"Think of it as play. Have fun, do iterations. No thought is too small or ridiculous. Build a model in the physical world, not just in your mind's eye. Follow your excitement. If your interest wanes, experiment in a new direction. If you're excited to show it to a friend, it's ready to release into the world." — Rick Rubin (Music Producer)
"Don't try so hard. Simplicity is your best bet. Outsmarting everyone else is not the point." — Lucy Sante (Writer)
"I go to the gym to get endorphins rushing around. And, I reread a few favorite novels to get me out of my own head. Skip the drugs, dumbshit! It's not worth it and it doesn't make you any more creative just because you think you feel free." — John Cale (Musician)
"Find your own vision. Don't attempt to copy." — Roger Deakins (Oscar-winning Cinematographer)
"It's not just about me finding them. They're seeing me too. And if my energy isn't right, these people don't respond. There's a reason why we're all here together. We're reflections of each other." — Jennifer Venditti (Casting Director)
"I get ideas during the craziest times. I always have my phone within arm's reach. I always email myself. It's my to-do list. With email, I won't forget to get to it. If it's on my notepad, I might forget." — Calvin Eng (Chef)
"Creativity is not about producing ideas. Prioritize looking over making and establish a strong position. The production side is unimportant after you learn to see in a clear way." — Nile Greenberg & Michael Abel (Architects)
"You have to take things out of the realm of the theoretical. You have to get to the point where your hand can translate what's in your mind in a clear and effective way." — Alejandro Cardenas (Painter)
"Sometimes one of us will just start talking, either in character or not, until we lose steam. Often we'll just all check our notes in our phone and be quiet for a few minutes, then say something like 'Seat belts for the subway?' And nobody else will make any noise. Rinse and repeat until something mildly funny is said that we can all start riffing on." — Please Don't Destroy (Comedy Trio)
"Whatever problem you're trying to solve, make sure that you're addressing that in the most honest, pure way, because that will result in some sort of aesthetic reward, if you're good at what you do." — Derek Jenkins (Car Designer)
"A sign of a good designer lies within their ability to research. When I begin to explore is when I find the answers I am looking for. Research can be conducted in many ways. Sometimes experience is more valuable than traditional research. Often, time spent in nature helps me break through a creative rut." — Salehe Bembury (Sneaker Designer)
"Take a moment and try to remove the idea that the permanence of failure will happen if you cut something too short or too long. See it as an opportunity to be creative and adapt." — Nicole McLaughlin (Designer)
"I call friends, journalists, and especially boomers. Sometimes just explaining to an older person what I'm working on makes me frame it in a new way and unlocks angles for me." — Kaitlin Phillips (Publicist)
"I think one of the biggest challenges people have nowadays is feeling comfortable being inaccessible. And I work hard to defeat the anxiety of being inaccessible for basically two hours of the day. There are things you can place in your life that will allow that. And the communications by text or socializing in person are far more enriching when you have segmented portions of the day where that doesn't exist." — Andrew Huberman (Neuroscientist)
"I have dreams about fittings. Within the dream, it's very vivid. I know what garment it is—it's a very specific thing so I write it down. When I'm stuck, sometimes I'll have dreams about solving the problems." — Peter Do (Designer)
"A trusted collaborator—it's never too early to develop trusted collaborators!—can help you to understand when you're too close to a project, and when it's time to take a few steps back and zoom out. They can also look you in the eye and tell you that something isn't working. Surrounding yourself with 'yes' people is the enemy of true creativity." — Ashley Clark (Curatorial Director)
"Remember to enjoy the process, as that's where the real magic happens. And to keep a focus on the process, as this can lead to new pieces and clues that bring me closer to my goal." — Yuri Choi (Tailor)
"I can't tell when an idea will be coming. So, I just need to wait. And search for something inspiring, like a photo, a film, a poem, a book, art, and especially listening to the sounds of nature, rain, the wind, the birds, looking at the clouds." — Ryuichi Sakamoto (Composer)
"Nobody's born a sketch writer. It's just a format and you adjust to it. To my younger self, I would say, 'Stretch out some more, have fun,' and also: 'Dig deeper.'" — Hannibal Buress (Comedian)
"Creativity is a blue-collar job in so many ways. It's like being on a factory line. You show up and you punch the clock, day in and day out, and you try not to get too caught up in the end results or how it will be perceived. Because that's not your job! Your job is to do the thing that moves you, and to do it in the face of anything that's thrown in your direction that's trying to distract you." — Rich Roll (Athlete & Podcaster)
"All that variety is the key to keeping my mind fresh. I always say it's like a garden where you're watering the plants. If you only have tomato plants, you'll probably be sick of tomatoes, right? But if the peaches are growing, and then you have tomatoes and oranges and strawberries, you'll be excited for that next batch of produce." — Kyle Ng (Brand Founder)
"You have to believe you are the best writer alive. You have to have a vision. You have to be a visionary. Neither the publishers, nor the readers, least of all the critics, have any clue what story the world needs to hear. You have to decide that. Go into yourself, tap into exactly the story you feel needs to be told, the story that only you could tell." — Sean Thor Conroe (Writer)
"All writers are spiritual. They're trying to connect with something that, for the most part, no one else can see. It actually doesn't exist in the physical world yet." — Ramy Youssef (Writer & Comedian)
"There is no substitute for hard work, stubbornness, and a resolve to do the very best you can." — Joyce Carol Oates (Writer)