31 Secrets to Unlocking Your Creativity
GQ US|April - May 2023
Thirty-three of our favorite artists, writers, musicians, designers, and big thinkers share the mysterious rituals and dirty tricks behind their greatest work.
By Ohni Lisle
31 Secrets to Unlocking Your Creativity

Creativity can feel ineffable. Mysterious. Elusive. A "you have it or you don't" type of thing. In reality, it's for everyone. A muscle you need to work like any other. But how? We asked our favorite creative minds to share the rules they return to again and again. The tricks that help them get inspired, stay productive, and translate good ideas into masterworks. Indie film king Jim Jarmusch, comedian Ramy Youssef, and novelist Joyce Carol Oates think you should take a walk. Others say you should trust your gut. Write everything down. Be your most radical self. With this brain trust, we assembled GQ's "Secrets to Unlocking Your Creativity." So open your mind. Find your inner genius. And for the love of God, go for a walk.

1 Just Try

There is no dark art to creating, according to Rick Rubin, the sui generis record producer who wrote a whole book on the subject (The Creative Act: A Way of Being, out now). His advice? Just go for it. "Think of it as play," says Rubin. "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."

2 But Don't Try Too Hard

What would Lucy Sante, writer and author of the singular history Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York, have done differently when she was just starting out? "Don't try so hard. Simplicity is your best bet. Outsmarting everyone else is not the point."

3. STEP OUT OF YOUR MIND

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM GQ USView all
SHABOOZEY THE BIG SHA BANG
GQ US

SHABOOZEY THE BIG SHA BANG

Shaboozey spent months at the tippy-top of the charts with a hit song about dealing with hard times the easy way: by hitting the bar. He sang on a couple songs with Beyoncé too. So we asked the one and only SHANIA TWAIN to help country's biggest new star make sense of his explosive year.

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
HANNAH EINBINDER BORN STANDING UP
GQ US

HANNAH EINBINDER BORN STANDING UP

With her star turn on Hacks, the comic turned actor has established herself as one of Hollywood's most exciting young talents-much to her own surprise.

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Katt Williams The Man Who Opened The Portal
GQ US

Katt Williams The Man Who Opened The Portal

In January, the comic delivered an instantly iconic podcast interview that threw pop culture into crisis-and seemed to predict all manner of messy celebrity gossip to come. At home on his farm, Williams explains why he said what he said— and why he'd do it again, and again, and again....

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
JOHN DAVID & MALCOLM WASHINGTON A NEW HOLLYWOOD DYNASTY
GQ US

JOHN DAVID & MALCOLM WASHINGTON A NEW HOLLYWOOD DYNASTY

The Washington brothers built their careers apart—until an irresistible project drew them together. In The Piano Lesson, they tackle a father's thorny legacy.

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
FUTURE & METRO BOOMIN'S HISTORIC Hit STREAK
GQ US

FUTURE & METRO BOOMIN'S HISTORIC Hit STREAK

What happens when the best rapper alive reunites with the hottest producer of the moment? You get a back-to-back-to-back run unlike any since the Beatles.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
PHARRELL WILLIAMS Designer of the Year
GQ US

PHARRELL WILLIAMS Designer of the Year

Riding along from Paris to Hollywood to New York with the Louis Vuitton *men's creative director, whose prolific and often prophetic contributions to fashion, film, and music have once again thrust him to the center of the pop culture Venn diagram.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
JOHN MULANEY. KID GORGEOUS GROWS UP
GQ US

JOHN MULANEY. KID GORGEOUS GROWS UP

After immortalizing the whirlwind of the past four yearsrelapse, intervention, recovery-in his awardwinning standup special, John Mulaney has emerged as one of the most popular comedians on earth. For his next trick, he's embracing his surprising new role as a suburban dad.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
DWAYNE JOHNSON THE WORLD'S BIGGEST Actor
GQ US

DWAYNE JOHNSON THE WORLD'S BIGGEST Actor

It's hard for Dwayne Johnson to hide. Wherever he goes, there he is― as conspicuous out in the world as he is on the silver screen. But after two decades of playing a version of himself in huge movies, suddenly Dwayne Johnson is ready to do something entirely new: vanish.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
How the WNBA Became the Most Fun, Complicated, and Exciting League in Sports
GQ US

How the WNBA Became the Most Fun, Complicated, and Exciting League in Sports

Caitlin Clark! A'ja Wilson! Angel Reese! This year, women's hoops emerged as a dominant popcultural force. But the road to sports-league supremacy has been long and winding. This is the inside story of how the W finally broke through.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
A Companion for Your Wrist
GQ US

A Companion for Your Wrist

Audemars Piguet's new release with artist Brian Donnelly, a.k.a. KAWS, brings high-art hype to the world of pop-watch collabs.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025