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I wasted years trapped in my own head before Rick Rubin explained this… — Transcript

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0:00I'm a lazy workaholic.
0:01>> [music]
0:01>> Okay, a lazy workaholic. You know, you
0:02got to say more about that.
0:04>> I'll say I like the moment of
0:06revelation. So, we're working on [music]
0:08something. It's just okay.
0:10It's boring.
0:12I'd probably [music] rather not be
0:13there. That's how it feels. But then
0:15something happens.
0:17And it's like
0:18magic. [music] Like something appears.
0:20It doesn't It's not like we made it.
0:23It's like
0:24something is conjured in [music] the
0:26process.
0:28It's like a miracle.
0:30And that's [music] the thing that's
0:32addictive. That's the feeling that that
0:34moment of discovery where it goes from
0:37nothing to [music] something really
0:38good. It's this moment in time where
0:41something magical happens. So, we spend
0:44a lot of [music] time waiting for those.
0:47But I can't say that's fun. It's not
0:49fun. It's It's just [music] like takes a
0:50lot of patience. You force yourself to
0:52do it. Yeah.
1:00The reason we're on this planet is to do
1:02our work. Whatever that is. Whatever our
1:04part is. To [music] play our part in
1:06this giant symphony. When it goes from
1:09the thing you love to the thing you do
1:11[music] for work, it's an issue. We can
1:14live in a way where we're living in an
1:15artful way, where we're engaged and
1:18paying attention, making each choice
1:20count. Or we can live almost like
1:23sleepwalking through the day. In service
1:26to the audience, they have to come last.
1:28If we're trying to make it for them, it
1:30won't be the best thing it can get.
1:32It'll water it down. The process of
1:34making something for someone else
1:36undermines it.
1:39>> Many people approach art with a hidden
1:41agenda.
1:42The desire to be accepted.
1:44>> [music]
1:45>> But when approval becomes the mission,
1:47the art loses its soul.
1:49The need for [music] acceptance is also
1:51present in everyday life.
1:53What's ironic
1:55is that acceptance comes most naturally
1:56[music]
1:57when we stop trying to please and simply
1:59allow ourselves to [music] be who we
2:01are.
2:02>> People like to be accepted. People want
2:04to be accepted. And I'm suggesting in
2:07the book that the the best way to be
2:09accepted is to be yourself. It's not
2:11It's [music] not to change yourself to
2:13what someone else thinks. First of all,
2:15you don't really know what someone else
2:17thinks.
2:19And [music] if you're not genuine to
2:20yourself, there's there's like nothing
2:22nothing is there.
2:24It's just a [music] projection or a
2:26mask. It's not true.
2:28>> Mhm.
2:29>> And there's something about
2:30authenticity. The only way we can um
2:34learn anything [music] is through the
2:36reality of seeing what's around us and
2:40learning there are these different
2:42points of view around us. If we're all
2:44thinking the same thing,
2:46>> [music]
2:46>> it's boring. Why would we make anything
2:48if everyone thinks the same thing? What
2:50makes us interesting are the
2:52differences.
2:52>> Mhm.
2:53>> And even even the imperfections, you
2:56know, you [music] you may hear a song
2:57about someone who has terrible
2:59heartbreak and you may not be
3:01experiencing terrible heartbreak,
3:02[music]
3:03but hearing them honestly talk about a
3:06human experience, even one that we're
3:09not having, can make us cry, can [music]
3:11make us resonate with them, can give us
3:13a better understanding of the world.
3:15>> Mhm. Absolutely.
3:17>> And we're not all everything, [music]
3:18you know, we're all only us. Each of us
3:21is ourselves.
3:22>> What makes art beautiful [music]
3:24is the unique perspective
3:26we have on the world as individuals.
3:28>> [music]
3:29>> There is no right or wrong way to see
3:32the world.
3:33>> [music]
3:33>> Just like there is no right or wrong way
3:35to create art, make decisions, or live
3:38life.
3:39We are all expressions of the universe.
3:42And [music] the most important thing we
3:43can do is express ourselves
3:45authentically.
3:47>> I [music] don't know what other people
3:48are going to think. I can't know what
3:50other people are going to think.
3:52But, this [music] is how I see it. And I
3:55want to show you how I see it. That's my
3:57purpose here on the planet [music] is to
3:59show you how I see it. And then I want
4:02to see how you see it. And where do they
4:04line up and where are they different?
4:06And that's how we make sense of the
4:07world. We all have a story. We all have
4:10something to say. [music] And we can all
4:12learn from each other. And it comes from
4:14each of our life experiences, which are
4:15different. We each have our [music] own
4:18family origin story. We each have our
4:20own places that we grew up, the things
4:22that we saw. [music]
4:23We could go uh and do the same thing
4:25together and then get back and discuss
4:28what we saw and see two completely
4:29different [music] things. And it's not
4:31like one of us is right and one of us is
4:32wrong. We're just noticing different
4:34things. There's so many data points to
4:36take in and we [music] each take in the
4:39ones that speak to us.
4:42>> Everything Rick is saying boils down to
4:44one common message.
4:46Follow your inner guide.
4:48>> Don't do things just because [music] you
4:49think you're going to get something for
4:51it.
4:52That's not why we do things. Do what's
4:54interesting to you.
4:56Follow what's interesting.
4:58>> [music]
4:58>> Don't worry about the outcome.
5:00>> Yeah.
5:00>> We don't know. We can't predict the
5:02outcome. We can never predict the
5:04outcome. Follow your own inner guide. It
5:07directs us. [music] It might not make
5:09sense might not make sense to us might
5:11not make sense to anyone else certainly
5:13won't make sense to anyone else, but it
5:14might not even make sense to us and
5:16that's okay. Listen to yourself. Why is
5:19it telling you this?
5:23>> So many of us silence that quiet voice
5:25inside.
5:26>> [music]
5:26>> The one that already knows the way.
5:28And when we ignore it, we create
5:30struggles that were never meant to
5:32exist. [music]
5:33But, why do we do this to ourselves?
5:35Rick suggests that it is because we
5:37don't realize we're in control of our
5:39own lives.
5:40>> [music]
5:40>> We make decision after decision in fear
5:43of an outcome that may not even exist.
5:46When in reality, [music]
5:47the life we want is waiting
5:50on the other side of trust.
5:53>> We are in control of our own lives. We
5:55often don't realize we're in control,
5:57and we can make different choices. And
6:00if the things in our life are not
6:02[music] bringing us joy and happiness,
6:05if our career that we've devoted all of
6:07our lives to
6:08>> [music]
6:08>> isn't bringing us joy, we can change
6:11them. If we decide our [music]
6:13relationship is not the right
6:15relationship, we don't have to suffer in
6:16that relationship.
6:18We have our own [music] power, and we
6:21can make a change, and it takes courage.
6:25Um but it's in everyone's best [music]
6:27interest
6:28for us to take care of ourselves.
6:30To be in a relationship or in a job
6:33where you're phoning it in because you
6:35[music] think it's your responsibility
6:37to do the job,
6:39there's probably someone who would do
6:40that job with passion
6:42and bring more to it than [music] you
6:43are.
6:44And if you feel
6:46depressed and you can't manage the life
6:48you're in, you can go move to another
6:49part of the world. You can live on a
6:51beach. There's so many options available
6:54to us that we don't, you know, we're
6:55stuck [music] in our small story of who
6:58we are and what our lives are, and it's
7:01all a choice, and we have [music] the
7:03power to change it. Anything in our
7:05lives that doesn't give us joy,
7:08we can change, and we can find the
7:10version that that suits us, and it's not
7:12only in service to us, it's ultimately
7:15what's best [music] for everyone.
7:17>> There's a common illusion that taking
7:18control of our lives requires us to be
7:21someone extraordinary.
7:23The same illusion often surrounds the
7:25act of creating art.
7:27>> I think there's a mythology [music]
7:29that the people who make things that we
7:31love are special people.
7:33And that we think that they're, you
7:35know, the people on Mount Olympus,
7:37and they're these magic people who are
7:39geniuses, and then there's the rest
7:41[music] of us.
7:43And that's not the case. It's like we're
7:45all just people. We're all doing our
7:47best. We all are good at some things,
7:50not good at other things. We're humans,
7:52and sometimes we find a way to make
7:54something beautiful.
7:56But that's it. There are no special
7:58people, really. We're all special.
8:05>> Sometimes people spend their entire
8:07lives chasing recognition,
8:09trying to achieve something big enough
8:11to finally feel worthy.
8:13They think that once they hit that peak,
8:15all their problems will disappear.
8:18This was not the case for Rick.
8:20>> My first memory of outward success came
8:23when the first Beastie Boys album
8:26Licensed to Ill was [music] the number
8:27one album in the country. The call came,
8:29"How do you feel you have the number one
8:30album in the country?" And I remember
8:31saying, "I've never been more unhappy in
8:34my life." And I think
8:36we mistakenly think some kind of outward
8:41success is going to change something in
8:44us, and it does not. It may make [music]
8:46life more comfortable,
8:48but it doesn't change who we are.
8:50Let's say [music] you spend 20 years of
8:52your life working towards a goal that's
8:54going to solve everything.
8:57And then you finally achieve what you've
8:59been trying to do for 20 [music] years,
9:01toiling away.
9:03I I won't have any fun in because I'm
9:05working for 20 years to for this end,
9:07and then you get that end, and nothing
9:10changes.
9:12That's when you get hopeless.
9:14So, it's not uncommon to see very
9:16successful [music] artists who were very
9:18unhappy in life, because they're working
9:21towards this the thing that's going to
9:23make them feel better.
9:25And it does not make them feel better.
9:28You know, we don't know what's going to
9:29make us happy. We're trying to fill
9:31something that maybe can't be filled
9:34through
9:36material or uh
9:38cultural success. It's something [music]
9:40else. It's some internal thing.
9:44>> Many people believe that happiness comes
9:46[music] from external achievements.
9:48Yet, when we look inward, we discover
9:50that true purpose [music] arises from
9:52within.
9:54There's also a widespread misconception
9:56that living that purpose [music] is tied
9:58to career milestones.
10:00However, this is not the case.
10:02>> Maybe your job is your job, and the job
10:05is the thing that [music] supports you.
10:07And then, the rest of your waking hours
10:10are devoted to your purpose, whatever
10:11that is.
10:13I would say, if you need to have [music]
10:15a job to support yourself, that's great.
10:17That's a noble thing to do. And, follow
10:21your dreams.
10:22>> [laughter]
10:22>> But, I'm I'm not saying they're one
10:24thing. They don't have to be one thing.
10:26And, [music] don't let following your
10:28dreams undermine your ability to support
10:31yourself.
10:32It could do It could [music] actually do
10:34the opposite. If you decide,
10:36"I want to be a comedian, and I'm
10:38putting all my eggs in the comedian
10:39[music] basket, and I'm going to be a
10:40comedian." The pressure of having to
10:42support support yourself will change you
10:45as a comedian, not for the better.
10:47You You want the stability
10:50of being able to take care of yourself
10:52in the world to be free
10:55to do whatever [music] your passion is,
10:58whatever it is.
11:16>> Do you play instruments?
11:17>> Barely.
11:18>> Do you know how to work a soundboard?
11:20>> No.
11:21>> And, no technical ability. And, I know
11:22nothing about music.
11:24>> Knowing how it works isn't what makes it
11:27work. You know, isn't the magic of it
11:29isn't how how works. The magic is the
11:31magic.
11:32>> Coming up with a story with the purpose
11:34of pleasing someone else is a skill set.
11:37It's more of [music] a commercial
11:38endeavor than an artistic endeavor.
11:41>> And the call came, [music] how do you
11:42feel you have the number one album in
11:43the country? And I remember saying, I've
11:45never been more unhappy in my life.
11:48>> So, what are you being [music] paid for?
11:49>> The confidence that I have in my taste
11:53and my ability [music] to express what I
11:55feel
11:57has proven helpful for artists.
12:01>> Rick Rubin [music] is a creative genius.
12:03He's produced a vast variety of artists
12:05including the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot
12:07Chili Peppers, Eminem, Adele, and even
12:10Johnny Cash.
12:11With a track record like his, he is
12:13arguably one of the most influential
12:14music producers of all time.
12:17Although known for his music production,
12:18>> [music]
12:18>> his recent book The Creative Act has
12:21garnered huge attention.
12:22The subtitle of the book is A Way of
12:24Being, and I can't think of a better way
12:26to describe Rick's creative relationship
12:28with the universe.
12:30Here he compares the creative process of
12:31life to riding a wave.
12:35>> The universe [music] is pushing us in a
12:36direction, and we can ride with that
12:39energy. And like when you're surfing, if
12:41you really try to fight the wave, it's
12:43probably not going to work. You know, we
12:45try to use [music] the power of the wave
12:48where we're almost dancing with the
12:49wave, not against the wave.
12:52And um that's that's the work of
12:54creativity [music] as well. Certain
12:55projects come together very easily
12:59and they happen
13:00quickly
13:02and they have a momentum to them, and
13:03others are a real fight.
13:06Sometimes we fight that fight, and other
13:09times
13:11we decide
13:13is there another a path of less
13:14resistance [music] around this? Is there
13:16a better way in?
13:18Let's rethink, well, if it's so hard,
13:21something's up.
13:22Not supposed to be so hard. Again, it's
13:25wildly time-consuming, takes a great
13:27deal of focus, takes patience.
13:31But if there are no signs that
13:32something's
13:34working at for [music] a long time,
13:37that might be a time to step back, step
13:39away.
13:41>> Rick speaks of the things we make as
13:42reflections [music] of our being. No one
13:44will create the same thing as someone
13:46else. He mentions the importance of
13:48staying true to yourself, letting your
13:49ideas flow through you, and being sure
13:51not to compare yourself to others in the
13:53process.
13:55>> The things we make are a reflection of
13:57who we are in this [music] moment.
14:00And that's all it is. It can go on and
14:03mean more than that, but that's not in
14:05our control. And it's something that
14:07cripples artists thinking, I have to
14:10make the greatest thing ever made to
14:11humankind, [music] and then they
14:14basically psych themselves out of being
14:16able to make something good.
14:18They give in to the pressure of thinking
14:21it's [music] more than it is.
14:23We all imagine such different worlds,
14:26and it's why
14:29if we don't make the thing we want to
14:31make,
14:33if someone else's antenna's more tuned
14:36to ours,
14:37and they pick up the same source
14:39material,
14:41the thing they make, it's not going to
14:43be the same thing we would make. No one
14:45can do our part.
14:47There's a great benefit [music] in
14:49taking a risk,
14:50making the thing that's interesting to
14:52you,
14:54sharing it with the world, because if
14:55you don't do it, nobody else will.
14:57You're the only one who can make the art
14:58that you can make.
15:00And it's not in competition with anyone
15:02else. There is no competition. There's
15:03no competition who has [music] a better
15:06picture in their head.
15:08It's a reflection of you. Everything
15:10that you make is a reflection of who you
15:12are.
15:13And how you live in the world will
15:16[music] impact the things that you make.
15:18And I wish the best of luck on the
15:21journey in [music] making beautiful
15:23things that we can all enjoy.
15:25>> And audiences have enjoyed Reuben's work
15:28with an immense amount of listeners
15:29worldwide. I'm curious how he views the
15:32audience
15:32>> [music]
15:32>> and what kind of influence they might
15:34have on his work.
15:36>> The audience comes last in service to
15:38the audience.
15:40The audience wants the best thing.
15:43They don't get the best thing while
15:45[music] you're trying to service them.
15:47They get the best thing when you're
15:48servicing yourself.
15:50When you're true to who you are
15:53and the more you can trust yourself as
15:56an artist.
15:58In my case, I've been every decision
16:00I've made from
16:03working in a different
16:04genre than I started in every time.
16:06Every time I do something [music]
16:07different or new,
16:09I'm always told not to do it. I'm always
16:11told it's a terrible idea, but I know
16:14it doesn't matter what anyone else
16:16thinks. I know what I know and my job is
16:18to share what I know. That's all I can
16:20do. I can't second-guess myself. Steve
16:23Jobs said, you know, famously [music]
16:25the consumer doesn't know what they want
16:28>> until you make it.
16:29>> Yeah.
16:31>> Despite his success,
16:32Rick has suffered from depression over
16:34the years.
16:34>> [music]
16:35>> He got to a point in his 30s when it
16:37seemed like all hope was lost. Although
16:38what appeared to be a closed door led to
16:40an awakening experience in Malibu.
16:45>> I've suffered with depression at
16:47different times in my life. The mystical
16:50piece was
16:51in the throes of the depression, one of
16:53the things that would help me
16:55I would drive to Malibu
16:57and we had a little house, a tiny little
17:00shack on the beach
17:01and that I was renting [music] and I
17:02would sit in that house
17:05and
17:06usually I would get some
17:09some of the heaviness would lift.
17:12So,
17:13one day I went to Malibu, nothing,
17:16listen to classical music, relax,
17:18meditate. Meditated for hours. [music]
17:20Did all the things that would like help
17:22get me out.
17:23And nothing got me out. And I was
17:26[clears throat]
17:26devastated.
17:28And in that moment of hopelessness, I
17:30prayed.
17:32Universe, please give me a sign. Please
17:34give me a sign to go on.
17:38Because I don't think I can go on.
17:40Please give me a sign.
17:44And I walked out to the beach, which was
17:45something I never did.
17:47Or rarely did.
17:49I walked out to the beach.
17:51And I'm standing out on the beach. And
17:53in
17:551 minute,
17:57the entire sky turned into the most
18:00dramatic
18:02orange,
18:05wild,
18:07biblical painting.
18:10I'd never seen anything like it up till
18:12that moment. Never seen anything like it
18:14since. I walk out. I experience that.
18:19It blows my mind.
18:22I feel like my answer is I I'm I'm
18:26I'm being spoken to.
18:27>> Uh-huh.
18:29>> And then, within a minute, gone back to
18:32normal blue sky. I felt less alone. I
18:34felt like I could um
18:37my cry for help was heard.
18:40And I felt connected.
18:42And I felt really good.
18:45>> Taking from his mystical experience,
18:47Rick mentions that the answers to our
18:49problems don't all come from inside of
18:51us. If we remain conscious,
18:53we can find solutions by simply being
18:55open to the influence of the outside
18:57world.
19:02>> It's helpful to know
19:03the information we need doesn't all come
19:06from inside of us. Maybe none of it
19:08comes from inside of us. Maybe it all
19:11comes from outside of us.
19:13And whether that be mystical, physical,
19:16or practical,
19:18I've had experiences where I'm
19:20looking for an answer for something,
19:22curious, holding it lightly in my
19:24consciousness, not working on it, just I
19:27know there's this problem to be solved.
19:29And then I'll be out and something will
19:31happen in the world directly related to
19:33answer the question. Doesn't happen
19:36once in a while, it happens all the
19:38time. If you're open to the
19:40communication,
19:41we're getting information all the time.
19:45There's so much more information coming
19:47at us than we can digest that we pick
19:51and choose unconsciously
19:54certain data points and then based on
19:56those [music] data points we make up
19:57story about what happens.
20:00It's different for everybody.
20:02>> [music]
20:02>> There's so much uh wisdom
20:06all around us all of the time coming in
20:09the form of nature, the culture, people
20:12speaking at a coffee shop, you know,
20:15overhearing a conversation.
20:18If you're open and if you're paying
20:21attention,
20:22>> Mhm.
20:22>> and I would even go further to say and
20:24if you invite it, it might work even
20:26better. I don't know if that's true,
20:27>> Mhm.
20:28>> but why not? And because of the subtle
20:32nature
20:33of the information that we're looking
20:35for, it's not getting shouted at us.
20:37It's the thing that if you weren't
20:40really quiet and really paying
20:42attention, [music] you would likely
20:44miss.
20:45So, we have to quiet ourselves
20:48and we have to live in this constant
20:51state [music]
20:51of
20:53looking for clues, looking for
20:55information. What can I learn? What
20:58shapes align?
21:01Where are there connections?
21:03If I look deeper, what's happening?
21:05>> Mhm.
21:06>> That's the practice. And there's [music]
21:07some suggestions of things that you can
21:09do to get there. For me, meditation is a
21:12key. It may not be everyone's. That's
21:14the other point of this is we all
21:16function in different ways. We each have
21:17to find what works for us and
21:20and try things and see what works.
21:23>> There's certain choices we make in life
21:24that most people wouldn't view as being
21:26creative decisions, as well as people we
21:28meet
21:29>> [music]
21:29>> that we wouldn't necessarily consider
21:30artists.
21:32But Rick has the intriguing view of
21:33simple everyday tasks being creative
21:35choices. With these choices contributing
21:38to a bigger [music] universal picture
21:39devised by artists.
21:41>> All of us make creative choices
21:43every day of our lives. We've driven the
21:45same route every day and we decide to
21:47take the scenic route, that's a creative
21:49choice. If we're paying attention and if
21:51you happen to notice something [music]
21:53that day on the scenic route that you
21:54didn't notice before and that ends up
21:57helping you in the thing that you're
21:58working on,
22:00maybe it's a coincidence,
22:01but when you come to expect it to
22:03happen, it happens all the time.
22:07Be prepared to be
22:10awestruck and surprised on a regular
22:13basis by things that you would never
22:15imagine happening. Also, you feel like
22:17you're part of this bigger thing. We
22:20think of ourselves as the conductor, but
22:22we're not the conductor. We're an
22:24orchestra member being conducted.
22:27And we're part of this bigger thing
22:29that's going on [music] and it works
22:31like clockwork. Every one of us plays
22:34part and we all have our part to play.
22:36So, when someone says, "I'm not artistic
22:39or I'm not good at art." It'd be like
22:41saying, "I'm not a good monk."
22:43There is no such thing as not a good
22:45monk. You're either living your life as
22:47a monk or you're not living your life as
22:50a monk. [music] Monks aren't good or
22:51bad. You're either doing a monk or
22:55you're not doing a monk.
22:57And
22:58we all live as artists, but we don't
23:01know it. And there are things we can do
23:03to amplify
23:05the artistic side [music] of ourselves
23:08that will make everything we do
23:10better. Everything. Any your
23:12relationships,
23:14your ability to communicate, your
23:16ability to listen, your joy of life,
23:19your feeling of connection, your ability
23:22to commune with nature.
23:25It's like taking off blinders.
23:30My only goal is to make something that I
23:32like.
23:33It's like a dance
23:36between being
23:38wildly open and vulnerable
23:41and commitment to do whatever it takes
23:43to get your work through.
23:46And it's not about perfection. That's a
23:48thing. It's like humanity breathes in
23:50the mistakes. It's the frayed edges that
23:54make it interesting.
23:55If you're tapped into the universe, it
23:57tells you. It directs you. All we are is
24:01made up of [music] everything we take
24:03in. So, really curate what comes in
24:07for your highest good.
24:08I came to realize recently [music]
24:10what great means.
24:12And I've come to realize that great
24:14means
24:15>> What if the goal was never perfection?
24:17What if the goal was simply honesty?
24:20In a world obsessed with outcomes, Rick
24:22Rubin reminds us of something simple yet
24:25profound.
24:26That creation begins with listening.
24:29Listening to yourself.
24:31Listening to what moves you.
24:33And not listening
24:35to what others think.
24:37Unless it serves the art
24:39from your point of view.
24:41>> I'm confident with artistic expression
24:44because my only goal is to make
24:46something that I like. And I know that I
24:48can keep working [music] on it until I
24:50like it. In some ways, there there's no
24:52pressure. It turns out that when you
24:55make something truly for yourself
24:58you're doing [music] the best thing you
25:00possibly can for the audience. If you go
25:02to the movies, so many big movies just
25:04not good. It's because they're [music]
25:07not being made by a person who cares
25:09about it. They're being made by people
25:11who are trying [music] to make something
25:12that they think someone else is going to
25:14like.
25:15And that's not how art works. That's
25:18something else. It's not [music] art.
25:19That's commerce.
25:21If you don't make money or if you do
25:23make money, that has nothing to do with
25:25the art.
25:26Art is the art and then whatever [music]
25:27happens after happens after. If you make
25:30something that you love,
25:32I know if I make something I love, if
25:34more people like it, that's only a good
25:37thing. Now, I wouldn't change a word of
25:40it for someone else to like it. I make
25:43the thing I love
25:45and then
25:47present it to the world and then if the
25:49world likes it, great. And if more
25:51[music] people like it than less,
25:52better. Why not? We're sharing something
25:55we love, something we think is
25:56beautiful.
25:57But again, I would never [music] change
25:59it for anyone else because that's not
26:01what it's about. It's almost like a
26:03diary entry. Could I be concerned that
26:05someone else might not like my diary
26:07entry? Doesn't make sense, you know,
26:08it's it has nothing to do with them. My
26:10[music] My diary entry has nothing to do
26:12with anyone else.
26:14So, everything [music] we make as
26:16artists are essentially diary entries.
26:20>> When you stop [music] trying to please
26:22the world, the work becomes more human.
26:25Not something designed to be consumed,
26:27[music]
26:28but something meant to be expressed.
26:31This kind of honesty
26:32demands vulnerability.
26:35>> And there's a vulnerability required
26:38>> [music]
26:38>> for the artist
26:40that if you're confident
26:42>> [music]
26:42>> to the point that it disguises
26:46your vulnerability,
26:48that doesn't work.
26:50>> [music]
26:50>> So, it's a it's like a dance
26:52>> [snorts]
26:52>> between being
26:55wildly [music] open and vulnerable
26:58and commitment to do whatever it takes
27:00to get your work through. That
27:02combination, which is a difficult
27:04combination.
27:06And and it's not about perfection.
27:07That's the thing. It's like humanity
27:10breathes in the mistakes, [music] you
27:12know, in the
27:13it's what it's what's not ordinary. If
27:16it was if it was machine-like perfect,
27:20it's not so interesting. It's
27:21cookie-cutter.
27:22>> Right.
27:23>> It's all the same. So, it's the
27:26it's the edges. It's the frayed edges
27:29that make it interesting.
27:32>> Vulnerability is not weakness.
27:35It's the entry point to creating
27:36authentically.
27:38The cracks, the rough edges, that's
27:40where life [music] leaks in.
27:42When something is too polished, too
27:44controlled, it loses its pulse.
27:48Those imperfections don't appear
27:49randomly.
27:50They're shaped by everything we absorb.
27:53>> All we are is made up of everything we
27:56take in.
27:58So, the places we're in,
28:01the people we're around,
28:03the
28:04the media we consume,
28:07that's all we are.
28:08So,
28:10really curate what comes in
28:12for your highest um for your highest
28:15good.
28:16>> When you become aware of what's shaping
28:18you,
28:19you're able to curate your intentions
28:21[music] more easily.
28:23And through the shaping of our
28:24intentions,
28:26comes the manifestation
28:28of our reality.
28:35>> I feel like it has to do with the purity
28:37of the intention [music] behind what
28:39you're doing.
28:40If your intention is pure
28:43and you're doing it for the right
28:44reasons,
28:46it seems like things tend [music] to
28:48work out.
28:50And
28:51that ends up being
28:53um
28:54>> [music]
28:55>> a manifestation mindset, but it didn't
28:58start for me that way. It just was
28:59[music] like I really believe in what
29:00I'm doing. I really care about it.
29:03I want to be the best it could be for me
29:05and I'm excited to share it.
29:07And [music and clears throat] the
29:08results have shown me
29:11that
29:13you can manifest [music] things. It
29:14happens.
29:16But I'll say when I do it, it's never
29:19based on the [music] outcome.
29:21I'm never asking for a result. I'm
29:25asking for
29:27to to rise [music] to the occasion, to
29:28make the best thing that I can, for the
29:30thing that I make to be great. Great is
29:32a vague [music] word. Most of my life I
29:34was aiming for great, but I didn't know
29:36what that was.
29:37And I've come to realize that [music]
29:39great means
29:40it's it's a devotional it's a devotional
29:43kind of greatness.
29:44It's a gift to the universe. It's a gift
29:46[music] to God. If you're making a gift
29:49to God, you can't put more into it than
29:52that.
29:53>> Uh-huh.
29:53>> You know, you can't
29:55What about the single? What about What
29:57about what someone's going to say?
30:00>> [music]
30:00>> Who has anything to say if we're making
30:02a gift for God that there's you're
30:04putting all of your purest intention
30:08into this thing [music] for the
30:09universe. Wow.
30:11That's where it's at. And it's a it's a
30:13gift of yourself to God.
30:17It's like this is the best I can do.
30:20This is my offering.
30:22This [music] is what I have to offer.
30:24>> When creation becomes devotion, fear
30:26disappears.
30:27There's no audience to impress, [music]
30:29no outcome to control.
30:31As a result, the universe often clears a
30:34path
30:35of least resistance.
30:37>> If you're tapped into the universe, it
30:39tells you. It directs you. An example, I
30:43may have three different ideas that I'm
30:44I'm excited about.
30:46And I kind of get them all going.
30:49And then one of them just seems to take
30:51off on its own. And one of them, no
30:53matter how hard I work on it, it never
30:57seems to come together. Can't find the
30:59right collaborators.
31:01Impossible some obstacles in the way.
31:05When that happens, I feel like
31:07it's the universe saying now's not the
31:10time. I'm not saying to turn away from
31:13the obstacle.
31:14But I'm saying when the obstacles become
31:16insurmountable consistently
31:19and there's another path right that's
31:21going [music] smoothly
31:23and you feel the same about both of
31:25them. Pay attention. See when
31:28when is the universe giving you a push?
31:30When is the when is the wind hitting
31:32[music] your sails the right way?
31:34There's something to it. I I'm I'm I'm
31:37I would never suggest not fighting
31:39through [music] the work. It's it's it's
31:42grueling no matter what.
31:44It's grueling no matter what. That said,
31:46sometimes
31:49it feels like
31:52now's not the time.
31:53>> As Rick says, the work is grueling no
31:55matter what.
31:57And even when you make it through,
31:59when the doors finally open,
32:01success can arrive without bringing the
32:03feeling [music] you thought it would.
32:05>> Nobody prepares you for success.
32:08And you may have a dream of what it's
32:11like.
32:13And you may think the success [music] is
32:16going to
32:17fill some
32:19hole you have in your soul.
32:22And then the success and you work your
32:23whole [music] life for the success
32:25that's going to fill the hole. And
32:27finally, you get the success and the
32:31hole's [music] the same.
32:33And it's
32:35it creates hopelessness cuz you always
32:37[music] you're working towards this goal
32:40that's going to fix the problem.
32:43But, it's the goal doesn't fix the
32:45problem. I can't say never, but I would
32:48say almost never [music] fixes the
32:51problem.
32:52>> What fixes the problem for people?
32:54>> It is something else. It's It's
32:56something inside themselves.
32:59It's something inside themselves.
33:02>> When external answers fall short,
33:04the search turns inward
33:07toward the still place beneath [music]
33:08the thoughts.
33:10The part of you that doesn't need to
33:11become anything.
33:13>> Without meditation, I don't know who I
33:15would be.
33:16It's such a big part of who I am.
33:19Uh informed so many
33:23everything.
33:24Every my my understanding of the world
33:26>> [music]
33:26>> is based on learning to meditate when I
33:28was young.
33:30So, I don't know
33:32who I would be without that. It It
33:34provides a quiet space.
33:37You realize that your thoughts are not
33:39you.
33:41And that
33:43left your own devices,
33:46they'll be
33:48a lot of voices in your head just going
33:50all the time, and they're not you.
33:53And they don't mean anything, and
33:55they're really repetitious, and they're
33:58not uh working in your best interest.
34:01>> So, if your thoughts aren't you, then
34:03what are you?
34:04>> I suppose [music]
34:05you are the
34:07unchanging part of yourself
34:10that's always there
34:12from
34:14I probably from the time you're born
34:16till the time you die, and maybe before
34:18and after. It's what's really inside.
34:22It's not changeable.
34:25It's
34:27what you came with.
34:32>> The source is the organizing [music]
34:35principle of everything that we
34:37experience. So, why does the grass grow?
34:40Why are the trees here? Why are we here?
34:42Why is everything here? Going back to
34:45the origination [music]
34:46of everything,
34:47I call the source. It's like a universal
34:50wisdom, let's say.
34:52A generative force might be a better way
34:55to say it. We're always [music] in
34:56collaboration with everything around us.
34:59Like we are all part of the universal
35:00awareness. The birds are duetting with
35:02us right now. We don't have a choice.
35:05>> Rick Rubin speaks of the source as an
35:08ever-present creative force.
35:10Something constant, quietly flowing
35:13through all aspects of life.
35:15When we slow down enough to truly
35:17connect with our surroundings,
35:19we begin to tap into it.
35:21In those moments, new doors can open
35:24that propel innovative ideas.
35:26It's often through our connection with
35:27nature
35:29that this alignment becomes possible.
35:33>> I think any any practice [music] that
35:35keeps you connected, keeps you grounded,
35:38and rooted to what's happening, and um
35:42paying attention [music] to the beauty
35:44of the world around you is really good.
35:45Like, instead of
35:47being inside, [music] going outside,
35:50going for a walk, and
35:52paying attention to the um
35:54the majesty of [music] nature seems to
35:56be a really good thing to
35:58remind us of our place in the world. Um
36:02different than, you [music] know,
36:03looking at a screen. It's just a
36:04different experience.
36:06As you were talking, I heard the bird
36:08chirping. A bee flew past [music] me,
36:10and I heard the buzz of the bee.
36:13And it places me here. It's like I'm not
36:16in my head.
36:17I'm here.
36:19>> [music]
36:20>> And I'm
36:21I'm It's like everything's a reminder
36:24to be [music] alive, to pay attention.
36:26It's now. It's not I'm not in the
36:28future, I'm not in the past, I'm here
36:30with you now. And it feels good, you
36:32know? Happens where
36:35a bird flies into [music] the room while
36:36you're working on something and a lyric
36:38changes because of it or
36:40whatever these things happen.
36:41>> [music]
36:41>> Yeah.
36:42>> Or you're
36:43planning on doing something one way and
36:46then a weather [music] condition or uh
36:49somebody not making it to the studio
36:51changes the plan and something new
36:53happens [music] and unexpected
36:55and something cool comes out of that.
36:58>> More often than not, the best ideas
37:00emerge from the unexpected. This kind of
37:03spontaneity [music]
37:04and nature
37:05often aligns with the way love enters
37:07our lives. It isn't planned or forced.
37:11It simply appears.
37:12Whether it's falling in love with a
37:14person, idea, place, or art form,
37:18love shows up when we least expect it.
37:22>> Love is what we're always
37:25on [music] the hunt for. And when I say
37:27that, it it's
37:29it's an art. When we're making
37:30something, [music] it's a search for
37:32love. Anything we make.
37:34And
37:37that feeling of [music] falling in love
37:39with something happens when if you fall
37:43in love in your life, it usually happens
37:44in an [music] unexpected way. It's not
37:47like, "Today I'm going to fall in love."
37:48And you go make it happen, it doesn't
37:50happen that way.
37:51It's you're [music] surprised by love.
37:54And
37:55we experience [music] that when we're
37:57making things all the time. Like we're
37:59we're we're toiling away on this thing
38:01we think we're making and then all of a
38:03sudden [music] love shows up in a
38:05different way.
38:07Do you know what I'm saying? Like it
38:08turns into something different. It It's
38:11uh
38:12It's rare that it's premeditated.
38:15[music]
38:15>> Yeah.
38:16>> I don't know that it can be, really, and
38:18be and be love.
38:19>> Right. [music]
38:20>> You know, it could be something else.
38:22But the love, there's some
38:25aspect of
38:27>> [music]
38:28>> taking you by surprise.
38:30There's a There's a book called A Course
38:32in Miracles, and the book is about there
38:35only being two things in the world, love
38:37and fear, and fear doesn't really
38:40[music] exist. So, all there really is
38:42is love. Fear is like a
38:44a false indicator [music] in some way.
38:47If you feel it,
38:48it means you're not connecting to the
38:50love that's really there in place of
38:53that [music] fear.
38:54>> When met with the illusion of fear, we
38:57have two choices.
38:58We can cling to what's out of our
39:00control, or we can accept what is and
39:04move forward.
39:06Rick [music] relates this idea to the
39:07Buddhist concept of Dukkha.
39:10The idea that much of our suffering
39:12comes not from what happens,
39:14but from our resistance [music]
39:16to it.
39:20>> Stress [music] is suffering, and suffer
39:22There's a whole Buddhist concept about
39:24suffering, which is there is suffering,
39:27but you don't have to suffer. The The
39:30There's pain, and there really is pain,
39:33but the suffering part of [music] it is
39:36something You can have pain, but you
39:38don't have to suffer. You can accept.
39:41The suffering comes from some
39:44feeling that everything that something's
39:46supposed to be different than the way it
39:47is.
39:48And if you accept the way it [music] is,
39:52then there's no suffering.
39:54And you can't change what is.
39:56You can You can change
39:59how you deal with what is, but [music]
40:02what is is what is. I'll tell you a
40:04story about that. A- Being a a decision.
40:07I was in Hawaii. There are these
40:09centipedes [music]
40:11that bite you, and if they bite you, it
40:13really hurts bad. It's kind of like a um
40:16a sting from [music] a jellyfish.
40:18Doesn't kill you, but it really hurts
40:21and it hurts for a long time.
40:23Sleeping one [music] night
40:25and um
40:27I brush my head, I feel I'm like itchy
40:29and I brush my head [music]
40:31and I feel incredible pain. And I wake
40:35wake my wife up or I mean, she wakes up
40:37pretty [music] quickly because I'm
40:39moving around
40:40and I say, I think I was just stung by a
40:42centipede and I have two choices.
40:45I can panic, [music]
40:46which is what I've been programmed to do
40:49my whole life.
40:51Or
40:52>> [music]
40:52>> I can just decide, okay, it's okay.
40:56And she said
40:58maybe the second one's better.
41:00>> [music]
41:01>> I said, okay.
41:02I'll do that.
41:04I can step [music] back enough to see
41:08I can choose.
41:11And nothing is different in what [music]
41:12happened. Same exact thing happened.
41:15And it already happened. I already got
41:16stung.
41:17So the the
41:19the idea of [music] panicking or like,
41:21you know, my house burned down with
41:23everything in it.
41:25>> [music]
41:26>> I could you know, have a fit and cry and
41:30be [music]
41:31upset or I can accept the fact this is
41:34what happened. Nothing I'm going to do
41:36is going to change that situation.
41:38>> Right.
41:40>> So it seems like there's a lot less pain
41:42involved. If nothing's going to change,
41:44do you know what I'm saying? If If I
41:45can't make If I can't change the
41:47situation to put a lot of energy into
41:49not changing it and making me feel bad,
41:51[music] that doesn't seem like a good
41:53choice.
41:53>> Yeah.
41:54>> And I think just knowing we can choose,
41:57we can decide in the moment. When
41:59something
42:01bad happens, you can [music] imagine
42:03like it's happening in a movie
42:05and think, okay
42:07>> [music]
42:07>> how is our hero going to get out of this
42:09one?
42:10You know, because it there's always
42:11another scene, you know, that the movie
42:13goes on
42:15after the tragedy. There's always more
42:17happens.
42:18And often, and I again just learned
42:20[music] this from living a long time
42:22that over the course of my life, when
42:24something that seems terrible happens,
42:26>> [snorts]
42:27>> almost every time, [music] maybe every
42:29single time,
42:30what happens in the wake of it is better
42:33than what was there.

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