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My Art is for Me

Rick Rubin is one of my biggest artistic role models. I first learned his name when the TV show Dave poked fun at the uniqueness of his approach to creativity.

This led me to listen to one of his podcasts—a fascinating 3.5-hour conversation about tea—with Richard Rudd, the creator of Gene Keys

Eventually, I found my way to Rubin’s book, The Creative Act. I’ve learned so much from the book about making creativity easier. We’re all artists, so I highly recommend this book to everyone.

One point he emphasizes has really stuck with me…

The only person an artist has to please is themselves.

This truth released so much pressure for me. It continues to do so every time it crosses my awareness.

With today’s technology giving us instant feedback on everything we create, it feels like the purpose of creating is to make others happy—but that’s not true.

The purpose of creating is to make the finest work I’m capable of.

To share who I am, how I see the world, and where I’m at on my journey.

The practice of Morning Pages from The Artist’s Way teaches me this every day.

Every morning, I write three pages—unedited, unfiltered, just for me. And then they’re gone forever. No one, including me, ever revisits them.

There’s no audience, no judgment, just pure, unrestrained expression. And that’s where my artistry most shines.

I was reminded of this idea recently at a Hippo Campus concert. They were performing their new album live for the first time, and after the show, the lead singer said something that stuck with me:

The crowd erupted in applause. Because deep down, we know that’s what creating art should be—something you do for yourself, with everything else as a bonus.

Rick Rubin says the universe is constantly giving us what we need to create, and our job is to stay open to it. I’m learning that being open doesn’t mean creating for others—it means creating from a place of deep awareness, where the only person I’m competing with is myself. Feedback from others is useful, but it’s only there to enhance my own interpretation of the art. In the end, I’m the one who has to love it.

So, I’m embracing the idea that my art is for me. Every project, every experiment, every piece of work is a reflection of where I am and what I’m experiencing. If it resonates with someone else, great. If not, that’s fine too. Rubin says the best art divides the audience. If everyone likes it, I haven’t gone far enough.

The goal is to stay true to myself, and trust that everything else will follow.

If this post didn’t resonate, try reading it again with ‘I’ replaced by ‘you’ and ‘my’ by ‘your’.

😄 Funny Business

Welp that’s two straight masturbation jokes. I promise I’m done.

📊 Community Poll

Results for last week’s question: What is the most valuable app on your phone?

In addition to practical answers like “iMessage,” “my banking app,” “the clock or find my iPhone,” we also had some jokesters:

And a valuable reminder of what’s important:

On to this week’s question…

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Don’t be concerned with other people’s impressions of you. They are controlled by their own perceptions. — Epictetus