[Field Notes] Why creating feels so hard.
“You are not creating the art, you are the vessel for it to pass through.” - Rick Rubin, The Creative Act
This isn’t a book about making art. It’s about how to live.
Rubin breaks down creativity as a state of being—of noticing, listening, and responding to the world around you. Living with awareness.
It’s not a step-by-step or a roadmap. It’s a reminder that the creative act isn’t about what you make—it’s about how you see.
The Thesis:
Being creative isn’t something you do—it’s a state of being. Living as an artist means living with active awareness: noticing, feeling, responding.
Here’s what you need to know…
[Awareness is Everything]
The universe is only as big as your perception.
The more you broaden your awareness, the more you expand your creative universe.
Creativity begins with noticing.
[Sharing vs. Protecting]
Afraid to share your work? Ask: which desire is stronger—the desire to share, or the desire to protect yourself? The choice is always yours.
[Level Up Your Taste]
Consume quality. Consume intentionally. All the time.
“The way we do anything is the way we do everything.”
[Doubt the Work, Not Yourself]
It’s normal to doubt the work. That’s different from doubting your self.
The goal is to stay open, keep creating, and let the work teach you.
[Intention is Alignment]
True intention requires full alignment—conscious and unconscious beliefs, capabilities, and actions working together.
Anything else is noise.
[Learn from Children]
Children don’t know what’s “impossible”—they haven’t learned limits yet.
That’s the mindset to create from: openness, curiosity, play.
[Discipline = Freedom]
The more you simplify your life, the more space you have to feel and make art.
Creativity thrives in clear, uncluttered systems.
[Simplicity is the Goal]
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace. Making the complicated simple—that’s creativity.”
Final Thoughts:
This book isn’t a step-by-step on how to make things. It’s a reminder of how to be. The creative act isn’t about the work itself—it’s about showing up with awareness, refining your taste, and staying open enough to notice what’s possible.
Till next time.
With love,
Diaundra