One of our regular meditators, Breesa, tipped me off to an interesting connection between meditation and pop music: Rick Rubin: Rick produces pop music of all varieties. His “clients” have included the Beastie Boys, Dixie Chicks, Metallica, LL Cool J, Eminem, Aerosmith, and Johnny Cash. So many of his productions have “gone platinum” and won awards, he is considered a “super producer.”

So what makes it possible for Rick to hear what each of these artists has to offer, build a trusting collaboration, and bring out their best? As Rick puts it, it starts with the quiet that he finds through meditation:

“I’ll spend time with an artist and listen very carefully … the more time you spend being quiet and looking in, your intuition grows and you trust it more. Messages come if you’re looking for them. Through meditation I developed the skill to know what to ask for. It’s like a knowing.”

More Rick Rubin quotes and information (and more information about the ability of meditation to enhance our ability to listen), can be found at “How Super Producer Rick Rubin Gets People To Do Their Best Work” (by Ruth Blatt, Forbes, 4/28/2014)