I almost didn’t read it. A music producer writing about creativity? I wasn’t sure what that had to do with me or my journey. But something nudged me toward it anyway. And what I found inside stopped me in my tracks and gave me permission to finally become who I always was.

The book is The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. And before I go any further, let me be honest about what I thought before I opened it. I knew Rick Rubin as a legendary hip-hop music producer, the man behind some of the most iconic albums ever made. I respected his work. But a book about creativity from a music producer? I wasn’t convinced it had anything to offer me.

I was wrong. Completely beautifully wrong.

I didn’t even make it past the first chapter before the book stopped me in my tracks. Right there in the opening pages Rick Rubin wrote something I had never seen an author dare to say. He told the reader that nothing in this book was known to be true. That it is simply a reflection of what he has noticed, not facts, not rules, not a formula. Just his thoughts. Some ideas may resonate and others may not. A few may awaken something you forgot you had. Let the rest go.

I put the book down and just sat with that for a moment.

In a world full of people telling, you exactly how to live, how to create, how to grow, here was a man saying take what serves you and leave the rest. No ego. No agenda. Just an open hand offering what he had learned and trusting you to know what you needed.

” Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It’s a birthright for all of us.” – Rick Rubin.

That is the sentence that made me cry.

Not because it was sad. Because it was freeing

You see I had spent years believing that creativity was something other people had. Artists. Musicians. Writers. People with formal training or natural talent. Not me. Not a woman juggling a full-time job, family, obligations, and a life that gotten very far away from the little girl who used to dream of writing books.

But Rick Rubin sad something that cracked that belief wide open. He said creativity doesn’t exclusively relate to making art. We all engage in it daily. To create is simply to bring something into existence that wasn’t there before. A conversation. A solution to a problem. A note from a friend. The rearrangement of furniture in a room. A new route home to avoid traffic.

We are all already creating. We have never stopped

And then he said this, and I really want you to let it land

” Your entire life is a form of self-expression. You exist as a creative being in a creative universe, a singular work of art ” – Rick Rubin

A singular work of art. You and me. All of us. Not despite our ordinary lives, but because of them.

There is a chapter in the books called Seeds. Rick Rubin talks about collecting seeds; ideas, moments, sparks of inspiration, and sitting with them over time to see which ones resonate. Sometimes we are too close to them to recognize their true potential. Sometimes the magical moment that inspired the seed is bigger than the seed itself.

Reading that I thought about bamboo. How bamboo spends years growing underground, building its root system in silence before it ever breaks through the soil. And then when it finally emerges it grows faster than almost anything on earth.

That is what this book reminded me of. All those years I had thought I missed my window. All those years the little girl who wanted to write books got quieter and quieter under the weight of life. She wasn’t gone. She was growing underground. Building roots. Waiting for the right moment to shoot up.

Her Journey Unfolds exists because of those roots. Because of that little girl. Because of this book that finally gave me permission to say, yes, I am a creative. I have always been. And it’s not too late.

So, I want to ask you something before you go. What seed have you been sitting on? What dream got buried under the weight of life, marriage, children, work, doubt, and time? What is the quite nudge you keep feeling but keep pushing aside because you think you missed your window?

You didn’t miss it. It’s been growing underground. And it’s almost time to bloom. 🌻

Your Turn 🌸

I’d love to know – Is there a book that gave you permission to become more fully yourself? Share it in the comments or send me a message. And if this resonated with you save it and share it with someone who needs this reminder today.

” The universe never explains why”

-Rick Rubin

HER JOURNEY UNFOLDS🌻