Rick Rubin’s brilliance is what fires my lions. He keeps me eager to create through his beautiful advice that moves mountains in my cluttered mind.
If you have not already, do feel free to check out his book, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being,” for this is where I find the best quotes from him for me to act fast. My motivation.
When I am puzzled about where I should go with my art direction, I ask myself, what would my true self want? Mr. Rubin reminds me that my opinions matter and that my efforts to mold into the consumer’s ideal boxes are not the main aspect I should put my full consideration and efforts into. If anything, it comes with self-betrayal to always put my soul and creative choices to the side of my work.
In a world so focused on making universally appreciated art/things, we forget that there is still so much greatness that comes from individuality and thinking outside the box through going with one’s intuition instead of always sticking to the strict, pretentious rules to hit the constant demands of popularity. My goal is not only popularity that is calculated through theory; I also want my art to have impact and the soul I had mentioned that wants to be seen and felt. Always.
So, although I may be confused at times about what the work should be and where it should go (much like life), I need to continue with one foot in front of the other as it all unravels in front of me. I trust myself, and I will keep going. As an artist, you need determination and faith to put out the work when you are ready and be brave enough to take some hits.
I have made groundbreaking art before that has put a wide smile on audiences faces to tears down their cheeks, so what is going to stop me now from doing this again? Like Mr. Rubin shares, the art always winds up being what it wants to be as I continue to get to work. It is the effort that shapes it to be closer to what I want, and I need to know when the ending is here—to publish and stop the excessive “polishing.”
If you are reading this and you do not know when to submit your work, sometime now is better than never. I promise you, if you put your all into it and did your homework and polished it many times prior, it is bound to cause motion.
I am gladly a student of his wise words and will take further notes for the sake of standing my ground as an artist and navigating the (sometimes) troubled waters.
I believe in you. I also need to continue to believe in me.
Behind each Design 