Usually when I start a new project there's a fear of the unknown; maybe it's a band I've never been in the studio with before. People are so different. It's almost like you need to go through the process, discover and unlock what it is that makes that band that band. And a lot of times they don't know it.
Interpretation
Venturing into new projects brings uncertainty, but it's a journey of exploration and discovery.
This quote by Rick Rubin emphasizes the inherent fear and uncertainty that accompany starting new projects, particularly in collaborative settings like music. It suggests that through the creative process, both the artist and the producer must explore and uncover the unique qualities of a band or group, highlighting the importance of discovery in artistic collaboration.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a team meeting to encourage creativity and embrace uncertainty in new projects.
I never decide if an idea is good or bad until I try it. So much of what gets in the way of things being good is thinking that we know. And the more that we can remove any baggage we're carrying with us, and just be in the moment, use our ears, and pay attention to what's happening, and just listen to the inner voice that directs us, the better.
I don't even know what a traditional producer is or does. I feel like the job is like being a coach, building good work habits and building trust. You want to get to a point where you can say anything and talk about anything. There needs to be a real connection.
I never made beats to make beats; I only made them when there was a record to make them for. That's one of the things that has changed in hip-hop that's made me like it less. It feels much more like it's a producer-driven medium, where there are all these tracks that are completely interchangeable.
I don't know what makes someone hip. The goal is artist achievement and the best work we can do with no limitation.
Everything I do, whether it's producing or signing an artist, always starts with the songs. When I'm listening, I'm looking for a balance that you could see in anything. Whether it's a great painting or a building or a sunset.
Everything happens kind of the way it's supposed to happen, and we just watch it unfold. And you can't control it. Looking back, you can't say, "I should've..." You didn't, and had you, the outcome would have been different.
This is the extraordinary thing about creativity: If just you keep your mind resting against the subject in a friendly but persistent way, sooner or later you will get a reward from your unconscious.
Share what you do profusely, because it will be remixed by others into something new, rich and strange.
The creative individual is particularly gifted in seeing the gap between what is and what could be.
Creativity needs a bit of untidiness. Make everything too neat and there is no room for experiment.
If you know what you're looking for, that's all you'll get - what's previously known. But when you're open to what's possible, you get something new - that's creativity.
I don't know where my ideas come from, but I know where they come to. They come to my desk, and if I'm not there, they go away again.
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