The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Chapter 9 explores the idea that the artist’s daily life must include immersion in the canon to calibrate the artist to greatness. The canon of great works includes literature, cinema, painting, architecture, or any compendium of classical artworks. However, the canon is not static, so the artist should continually seek out new and important pieces of work.

Chapter 10 advises artists to immerse themselves in nature, which holds an infinite amount of inspiration and energy from which the artist can draw. Even the smallest details on a leaf or in the flight of a bird can energize the artist with limitless inspiration. The natural world is infinite, and thus, as the artist becomes attuned to it, they deepen their connection to the universe.

Chapter 11 communicates how the world and humans are ever-changing. Rubin writes, “You can’t step into the same stream twice because it’s always flowing. Everything is” (56). This quote, originally attributed to Heraclitus, expresses the idea that the repetition of past experiences is impossible because of constant change. The responsibility of the artist is to find the contours and textures of change through a practice of constant