I was impatient and ordered the kindle edition of Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. It’s a book of short self-contained chapters so you can pick it up and read a blurb for a dose of inspiration. (And really, I could create a graphic this long for each chapter, it really is a quotable volume.)
Considering all the recording artists that Rubin has worked with, he doesn’t name drop. A couple of times he gives a specific example of how he has coached an artist but you are left to guess who.
In making art, the audience comes last. - Rick Rubin
This quote hit me because it reflects the difference between art as self-expression and using creative art to sell a product. As a creative professional, sometimes my copywriting or graphic recording can approach art, but it still has a purpose to sell, clarify or inform.
Yesterday I was in a session with a team and we were selecting what campaign ideas to refine. There was one campaign that was clever and everyone loved. But it was a longer read and wasn’t as clear, it wouldn’t serve the client as well. We had other campaign directions that could delight a customer and sell the product that we chose instead.