No Pressure
Rick Rubin has zero anxiety about his creative work. Not because he's arrogant. Because his only goal is to make something he personally likes.
If he doesn't like it, he keeps working. Eventually they get to a place where he likes it. There's no external bar to clear. No committee to please. Just his own taste.
"My only goal is to make something that I like. I know what I like. If I don't like it, I keep working."
The Diary Entry Test
Someone asked Rubin: what if other people don't like it? His answer: I don't consider them at all.
Think of everything you create as a diary entry. Would you worry that someone won't like your diary? That doesn't make sense. A diary has nothing to do with anyone else. Neither does art.
"Could I be concerned that someone else might not like my diary entry? It doesn't make sense. My diary entry has nothing to do with anyone else."
Why Big Movies Are Bad
Go to the movies. Most big-budget films are mediocre. Rubin says the reason is simple: they're not made by a person who cares. They're made by people trying to guess what someone else will like.
That's not art. That's commerce. And the irony: when you make something truly for yourself, you end up making the best possible thing for the audience too. Self-expression resonates. Calculation doesn't.
"So much of why big movies are not good — they're made by people trying to make something they think someone else is going to like. That's not how art works."