The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield: Book Summary

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This is a Book Summary on The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles - Steven Pressfield

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Author: Steven Pressfield
Publication Date: January 11, 2012

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BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul. hat keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor—be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece? Bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success. The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline. Think of it as tough love . . . for yourself. Whether an artist, writer or business person, this simple, personal, and no-nonsense book will inspire you to seize the potential of your life.

Product Details:
Book Summary by FlashBooks: http://getflashnotes.com
Paperback: 190 pages
Publisher: Black Irish Entertainment LLC (January 11, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936891026
ISBN-13: 978-1936891023
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,802 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#4 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Creativity & Genius
#6 in Books > Self-Help > Creativity
#35 in Books > Self-Help > Success

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More About the Author
› Visit Amazon's Steven Pressfield Page
Steven Pressfield
Biography
Steven Pressfield is the author of Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, The Profession, The Lion's Gate, The War of Art, Turning Pro, The Authentic Swing, Do the Work and The Warrior Ethos. His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was adapted for screen. A film of the same title was released in 2000, directed by Robert Redford and starring Matt Damon, Will Smith and Charlize Theron.His father was in the Navy, and he was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943. Since graduating from Duke University in 1965, he has been a U.S. Marine, an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, attendant in a mental hospital and screenwriter. His struggles to earn a living as a writer (it took seventeen years to get the first paycheck) are detailed in The War of Art, Turning Pro and The Authentic Swing.
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Genres: Writing, Self Help, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Professional Development, Personal Growth, Business

Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2015

Reviews

[Stella Celentano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read. Very inspiring. Most important things I gained from this book:
1. We are always facing resistance externally and internally but you just have to ignore it and do what you’re called to do.
2. We are really good at rationalizing why we shouldn’t follow our passions or chase our dreams.
3. You have to be a professional in your field. If you treat your passions like a hobby, they’re never going to be anything more than that.
4. Ask yourself if the things you do are to impress others or because they fuel you. If you were the last person left on earth, would you still do that thing?

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author came highly recommended to me which perhaps made me judge him more severely. I found his boil don approach to all struggle essentially coming from individual resistance rather reductive.

[Erin McNulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a really good book and it really inspired me to get back into painting and not to be an amateur but be a professional surprisingly one of my favorite quotes from this book was

“it was easier for Hitler to start World War II that it was for him to face a blank Square canvas”

I also like the quote “or maybe we are hoping to use our mate as a model maybe we believe or wish we could that some of our spouses power will rub off on us if we just hang around it long enough “ made me realize I was putting too much pressure on my partner to inspire me when really I need to inspire myself.

[Leanne Geurts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative BattlesSteven Pressfield

I loved this book very much. The copy I received was rather screwed up and I was about to toss it, it missed a few pages in the beginning and had no intention of reading it to begin with. A friend had noted that this book had a strong religious motivation. However, as I had finished the first few chapters (yeah couldn't help myself, I sat on a small stool in the back of the library as I waited for my son who not only takes forever on the toilet but also at the library so what the heck), I didn't find any religious referrals.
So, I asked the librarian if I could take the book home and since she couldn't scan it without front of back cover I took it home.

Although quite elaborate Pressfield makes a compelling argument for (lack of) motivation and how to deal with this. Pressfield mentions 'art' and artists for his target group but it's clear he means writers and writing. As I came out of a bout of flu I lacked any motivation to work, to edit or to write and I can say that this book has motivated me pick up where I left and continue what writers do: plough through the editing and think about what the end product is going to be. Hopefully...

I would recommend this book to anyone who is demotivated in his or her work for sure. The referrals to religion is only to illustrate and Pressfield will not try to convince you to book a trip to the Vatican or circle around the Kabah.

I give it a five star as Pressfield knows what he is talking about in this book and helped me get back on track with writing.

[David Joannes · Rating 5 out of 5]

TARGET AUDIENCE
The demographic that the author speaks to are not only aspiring artists and creatives—although at times it may seem that way. He speaks to everyone, everywhere; to those who know that there is a higher calling and something inside them that needs to be realized. Still, I think most readers will be the unsatisfied strugglers who are looking to get a little further down the road of their creative calling, be them businessmen and businesswomen, writers, painters, stay-at-home moms and men who are frustrated with their nine to five.

CONTENT QUALITY
Talk about a swift kick in the backside! Wow, no wonder this book has so many high ratings on Amazon. It was definitely not what I was expecting. The layout and style were very unique, tending to feel like more of a free ebook you’d find on the sidebar of a motivational speaker. But it’s much more than that.

MESSAGE CLARITY
There are three “books” within the covers of The war of Art. Book one, Resistance: Defining the Enemy; Book 2, Combatting Resistance: Turning Pro; Book 3, Beyond Resistance: The Higher Realm. I found the message clearly defined because the author reiterated certain points about the forces that are against anyone trying to do anything of artistic importance. What generally tends to happen when an author reiterates a point is that the book feels redundant. I did not find this to be the case in part because of his creative writing style, language selection, and articulations about the force of Resistance. Over and over, his message is explicit: “Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.” It is clear that the author has explored multiple life themes through his many other (mostly fictional) works. He himself is the “professional” that he describes, for “There’s no mystery to turning pro. It’s a decision brought about by an act of will. We make up our minds to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.”

CREATIVE STYLE
This book was definitely creative. Like I said, it was not what I was expecting. I felt that it broke many literary “rules” and brought a new approach to motivational thought. At times I felt that I was reading a daily journal/devotional. Other times it seemed like I had Reader’s Digest in my hands. The author communicates that in simply doing the work inspiration will come. He speaks in terms of “the Muse”, angels, God, a Higher Power, the Self Consciousness, Buddha, etc. This is to me where the water of reasoning grows murky. I agree that inspiration comes as we sit down to do the work. And although the author put it in terms that everyone could accept, it is clear that he himself is the ultimate pantheist, appeasing his demographic with strokes so broad that in the end, We’re left to wonder where inspiration truly comes from. Although this is one of my (few) qualms with the book, I was not overly turned off by the approach. I just felt it a generic approach to explaining the method through which inspiration comes.

LANGUAGE SELECTION
The author’s references and writing style is masterful. He pulls from an array of experience, history and culture with such ease that, though the reader may not be thoroughly familiar with his references, the seamlessness of the thought is lucid. I was challenged by some of his terminology—something I look for in a good book.

OVERALL IMPACT
I have been challenged by this book, not with abstract ideas but with a simple approach: just sit down and do the work. Even after I have completed the book it feels too simple. But it’s not. I am encouraged to get busy with my calling and do what I am made to do. Then to offer the work of my hands to God (or to the gods, as the author puts it.) In fact, as soon as I’m done writing this review, I’m going to continue penning my second book!

10 POINT RATING
I give The War of Art a 9/10.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is divided into three parts. In the foreward to the book, Robert McKee comes right out and says where he agrees with Pressfield (parts one and two) and where he doesn't (part three). I think McKee is spot on. For me, part three feels like the kind of hand wavy, unfalsifiable nonsense that Deepak Chopra sells. More on that later.

In the first part, Pressfield talks plainly about forces artists struggle with. He calls these forces "Resistance". Some of these familiar forces are procrastination, why we find excuses not to do the work, our self-doubt and self-sabotage. I found this easy to understand and identify with, and what we know about the human mind and psychology seemed in line with his writing. It really resonated with me.

The second part outlines his ideas around what separates the professional from the amateur. Again, Pressfield comes at the reader with cold truths. Several chapters hit me like a sledgehammer and will stay with me for a long time.

Part three ("The Higher Realm") is where things kind of went sideways for me. In these chapters, Pressfield wanders in to some iffy areas (e.g. Jungian psychology, social structures of animals, spiritual claims) in a final crescendo to his thesis. He selects parts of these fields in a kind of pop-science interpretation that just didn't land for me. In the first two parts he subtly suggests a higher plane of reality where the true source of artistry lies. It all comes to a head in a chapter called The Fruits of Our Labor, where he invokes God, along with new, undefined terms "Higher Reality," "the Mystery," "the Infinite," and "the Void" to explain the source of artists' work. Here's where I finally understood what McKee was talking about in the foreward. Pressfield feels there's a mystical source of art and creativity. McKee and I don't. We think it's accessible right here in this world.

In the end, this is an example of one of those books where you take what resonates with you, and leave the rest. The parts I connected with and needed to hear outshine the bits that didn't.

[Kelli Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This is a review of the real book, not the summary.)
This is my go-to book every couple of years or sometimes when I need a good, "you aren't alone in this now get to work" slap in the butt. I struggle hardcore with Resistance and have been in a long pursuit of why it happens and how to just move on. This is one of those books that you don't want to end, and really, there's no reason why you can't just keep rereading it. There is a calmness and spiritualness when you read this book. You find yourself smiling when you realize that you aren't crazy you just need to get to work. Not enough great things can be said about this one.

[Tirui Getekian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the actual book and not the summary.

An elegant explanation of what goes on during the creative process, what happens when it is blocked, and how to push through.

The guidance here is perfect. I learned from every chapter, no disappointment ever lay ahead.

Although the writing is clear and concise, this took me long to finish because so much of what was said was so thought provoking that I had to stop and enjoy it for a while before I moved forward.

I will absolutely reread this.

[Crystal Behring · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like a journal someone wrote to themselves and should reference if they’re ever feeling stuck.
I found it unhelpful and egotistic.
It shocked me to see all the high ratings!
Only reason it not a 1 star is because I can see it being helpful to some, which is better than none.

[Gray Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has changed my life in the month after reading. Excited to see if it continues to do so. A lot of great insight into the things that hold us back from even starting projects. Also has great advice on ways to approach your process that worked great for me.

[Pushpa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Creative work is...a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got." —Steven Pressfield

[Berta Boller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've set my calendar to read it again in 6 months, and then again in 6 months, and then again.........

[Strick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Tori Ganey · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first it was very insightful, but when he started talking about "the muse" he began rambling and lost me frankly.

[Hannah Rose]

Highlighted some profound foundational philosophies on resistance and fear. Digestible, though the tone was slightly preachy.

[Amy Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need some mojo? Read this.

[Erkhemsaikhan Altangerel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Уруу татах хүчний тухай … товчхондоо дотоод залхуурал

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved Big Magic, you’ll love The War of Art!

[James Binz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A terrific book for the artist. Love the Summary idea. Last section was a little odd - not sure I agree with it. But sections 1 and 2 were truly inspirational.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esile, molto sintetico, niente di inedito.

[Terri Gibbons · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first section of the book I wasn’t that into. I couldn’t really relate it to my own life. The second and third sections had me hooked. I felt empowered and motivated when I finished it.

[Kianga Elemar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to digest, the psychology of creativity and work debugged. To read and re-read.

[Anton Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It’s a quick read but offers a profound understanding of how resistance plays a powerful role in shaping our life experiences.

[Yakin Frh]

A must read for all beginner or struggling writers.

[Kristen Hamlin]

This book talks about conquering resistance. It has some cheesy background music but the story is good. I really related to it from an athletic perspective. And that helps me connect it to work and art. Resistance causes self sabotage and basically the book teaches you how to become a pro. And that’s where athletics helps. But to beat resistance you need to treat your art like a job. Which it is. And become pro. The last part of the book is about overcoming resistance and talks about higher powers like god. Which I believe in.

[Alexandra Norwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not the book I expected. After I started reading, it seemed to take a strange turn. I decided to research the author, and after I did, the book and perspective made a lot more sense. I am not a fan of how easily the writer dismissed things like depression and anxiety.

[Dean Bokhari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent summary

The war of art is an awesome book. This is an awesome book summary with actionable insights for anyone who's too busy to read the entire book.

I also listened to the audio summary on to review any big ideas I may have missed.

Tip: if you go to the publisher's website, http://getflashnotes.com you can get access to all the book summaries on the site for 7 days for a buck.

[James Corrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One heck of o book and well worth the time to read it. If you want your life to be insink and not in the sink then this is a must read. I highly recommend this book.

Good read and a real eye opener into yourself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to break free from the self imposed chains of bondage.