The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles Paperback – January 11, 2012

The first time in 109 reviews that I have ever said, "you Must read this book"!

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Brian Johnson

August 18, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

"Kabbalists believe that above every blade of grass is an angel crying "Grow! Grow!" I'll go further. I believe that above the entire human race is one superangel, crying "Evolve! Evolve!""

"The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear, then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there's no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist. What Henry Fonda does, after puking into the toilet in his dressing room, is to clean up and march out onstage. He's still terrified but he forces himself forward in spite of his terror. He knows that once he gets out into the action, his fear will recede and he'll be okay."

~ Steven Pressfield from The War of Art

This is the 109th review I've created. Up to this point, I've made a lot of strong recommendations on books I think you'd love but I've never said you *must* read a particular book.

I'm gonna break that streak here.

If you're a creative person, you need to read this book. It's that good. And, when I say "creative person" I mean anyone who's committed to creating an authentically awesome life. (And, given the fact that you're reading this, my hunch is that clearly means YOU!)

I'm not sure how many times I've read The War of Art over the years but it's a lot. Each time I pick it up I get a swift kick in the creative butt and my life takes a significant step forward.

As the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and a number of great best-selling novels (my favorite beyond Bagger Vance is Gates of Fire--an incredible portrayal of the classic Spartan warriors), Steven Pressfield knows what it's like to create. He has an extraordinary way of capturing the challenges we face in the War of Art--along with the means by which we can overcome those obstacles (or, as he calls it "Resistance"). Powerful stuff.

Here's just a few of the Big Ideas:

1. Throwing Up - It happens.
2. Work & Its By-Products - Let results take care of themselves.
3. True Love - The amateur vs. the professional.
4. It's 9 O'Clock - Time for inspiration to strike.
5. Time to Turn Pro - A checklist.

To find 250+ more reviews visit http://bit.ly/BrianReviews

110 people found this helpful

A lot of useless blabber from a very opinionated person

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Christina

June 7, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A lot of useless blabber from a very opinionated person. I didn't like the forceful harsh tone and very small chapters feel jumpy, scattered and are clearly meant to bulk up the content. The writing is not so good.
This may inspire someone for a few hours but doesn't offer any real pearls of wisdom or solutions.
Also the author's views on depression and illness are simplified and sort of condescending and demeaning to people who really suffer from serious medical conditions.
I wish there was more free preview included - I wouldn't have bought it if I had a better idea of what's inside.

16 people found this helpful

Nowhere nearly as good as the hype

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Bob

February 13, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I guess I'm one of the few who did not enjoy this book. First off, I'm not a fan of the format. Instead of a narrative that you follow through the book, it's more like a collection of pieces of advice, or a collection of aphorisms. Some of them are quite good, while others are more obvious, and you likely already know them. Some pages have just a paragraph or two, while others go a little deeper, and may have a supporting story or illustration.

The central idea is that creatives are constantly at war with resistance. It's the thing that holds you back from doing what you should be doing. I have no problem with that concept, and I think it's really good that the author points out a lot of characteristics of how resistance stops us from achieving. However, I didn't really like how the author anthropomorphized resistance. As a literary mechanism, I guess that's somewhat helpful, but I think he took it too far.

My last major objection is the way he brings mysticism into it all. He proposes that artists (and writers in particular) are merely the conduit for the muse or the gods or whatever to get their art into the world. Even the person who wrote the book's introduction didn't agree with this premise, but it turned out to be a lot bigger part of the book than I expected, and I found it to be a turn-off. I was glad that the book was as short as it was.

Obviously a lot of people like this book, but I just did not see the appeal. To each his own, I guess.

4 people found this helpful

Stop Procrastinating, The End.

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Joy

November 22, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Book basically says stop procrastinating, but in a weird way personifying Resistance with a capital R over and over again. Doesn't give any advise, guidelines, practical tips on how to actually follow the advice of the book.

8 people found this helpful

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