Fueling Creative Fire

In a seedy hotel room in Memphis, Tenn., American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond was hiding out after desperately fleeing New York City.

Diamond wasn't running from the police. He was trying to avoid the underworld that controlled his musical rights and career. Just a few years prior, he had signed with Bang Records, failing to recognize that he was being financed by some sketchy characters who wouldn't think twice about harming him.

Diamond had to produce one more album, come up with one more hit to break away, but at this particular moment, his creative juices just weren't flowing.

For several years, Diamond had wanted to write a song for his wife, Marcie, but couldn't find the right words or cords.

On a coffee table in the hotel room lay a magazine featuring a picture of little Carolina Kennedy, the daughter of deceased President John F. Kennedy, that he drew inspiration from.

Diamond began stroking his guitar and finding the proper cords and the perfect words. In a matter of a few hours, he would craft what would go on to be the hit song "Sweet Caroline."

It would ultimately save him from the mob and help make him an international sensation.

Esteemed American record producer Rick Rubin has some perspective on what transformed Diamond into essentially a creative genius.

“Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access," he writes in his book, The Creative Act. "Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It’s our birthright. And it’s for all of us.”

Diamond found a moment of creative inspiration from a single picture.

So, how do we fuel our own? To Rubin, it comes down to:

1. Being aware. Take more time to look and think. "Everything we do is based on information we take in, the experiences in life," he says. "We're always in collaboration. It's never our idea." Rubin believes when we are aware of our surroundings, we fuel our creative juices.

2. We never get our idea right the first time. "Most people equate work time with progress." Rubin claims that's not always strategically sound, though. Expediency doesn't always correlate with creativity. But when we get an idea down as quickly as possible, we create a framework, while still having opportunities to change and adjust. Our first, second, third and fourth drafts are never as good, but they allow us to find different sources of inspiration. Through being bad, we can become good.

3. Act, don't wait. Have you ever had the experience where you thought about a great business or product that solves a problem that you have, don’t do anything about it, and then see your idea emerge in the world in the next year? That’s not because the other person stole your idea, but because every idea has an appropriate time. Sometimes, the time for the idea has come.  

Finally, when we understand we're all artists, we view the world through a different lens.

“Living life as an artist is a practice. You are either engaging in the practice or you’re not. It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it," Rubin said.

"It’s like saying, 'I’m not good at being a monk.' You are either living as a monk or you’re not. We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output. The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.”

It worked for Diamond. 

And it can for us, too.