Review Party Recommends: The War of Art
We all have passions we don’t give enough time to. They’re the things we think we’ll get around to once we take a few days off. Or once work settles down, or the seasons change, or the house gets painted, the garage cleaned, the this, the that, the anything but the thing I really want to do.
We feel you. We are you. We are all creative spirits filled with ideas and it’s agony holding them in, isn’t it? But it’s also like pulling teeth actually getting something done, right?
Well get ready for what Esquire calls “a kick in the ass.”
What Gives?
Us. Us gives. Us gives advice, and our advice is to take the advice you will find in this short book. But don’t worry, we’ll sell you on it a bit first.
First of all, appreciate the title: The War of Art. It’s a clever play on the famous text by Sun Tzu, The Art of War. If strategy is your game, go for that one. But if creation excites you more than destruction, go with Pressfield’s book. It’s for writers who don’t write, painters who don’t paint, and anyone else who wants to do what they (for some reason) can’t bring themselves to do.
How does that happen? By reframing the obstacles that get in your way. Whether you call if procrastination, laziness, or a fear of failure, it all boils down to resistance. Resistance is what is in the way of your success, and resistance knows just what to whisper in your ear to break you down into itty bitty pieces, incapable of realizing your goals and dreams.
And how do you beat resistance? By going pro. That doesn’t mean you need to quit your day job, but to treat your passion the same way you treat work.
What’s that mean?
Here’s an example: I hate my job, yet I show up every day, put in the time, and lo, work gets done. A lot of work. I love to write, and care deeply that what I write is good. So I’m crippled from doing anything, lest the result fail to meet my expectations. What if I just put in the hours writing and worried about the result when I finished? Might I actually get something done? I think I might.
There IS a reason this blog gets written every week. Because it’s treated as work. Enjoyable, sure, but my life does not depend on it. And that’s why it gets done.
Pressfield’s writing is quick and to the point. The pages go quickly. Sure, he can exaggerate to land a point, but that’s just writing, isn’t it? Not everything will land for you, but plenty will. Simple terms, simple concepts, just a reframing of the battles you constantly wage with yourself. Your war of art.
With this book in hand, you just might win it.
