86 - Zoom in and obsess; zoom out and observe
Explore how shifting between deep focus and broad awareness can transform your creative and strategic work. This episode draws on Rick Rubin’s insights to help you see, think, and build differently in 60 seconds.
Zoom in and obsess; zoom out and observe
One of the most significant challenges and powers in the creative process is knowing when to go deep and when to step back.
In this episode of Pattern Cognition, we reflect on one of the most potent insights from Rick
Rubin’s The Creative Act:
“Zoom in and obsess. Zoom out and observe. We get to choose.”
This quote isn’t just poetic. It’s practical. It’s a lens through which artists, entrepreneurs, designers, and leaders can operate more intentionally.
Let’s break it down:
Zooming in is about precision.
It’s obsessing over the rhythm of a sentence, the color grading of a film, or the final mile of a logistics operation. This is where detail matters, craft matters, and mastery is built.Zooming out is about perspective.
It’s seeing how everything connects. It’s strategy. It’s pattern recognition. It’s understanding how the product fits into the market or how your values shape your leadership.
Most people get stuck in one mode, constantly grinding in the weeds or endlessly floating in the clouds. But the most effective creators and thinkers move fluidly between both. They obsess over the micro and rise to see the macro.
And here’s the most empowering part:
We get to choose.
When we intentionally switch perspectives, we unlock a new kind of thoughtful and scalable creativity. This principle applies whether we're writing a book, building a startup, launching a product, or designing a campaign.
This episode offers a fast but foundational insight that can reframe your entire approach to creativity and execution.
Take 60 seconds. Tune in. And start choosing your vantage point with purpose.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction to Rick Rubin's Creative Insights
00:06 Zoom In and Zoom Out: Shifting Perspectives
00:13 The Importance of Perspective in Creativity
00:27 Balancing Strategy and Ideation
00:34 Deep Focus in the Creative Process
Links:
Website: https://www.sidmofya.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidmofya/
Transcript:
Five of my favorite quotes from Rick Rubin's book The Creative Act. Number one, zoom in and obsess, zoom out and observe. We get to choose. So this one matters to me because it highlights the importance of shifting perspective in the creative process, allowing for both. Deep focus and broad and high awareness.
So the difference between strategy and ideation and long range planning, which I absolutely love. And then also going deep into, I. The creation and obsessing over the words of a song, the specific shades of color on a website, the steps of a customer journey, which I also love, and I, I love the, the fact that you can zoom in and zoom out and get to create in different ways from both vantage points.