More philosophical than tactical. Coated in a veneer of zen. Rubin shares his perspectives and beliefs about creativity. I appreciated a handful of wise nuggets, but most came across as either obvious or so generic as to not be useful. His tendency to cover all the bases wore thin: For some people A works, for others the opposite of A, and for others in-between A and the opposite of A is the right choice. He was also adamant about citing examples covering at least 3 media types — music, writing and painting/sculpture — on most points when only one example was really needed (just vary the medium as you make your points). Themes began to overlap and feel repetitive towards the end. Very short chapters and clear writing. Mostly just meh for me.