything, allowing for a wider range of possibilities.

3. Discovering the unknown can be beneficial for creativity, connecting us to the physical world and our imagination, and music from our teenage years can evoke powerful emotions.
-Discovering the unknown can be beneficial for creativity, connecting us to the physical world and our imagination, and music from our teenage years can evoke powerful emotions.
-Breakthroughs in science are built on assumptions that may not be correct, making the consequences of these discoveries incalculable.
- creating something without knowing how it will land can be more beneficial for creativity.


4. By paying attention and being aware, we can collaborate with the universe and become more aware of our environment.
-I clear the static by dedicating all of myself to a project with total focus and no outside distractions, then disengaging from it and engaging in something else before returning.
-Anxiety can be seen as readiness to move forward, and collaboration with the universe can be done through love, joy, and delight.
-We create stories to explain our experiences and filter out what we don't understand, often believing them to be true.
-We have limited perceptual filters and our memories are confabulated, so looking to nature for truth is critical to understanding reality.

5. Wrestling provides an opportunity to access creative energy and source due to its unpredictable nature and ability to provide dopamine surges.
-Creativity is about breaking boundaries and trusting the process to find the nuggets of gold.
-Natural landscapes change and cities change, but people either accept it or don't, and the speaker doesn't look back to the past.

6. Exploring interests and trying different approaches can lead to unexpected projects and opportunities, while self-doubt can be used as a balancing tool.
-Collecting ideas and exploring interests can lead to unexpected projects and opportunities.
-Adult plasticity exists and is now being recognized, despite being actively suppressed in the past due to competitive nature of discoveries.

7. Meditating in various forms can help us stay present, override the conscious mind, and heal faster.
-Belief has power and we can use it to create something great by noticing the elements around us and taking the opportunity to explore them.

Spread your love.

[DorotaBielecka-qdpb]

Dear Andrew,

"It's all lies. Go back to NATURE, that's the only truth." - thanks you and Rick for that!
I did the same as you, wrote it down and will remind myself when I forget.

I wish everyone would find something like wrestling for Rick - his face when he talked about wrestling - wonderful. The whole podcast is amazing!

All the best for you,
Dorota

[memastarful]

Appreciate you, Andrew! Grateful to have you around youtube.🌟

[CHLOE-dwbn]

I like how Rick says a lot without using too much words in this video❤

[Ardenone]

This conversation simply transcends time and space. The paradoxical touching points and far outs in between neuroscience, creativity and art, might as well be the ultimate reality you two just included us all, in experiencing it collectively as a community. ❤

[torkgems]

I've literally had fantasies about a colab like this. Two of my favorite minds talking to each other. This is a dream come true. Thank you 💖

[zizjaturtle]

QUESTION FOR RICK RUBIN:
How do you stay curious and keep moving in a musical landscape where it seems that everything has already been done and there's nothing significantly new on the horizon. I'm thinking about the evolution of modern music, the interplay of technology, social and cultural movements, and all the different genres that resulted from it. There's a claustrophobic feel, like we've reached the end of the tunnel in terms of "things to be discovered". I'd love to hear Rick's take on it. Thanks to both you, great episode this one.

[dreamymixtape]

Jocko, Sam Harris and now Rick Rubin... God, this is the greatest podcast!
Thanks, Andrew for incredible guests!

[mandyluzmarquez]

1:55:08 this is why I love wind chimes, rustling leaves, birds singing, thunder storms, and consistent love shown in unexpected ways, is to know it’s coming and only feel the playfulness of when .


2:22:05 to add jazz also has this playful quality

[corinaroobeck]

This podcast is worth every min ! Thank you Andrew and Rick. Buying the book and the audible. I could listen to Ricks voice all day.