A Way of Being

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A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment.”—Anne Lamott Judging by all the praise this book got, a lot of people would be really angry with my review, but I feel that this work is a classic case of a “naked king”. And I feel that the most appreciative audience for it would be either those who are only starting their creative journeys or those who are establishing themselves is gurus of creativity and are striving to be “meta”.

A Way of Being by Carl R. Rogers - Goodreads Editions of A Way of Being by Carl R. Rogers - Goodreads

Yet, the directional tendency in them can be trusted. The clue to understanding their behavior is that they are striving, in the only ways that they perceive as available to them, to move toward growth, toward becoming. To healthy persons, the results may seem bizarre and futile, but they are life’s desperate attempt to become itself. This potent constructive tendency is an underlying basis of the person-centered approach. Carl Rogers – A Way of Being (1980) p.119 Personal experiences and perspectives: Experiences in communication -- My philosophy of interpersonal relationships and how it grew -- In retrospect: forty-six years -- Growing old: or older and growing? -- Do we need "a" reality? -- Aspects of a person-centered approach: Foundations of a person-centered approach -- Empathic: Unappreciated way of being -- Building person-centered communities: Play refers to the manner in which we relate to our life journey. Play is about engaging in life with curiosity and interest, rather than achievement-centred earnestness. The need for play is underpinned by the following core principle: Principle (vi): Our obsession with measurable results is adverse to our wellbeingA gorgeous, delicious and wildly practical interrogation of the creative process. A master of his craft, Rubin supplies rich insights, sound advice, helpful suggestions and supreme comfort to anyone living to create, or endeavoring to live creatively.” —JJ Abrams In recent decades, Rubin’s lairy reductivism has mellowed into something more akin to sage-like gravitas. The barefoot, bearded enabler is now perhaps most renowned for his work coaxing late-life classics out of Johnny Cash and having a hand in Adele’s 21 and 25, and Neil Young’s latest, World Record. People are just as wonderful as sunsets if I can let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a little on the right hand corner, and put a bit more purple along the base, and use a little more pink in the cloud color." I don't do that. I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch it with awe as it unfolds. Carl Rogers In 2007, Rubin was called "the most important producer of the last 20 years" by MTV and was named on Time's list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World". urn:isbn:0547524447 Scandate 20100825044357 Scanner scribe4.sfdowntown.archive.org Scanningcenter sfdowntown Worldcat (source edition)

A Way of Being by Rick Rubin | Goodreads The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin | Goodreads

In my early professional years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth?” we cannot change, we cannot move away from what we are, until we thoroughly accept what we are. Then change seems to come about almost unnoticed.” Noticing how you notice new things is the way you make sense of your world and make new distinctions. This is how you learn to change your Way of Being by observing how your language, and emotions. moods and physiology determine the actions you can take and the results you then get. Your learning becomes adaptive when you can see the story and the interpretations you are making that aren’t getting you the result you want, and see what changes you can make to your Way of Being to make a difference. In a VUCA World, you have to react to novelty and adapt within shorter time spans. This demands more of your sensemaking than your analytical skills. Going forwardThe book is a collected series of disparate chapters by Rogers on his life, theories and encounter group sessions. I am isolated. I sit in a glass ball, I see people through a glass wall. I scream, but they do not hear me. This refers to the somewhat paradoxical idea that only by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable can we truly access experiences such as joy, love and creativity—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable, but are at the centre of wholehearted living (Brown, B, 2010). Through data collected from the life stories of over ten thousand men and women, Brené Brown found that “if we want to live and love with our whole hearts, and if we want to engage with the world from a place of worthiness, we have to talk about the things that get in the way – especially shame, fear and vulnerability” (Brown, B, 2010, p.36). This is particularly true in a competitive culture where projecting strength and perfection is ubiquitous. I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch it with awe as it unfolds. I like myself best when I can appreciate my staff member, my son, my daughter, my grandchildren, in this same way. It becomes easier for me to accept myself as a decidedly imperfect person, who by no means functions at all times in the way in which I would like to function. This must seem to some like a very strange direction in which to move. It seems to me to have value because the curious paradox is that when I accept myself as I am, then I change.”