 A Reverence for Art
I recommend this book to anyone out there struggling to bring some meaning into the world and satisfaction into his or her life. This guy writes from a writer's perspective, but he's talking about anyone - any artist or any one who has a desire to create.
Here is an excerpt which shows how he ties the artist's life to the real world:
"In my younger days dodging the draft, I somehow wound up in the Marine Corps. . . Marines love to be miserable. Marines derive a perverse satisfaction in having colder chow, crappier equipment and higher casualty rates than any outfit of dogfaces, swab jockeys, or flyboys, all of whom they despise. Why? Because these candy-asses don't know how to be miserable.
The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt and humiliation.
The artist must be like that Marine. He has to know how to be miserable. He has to love being miserable. He has to take pride in being more miserable than any soldier or swabbie or jet jocky. Because this is war, baby. And war is hell."
I got a huge laugh out of that entire section, because after all my years of writing, I know how much hell it really is, rejection after rejection. It's comforting to know I'm not alone. Read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It's a hoot and a half, with a reverence towards art and a deep respect towards those of us still struggling to produce it.
 Practical inspiration for fighting resistance to creativity!
This is one of those must-have reads for any person who feels a calling to create, whether that is as a writer, artist, or entrepreneur. It's written like a 165-page daily devotional, split into 3 sections, and each page being filled with common sense practical inspiration.
The first section defines the enemy of all creators: Resistance. Section two addresses how to combat resistance by stressing the importance of "turning pro", whilst the third one covers the "higher realm" associated with creativity, particularly the role of the muse.
I had an epiphany as I read section 2. Having a strong sense of being called to write and struggling with it as a hobby, not a vocation, whilst dreaming of grandeur, I tended to think like a hobbyist and not a professional. "Turning pro" spoke to my heart: start thinking and doing like writing is my vocation, not a hobby. Yes, it's common sense and logical. One never gets any good at anything unless one adopts a professional training mindset: the 10,000 hours concept Malcolm Gladwell espouses in "Outliers". I particularly loved page 84: "A professional dedicates himself to mastering technique". I've adopted the self-help style of learning technique via using books and other materials rather than going for broke with professional help, whether that is college, mentoring, or whatever. As Pressfield states, one masters the technique "because he wants to be in possession of the full arsenal of skills when inspiration does come...He knows that by toiling beside the front door of technique, he leaves room for genius to enter by the back." Great, great, great.
This little book is full of quotable quotes and will be one of those references I re-read many times over as I strive to be the best writer that I've been called to be. And no longer do I think I am being selfish in endeavouring to do such, as Pressfield outlines, we need everyone to be the best at what they have been called to do, otherwise we are letting down ourselves, the rest of humanity for not giving them our best and God who gave us the gift and passion in the first place.
Read it. Consume it. Over and Over. You're heart will start singing with wonder.
A Must for all writers or anyone struggling with creative resistance
"The War of Art" could be subtitled the Book of Common Prayer for Procrastinators (especially writers). It has a permanent place on my nightstand, though it sometimes migrates to my desk and has even accompanied me on vacations and writers' retreats. Steven Pressfield tells it like it is when it comes to the internal battles that take place inside the will and heart of the creative person, and it's obvious that his war stories comes from one who has seen action, and lots of it. The short chapters and no-beating-about-the-bush style make this book an essential and practical shot in the arm (or, more aptly, a kick to another part of the recalcitrant artist's anatomy)to use as needed. I recommend this book to all my coaching clients who are writing books or screenplays, or who find themselves balking at sitting down to any type of creative work. As a writer myself, I find "The War of Art" still hits home (unfortunately!) after many readings. If you have ever found yourself making excuses or cleaning your baseboards instead of showing up at your desk like a pro, do not procrastinate about buying this book.
 good advice followed by kooky philosophy
I'll be honest: if I hadn't been listening to this as an audio book, and if it hadn't been a day when I was working as an extra, I wouldn't have finished this book. Not even close.
There is some good, solid advice on craft and discipline in the first few chapters, but then Pressfield starts talking about golf and angels and God and other things which, belief aside, I'm not really interested in. I don't want to hear your kooky opinions or half-baked theories about the nature of the universe. And his implication that cancer is merely a symptom of people's unfulfilled dreams is offensive to anyone who's ever lost a family member to the disease.
It's not nearly as bad as Dilbert creator Scott Adams going off the rails, but like I said, if I hadn't been stuck on set with few other entertainment options, I would have dropped it long before the end.
A Life Changer
I want to challenge the good folks out there who regard themselves as Christians and followers of Christ, myself included, to read this book. Though this book is not 'Christian' per-say, it is filled with good stuff. It will challenge your 'religious paradigm thinking' and get you back into a 'relationship paradigm experience' with Christ. Pressfield 'binds the strongmen' of; status-quo, the mundane, and fears of all kinds to allow for greater release of your already God given giftings, talents, longings, and passions already placed in you through the 'inheritance of the saints'. The 'religious Christian' has long gone to sleep and lost their joy in living. No wonder our youth are drawn to the occult and the supernatural outside of the realms of His Spirit. We Christians have too often snuffed out and squelched His Spirit within us such that He has not room to breathe nor space to move. Pressfield awakens the...'Christ in you the hope of Glory'. Go for it, trust the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth through the reading. You'll be amazed. In closing, for some of you religious/proper Christian types, get over the a-- word on the cover. Read the Gospels and try to tell me Jesus didn't kick some a--, He did, and then some.
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