Book Review: The War of Art

[kcsportsdoc]

Steven Pressfield's The War of Art is a book that nailed me between the eyes during the introduction and then with an alarming regularity throughout its' remaining 165 pages. As Mr. Pressfield describes the various agents and manifestations of "Resistance" (his description of that which seeks to sabotage, harass, delay, subvert and divert us from pursuing our truest calling, our first, best destiny) I realized and recognized that I was strewn throughout these pages. Again and again. My incredible ability to rationalize and distract myself from the work at hand. As he states, "It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write." If you are having trouble "sitting down to write", be it in the form of starting that business you've always dreamed of starting, or applying for dental school or completing your CST exam, then you are well and truly acquainted with Resistance.

In the first section, Mr. Pressfield describes Resistance in all its' guises. He also discusses the effects of succumbing to Resistance with historical examples and brutally frank admissions from his own life.

In the second section, strategies for overcoming Resistance are laid out in plain, simple terms that any one of us can begin implementing immediately.

The last section of the book talks about what lies beyond Resistance. And how those who can vanquish Fear and Resistance are granted access to this enhanced realm of creativity.

This book is essentially a text on how to extract yourself from the Vortex of Resistance and attain and remain, creatively, in the Upward Performance Spiral.

Now, there are some who may be somewhat put off by Mr. Pressfield's symbolic martial imagery as well as his personification of Resistance and Inspiration. He liberally uses images of Angels, Demons and Muses throughout the book and clearly thinks of this battle against Resistance as a Holy War, with Inspiration being a gift of the Divine. But the author is very clear that these are his personal beliefs and leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not Inspiration is talent or good genes or genius or an angel that sits whispering on the artist's shoulder.

And while I personally feel that fighting it is not the only means of overcoming Resistance, the imagery works for me. The symbolism of Muses and Angels is very powerful and while I'm a non-dogmatically spiritual kind of guy, I could feel my spirit rising as this book concluded. Because I know that my Resistance can be overcome. This review is at least a short-term proof of the efficacy of Mr. Pressfield's writings as Coach Sonnon asked me to post this only last night. And I've already got a good deal of writing done on another project of mine. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the "when your soul is ready for instruction, a teacher shall appear" concept. Well, I wrote in my Personal Practice Blog that one of the main motivations behind starting it was to get in the habit of writing everyday. As my wife likes to say, "Work Begets Work". So when Coach Sonnon mentioned "The War of Art" when I had made reference to how prolific he is, I though, "if it works for him, it's probably worth a look". I mean, really. How many articles can one guy come up with?

If you are fully self-actualized and are living the life you were born to lead, then you know all this information already. If you're like I am, and still face a daily battle against the lesser demons of your nature, then you may find it invaluable. For me, "The War of Art" was the right book, appearing at the right time. And while you may not wholeheartedly agree with all the concepts, based on your personal belief system, I truly believe that there are lessons here from which anyone could profit. And frankly, if it gets me off my dead kiester and producing, than what's your excuse? Steven Pressfield would say that it's just another manifestation of Resistance. So gear up and slay that dragon!

:D

Best,

Kevin

[Scott Sonnon]

Kevin,

May we publish this in CST Magazine? What a beautifully relevant review!!!

[Ryan Murdock]

Kevin,

I finally read the book - had to sit out the public library waiting list. I'd like to second your recommendation, but for different reasons.

I would have to say that the first two sections of the book contain most of the truths that I have learned about writing over the past 5 years (that's about the time when I made the leap and went "professional").

I never made Resistance out to be such a beast, it was always just there, and I struggle against it I suppose, but it never feels like the monumental battle Pressfield makes it out to be. Just the daily grind. Anyway, the simple advice that he gives in these two sections is just that - no nonsense, no glorification of "art" or "artists", just doing the work, grinding it out day after day, for the sake of the work itself. That whole bit about how your mindset changes once you opt for Professional over Amateur is very true in my experience - things change at a deep level. And all of these lessons have applied to my training life as well.

I found Part 3 much less satisfying, simply because I don't relate to all that stuff about angels and higher powers. I feel that he complicates things a bit here, contrary to the simplicity of the first two parts. That being said, you can just as easily read into it whatever metapor or explanation works for you. And the angel stuff isn't so in your face that it's distracting - the first two sections of the book are very hardboiled.

From an RMAX perspective, it should be very clear how Resistance (and other blocks to creativity) are just bound Flow, and they can take the metaphorical form of Sensory Motor Amnesia (we forget how to flow), Residual Muscular Tension (we tense up and can't get out of our own way), Fear-Reactivity (we've been injured or burned in the past, and react out of those patterns), and Myofascial Density (our creative juices have solidified due to lack of use into to a leathery immobile substance that we need to loosen up). All that stuff about connecting to the muses can be understood as learning how to get out of our own way, to flow - yes, it comes from some unknown place inside us (whether its on the mats or on paper), but in the end the Muse is just Flow, and it's a part of all of us.

Bottom line, most of the stuff in this book resonated with my own experience. Some stuff I articulated already, other stuff I felt but hadn't yet solidified into words. And some bits were totally new. It's definitely a worthwhile read.

[Ryan Murdock]

Double Post

[Ryan Murdock]

Triple Post

[Ryan Murdock]

Quadruple Post. :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Connie Brown]

From an RMAX perspective, it should be very clear how Resistance (and other blocks to creativity) are just bound Flow, and they can take the metaphorical form of Sensory Motor Amnesia (we forget how to flow), Residual Muscular Tension (we tense up and can't get out of our own way), Fear-Reactivity (we've been injured or burned in the past, and react out of those patterns), and Myofascial Density (our creative juices have solidified due to lack of use into to a leathery immobile substance that we need to loosen up). All that stuff about connecting to the muses can be understood as learning how to get out of our own way, to flow - yes, it comes from some unknown place inside us (whether its on the mats or on paper), but in the end the Muse is just Flow, and it's a part of all of us.

Nice ideas Ryan. Right into the old brain, once grokked, never forgotten.

[Ryan Murdock]

Connie,

I owe that clear analogy partly to your brilliant article in the upcoming issue of CST Mag :wink: :D