Book Review

Soo new book review.

Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being resonates with many artists because it invites us to remember that art begins in a place beyond ego, beyond approval-seeking, beyond perfection. The idea of children being natural artists because they don’t yet know the rules is so powerful. They make without hesitation or shame. It’s only when they’re taught what’s “good” or “correct” that that freedom shrinks. Tyler, The Creator’s quote "Create like a child, edit like a scientist" is the perfect complement. It captures the balance between uninhibited play and sharp, intentional crafting.

1. Refinement Requires Radical Self-Honest

 Does this feel like me or a mimicry of someone else?

Am I speaking or just performing?

Refining = removing what doesn’t belong to the piece's core.

2. Invite Multiple Dimensions Into Your Work

A playful tone with serious subject matter.

 A raw scene with poetic language.

 Something beautiful that also feels dangerous.

Think of editing as dimensional layering, not just cutting. Make it pop and make it sit heavy.

 3. Create Dialogue With Other Artists

You asked: "How can I be in dialogue with another artist?"

Try:

 Studying another artist’s work then creating a piece “in conversation” with it.

Writing your own version of a scene, shot, or motif and flipping its meaning.

It creates a living, breathing tapestry of influence.

 4. Use Your Personal Timeline as Compass

Questions like “What aspects of my past is this coming from?” and “Does this have space in my future?” are gold.

When refining, track:

What’s healed vs. what’s still tender

 What’s nostalgic vs. what’s necessary

 What feels dated vs. what feels timeless

 5. Know When to Stop

Sometimes a work dies by over-editing. You make it “perfect,” but it no longer breathes. Ask:

-  Would this still work if it were simpler?

-  What’s one sentence, frame, or beat I can remove that would make it stronger?

Refinement doesn’t mean making it more complicated. It means making it more true.

1. Create like a child: No filters, just flow.

2. Question like a therapist: Why this, why now, why me?

3. Edit like a scientist: Test, refine, contrast, measure.