Rick Rubin's 'Coaching' Philosophy

 

The Inherent Creativity of Music Producer Rick Rubin

I heard Rick Rubin on the Joe Rogan Experience, the other day.

His name is familiar because I used to listen to a lot of metal. He’s produced records for System of a Down, Metallica, Slayer and many others. He’s worked with a lot of hip hop artists and even top 40 radio artists like the Dixie Chicks and Kanye West. The list is impressive. I assumed he’s kind of a studio genius because of his work, but he calls himself a coach. Helping artists find their path instead of setting up a specific route, is his style.

Be Receptive

The thing I got most from the interview, creatives need to change their process or setting or way of thinking on occasion. It’s helps to reset the mind so ideas can flow more freely. This is implicit in the interview. Writing is a creative discipline so I listened close. He recorded an album for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a rented house. They had done 4 albums before Blood Sugar Sex Magik and had bad experiences in the studios. Rubin didn’t elaborate on why. He hinted that this might have been their drug phase. The point was, lets mix this process up and change the energy in the room. It’s a theory that’s worked well when bands want to get unstuck.

He's a feel guy, not a process guy. What that means to me is, he doesn’t have a plan or strategy when he sits down to record. It sounds like he gets the most of out of people by forcing them to think differently or feel differently.

Be Open to Change

I need to change something about my writing process because I lack inspiration most of the time. Not that I need to be inspired to write. Often it’s a slog that requires working through ideas until something sounds good. This works most of the time, but it’s limiting too. My words are flat for a long while until they start to round out with complexity. I start out with ‘See Jane run’ types of sentences. But new ideas pop into my brain, eventually. I don’t experiment with other environments because I like consistency. But I think a change in approach is exactly what I need.

The problem I have with feel versus process, is the seeming lack of discipline in feeling. This might be a stereotype. When someone tells me they just kind of feel things out I assume they’re lazy. Like someday they might not feel like working, or working a slow pace. But when a giant in the music industry says it, I take notice. It’s not a lack of discipline where Rubin is concerned. But he is more in touch with his instincts and keeps working the problem by testing and discarding.

Be a Fan

Rubin didn’t give one specific piece of technical advice. Other than his early work with LL Cool J and trying to record a raw sound, he talks purely about instinct. He comes off polished and almost seminar ready. I imagine the book he wrote forced him to evaluate his philosophy on creativity. Although the idea of the bearded Rubin at a hotel conference room pointing to a slide show paints a hilarious picture.

One more piece of advice that rang true. Don’t create for an audience other than yourself. This isn’t a quote. I’m paraphrasing because I like to personalize. He said he never created anything because he thought there was a market. He recorded hip hop albums because he was a fan of the music. He paid for a boutique pro wrestling company because he loves the sport. It never occurred to him to make tweaks or changes to appeal to the largest amount of people. Trying to figure out what people want is a recipe for disaster. When you lose the joy of making your own product, what’s the point? It doesn’t mean you can’t change course or come up with a better way to create. It just means, opinions from others shouldn’t decide your direction.

He summed up his ‘coach’ philosophy like this “How you experience the world is what makes you artist you are, or the creative person you are”.

Conclusion

Of all the advice people give, this one rings true to me more than any other. Rick Rubin essentially said, be yourself. It’s the most innocuous, banal piece of advice that you hear. It’s also the most worthwhile. Riches and fame are fleeting and difficult to achieve. If popularity is the goal you’re in it for the wrong reasons. Whatever “it” might be in your life. God created us in His image with unique talents of our own. Our creativity is a reflection of His design. When we work through our interests and take pride in creating, we Honor Him.

Now I just need to come up with ways to change my writing routine.