The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-21 12:54:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Steven Pressfield
- ISBN：1936891026
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The Art of War meets "The Artist's Way" in this no-nonsense， profoundly inspiring guide to overcoming creative blocks of every kind。
Reviews
Liv
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4。5this book destroyed me and then rebuilt me in a manner of weeks。 i think about these words a lot。 thank you good night。
Ulises Lugo
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Control what you can control， grind and pray。 That's it！ Amazing book Control what you can control， grind and pray。 That's it！ Amazing book 。。。more
Marci Lambert
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Some helpful infoI like thinking about procrastination as Resistance and as something to rise up against when you are in pursuit of art， or anything you are trying to achieve。 Labeling is the start to being able to conquer it。
Cams
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I’m utterly blown away by this book。 It explains way better than I ever could the exact philosophy I wrote about drunkenly to my now wife back when I was coming to understand my alcoholism and my relationship to my higher power。
Kody
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timely， concise。 A pocket book to reflect on。
Nick
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At first it was ok he talked about the basics of procrastinating but after the first couple chapters it turned into a rant about the differences between a professional and a novice
Rants & Reviews
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This book， just like art， must follow the axiom: beauty is in the eye of the beholder。 I don’t want to trash this book too much because there are probably people out there who were inspired to be better and do better after reading。 That’s great。 I’m happy for them。BUT， for me this book was absolute eye-roll， physical pain inducing garbage。 Yes， resistance is real。 I suffered resistance while trying to finish this book。 I had to overcome the resistance of abandoning it multiple times。 I don’t see This book， just like art， must follow the axiom: beauty is in the eye of the beholder。 I don’t want to trash this book too much because there are probably people out there who were inspired to be better and do better after reading。 That’s great。 I’m happy for them。BUT， for me this book was absolute eye-roll， physical pain inducing garbage。 Yes， resistance is real。 I suffered resistance while trying to finish this book。 I had to overcome the resistance of abandoning it multiple times。 I don’t see any data， any research， any compelling or unique trains of thought。 What I see is an author talking out of his a$$ about how Hitler wouldn't have been a bad guy if he had just stopped procrastinating and committed to being an artist， and how Lance Armstrong overcame cancer and resistance to win 3 Tour De France titles; let’s not give any credit to his advanced steroid regime。I’ll be honest， I only read this book because it was recommended by a friend。 I normally am repulsed by self-help books， so I’m probably not the right audience for this。 But at least I did learn something from reading: no more self-help books ever again。S-， Language-6， Ideas-2， C-， Enjoyment-2， Overall-3 。。。more
John
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Great start。 The mysticism lost me by the end， but the book did rekindle the fire。 Only took me about 2 hrs to read on a plane， so even if you don't love it， you won't be sacrificing much time。 And reading books about doing your work is a type of resistance， so skip the third section and get back to creating！ Great start。 The mysticism lost me by the end， but the book did rekindle the fire。 Only took me about 2 hrs to read on a plane， so even if you don't love it， you won't be sacrificing much time。 And reading books about doing your work is a type of resistance， so skip the third section and get back to creating！ 。。。more
Book Rix
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The author did a great job。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Kaelob
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Got a problem with wanting to do something but you’re just not feeling it？ Writer block？ Painting block？ Gym？ This book will help you get through the resistance you’re feeling when you try to do those things。。。It’s a true eye opening and it really changes your perspective in things。 As Esquire quoted on the book， “A vital gem。。。 a kick in the ass。” It’s exactly that。
Ty
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Far from the thick and intricate thesis on artistic activity that I prepared myself for， the collection of short， earnest essays and the total lack of ostentation conspired both introspection and inspiration in me。 High recommendation for anyone in any field of the arts。
R。M。 Bryan
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It's helpful。 The information is in small chunks， which has benefits， but prevented me from getting into a flow with the book。 It was chunk， chunk， chunk。 Which can be good sometimes。 It did not lead me to have a spontaneous and towering epiphany that burst the dam and let loose all the creativity of my hopes and dreams， but it did give me a few good tips and reminded me of some things that work well I'd forgotten。 It's helpful。 The information is in small chunks， which has benefits， but prevented me from getting into a flow with the book。 It was chunk， chunk， chunk。 Which can be good sometimes。 It did not lead me to have a spontaneous and towering epiphany that burst the dam and let loose all the creativity of my hopes and dreams， but it did give me a few good tips and reminded me of some things that work well I'd forgotten。 。。。more
Eric Ness
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Great take on how to overcome your unconscious blocks and put yourself out into the world。
Rachel Tielemans
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This is a good inspirational book。 Makes you want to do everything that you have been saying you are going to do。 Makes you want to fight the resistance that is stopping you and go to work。 I would recommend it。
Emma Hinkle
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Interesting little book that encourages you to keep doing whatever creative pursuit that interests you and to not let resistance stop you！
Peter Nelson
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This book is dangerous。 Like the knife in the hand of a chef， or a sword in the hand of a warrior， this book goes where it needs to go。 You may not like it。 If you don't like it， there is a strong likelihood that it is exactly what you need to hear。 This book is called The War of Art， but what people miss is that it is not just for the one who calls themselves an artist。 The words of this book are as true for the one who wields the pen， as the brush， as the hammer and chisel， or the torch for je This book is dangerous。 Like the knife in the hand of a chef， or a sword in the hand of a warrior， this book goes where it needs to go。 You may not like it。 If you don't like it， there is a strong likelihood that it is exactly what you need to hear。 This book is called The War of Art， but what people miss is that it is not just for the one who calls themselves an artist。 The words of this book are as true for the one who wields the pen， as the brush， as the hammer and chisel， or the torch for jewelry， or the trowel for a garden。 And also for the warrior who dares to get out of bed and go off to do what gives them meaning。 If you've ever believed that there was meaning in you facing dragons， hordes， and deep darkness， then you need to read this book （or listen to the audiobook。。。）。 In a very short space of time， I expect you will have asked yourself some fundamental questions that will shake your view of life。 Will you look with an open eye， or will you look away？ 。。。more
Sudhanshu
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The thesis is that Resistance is a cunning， powerful force that we all have to confront。 There will always be some friction when producing quality work。 Deal with it - put in the work。 Beyond that， this book was a complete word salad， teeming with excessive references to angels and the Muse。Pressfield has a peculiarly warped， Hellenocentric view of the world。 "It was only with the advent of modernity starting with the Ancient Greeks that such [intellectual] matters ascended。" Beyond the discou The thesis is that Resistance is a cunning， powerful force that we all have to confront。 There will always be some friction when producing quality work。 Deal with it - put in the work。 Beyond that， this book was a complete word salad， teeming with excessive references to angels and the Muse。Pressfield has a peculiarly warped， Hellenocentric view of the world。 "It was only with the advent of modernity starting with the Ancient Greeks that such [intellectual] matters ascended。" Beyond the discounting of other human cultures， what， I suppose， offended （？） me was the fact that Pressfield assumes that our "savage" or "barbaric" ancestors （his words， not mine） did not contemplate questions like the meaning of life or our position in the universe。 To believe that our "non-civilized"， nomadic ancestors never thought about these existential questions is ridiculous。 Google 'cave painting' and look at the detail with which these people from all continents examined their world。 The stories and theories they came up with about creation。 I refuse to believe that our pre-agrarian ancestors were just mere brutes。 The outlandish glorification of artists is another embarrassing element。 The following quote left me stunned: “For Hitler it was easier to start WWII than stare at a blank piece of canvas。" As I read this quote， I， alone in the room， impulsively exclaimed "Come on dude， the fuck。" 😂 Guy literally compared arts and crafts to statecraft。 A lot of cringe gems in this book。Enough of this。 I just can't。 HEY MUSE！ Don't visit Pressfield next time。 。。。more
John Hanson
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The author is right that fear is the writer's greatest enemy and it shows up in subtle ways。 His recommendation that writers treat writing as a profession is helpful， and he gives several pointers。 But the rest of this is a mess。 It's a mixture of philosophy and spiritualism （which he doesn't even bother trying to link to creating art）， and his own take on psychological and business topics （hierarchical versus flat management）。 His ego-self-？？？ ramblings make no sense at all。 Still， the first ha The author is right that fear is the writer's greatest enemy and it shows up in subtle ways。 His recommendation that writers treat writing as a profession is helpful， and he gives several pointers。 But the rest of this is a mess。 It's a mixture of philosophy and spiritualism （which he doesn't even bother trying to link to creating art）， and his own take on psychological and business topics （hierarchical versus flat management）。 His ego-self-？？？ ramblings make no sense at all。 Still， the first half of the book drilled home how fear does suck the life out of artists， so that is good。 That is the one star。 There are very few books I want to biff at walls as I read them。 This was one of them。 。。。more
Greg Streech
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An excellent look at the battles with ourselves to create our work。 While focused on the writer， the thinking and philosophy is transferable to all work that requires thinking and/or creativity。
Roxi
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Dumbest book I've read in a long time。 Makes a lot of insanely stupid assertions。 Leans very heavily on the mystical and I'm doing so， absolves a person of all responsibility while at the same time， detracts all credit for skill and effort。 Awful。 Dumbest book I've read in a long time。 Makes a lot of insanely stupid assertions。 Leans very heavily on the mystical and I'm doing so， absolves a person of all responsibility while at the same time， detracts all credit for skill and effort。 Awful。 。。。more
Spencer Orey
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Hmm。 This book is full of terrible and dangerous advice。 Please please please don't stop taking your meds just because a random writer bro tells you to。That said， when I read this， it immediately made me get back to writing。 So it did accomplish its goal。I guess if you feel stuck and unable to pursue what you want to do AND you're capable of sifting out bad advice， it's worth a read。 It definitely kicks you into just going for it。 Hmm。 This book is full of terrible and dangerous advice。 Please please please don't stop taking your meds just because a random writer bro tells you to。That said， when I read this， it immediately made me get back to writing。 So it did accomplish its goal。I guess if you feel stuck and unable to pursue what you want to do AND you're capable of sifting out bad advice， it's worth a read。 It definitely kicks you into just going for it。 。。。more
Kimi
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I wouldn't recommend this book。 At first it starts out good。 There's some good advice on how to really get your writing going and to make it through writing a book or what not。 However， it then just becomes overly repetitive， saying the same things again and again。 But the worst was that he has a very bad and unhealthy view of mental health disorders。 Essentially saying they're all made up and you need to stop making excuses。 This is a very ignorant view and can be harmful to those that do suffe I wouldn't recommend this book。 At first it starts out good。 There's some good advice on how to really get your writing going and to make it through writing a book or what not。 However， it then just becomes overly repetitive， saying the same things again and again。 But the worst was that he has a very bad and unhealthy view of mental health disorders。 Essentially saying they're all made up and you need to stop making excuses。 This is a very ignorant view and can be harmful to those that do suffer from anxiety and depression to read。 If you want the summation of his advice， essentially there's always going to be something that says you don't have time to write right now， but you need to get into the habit of getting up and writing even if what comes out of you isn't all that great at least you got something down on paper。 。。。more
Oliver
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BeautifulHalf poetry half self help， best book I started in 2020 along with the 80/20 rule。Life changing， will re-read sometime for sure （already have re-read parts）
Mark King
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Thought I'd like this。 There were some useful and insightful moments。But most of it was downright odd。 The Hitler example was truly shocking， as well as being completely inaccurate。 Using Lance Armstrong as a role model example - no， no， no。 Victim blaming people with mental wellbeing illness or even cancer - is just plain wrong。 There would be no more wars， or illness if everyone became entirely selfish - come on， are you serious？ Saying that people who opt to spend time their limited time on t Thought I'd like this。 There were some useful and insightful moments。But most of it was downright odd。 The Hitler example was truly shocking， as well as being completely inaccurate。 Using Lance Armstrong as a role model example - no， no， no。 Victim blaming people with mental wellbeing illness or even cancer - is just plain wrong。 There would be no more wars， or illness if everyone became entirely selfish - come on， are you serious？ Saying that people who opt to spend time their limited time on this earth with their children or their loved ones are losers and giving in to 'Resistance' is not advice anyone should listen to。 Sorry。 Some of this stuff is not just bad and lacking evidence， some of it is offensive and some could be dangerous。 。。。more
Ayesha Ratnayake
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I had high hopes， but they fell instantly flat。 I have little patience for books that adamantly spout 'absolute truths' without scientific backing。 Also did not appreciate the religious proselytizing， superstition and subtle sexism （please stop talking about motherhood and shopping）。 For a far more humble treatise on the creative muse， pick up Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Big Magic' instead。 I had high hopes， but they fell instantly flat。 I have little patience for books that adamantly spout 'absolute truths' without scientific backing。 Also did not appreciate the religious proselytizing， superstition and subtle sexism （please stop talking about motherhood and shopping）。 For a far more humble treatise on the creative muse， pick up Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Big Magic' instead。 。。。more
Jane Hoppe
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If you need a coach to accomplish any long-term goal， consider buying Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art in order to read it frequently and mark up the parts you need in that moment。 The War of Art’s subtitle is Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles。 But this book coaches not only aspiring writers and artists， but also anyone wanting to create a new anything—a business， a thinner you， a savvier you in any subject， a charity， a fitter you—that has positive outcomes and requ If you need a coach to accomplish any long-term goal， consider buying Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art in order to read it frequently and mark up the parts you need in that moment。 The War of Art’s subtitle is Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles。 But this book coaches not only aspiring writers and artists， but also anyone wanting to create a new anything—a business， a thinner you， a savvier you in any subject， a charity， a fitter you—that has positive outcomes and requires initiative and perseverance to achieve。 Because you will encounter obstacles！To achieve your goals， you can’t let the inevitable obstacles deter you。 Pressfield discusses both internal and external obstacles and suggests mental tweaks to help you jump those hurdles。 The War of Art is a potpourri of pep talk， research， discussion of different types of fear， anecdotes， psychobabble， history， spiritual belief systems， and brilliant， forehead-smacking insights。 Almost anyone would glean helpful takeaways from this book。If some of the lingo does not resonate with you， just turn the page。 For example， one of Pressfield’s main terms， Resistance， didn’t exactly click with me， but I knew what he meant， and that he was oh-so right。 Resistance personified works only to discourage and derail you。 I get it， even if I might call it something else。 And my eyes were opened by Pressfield’s examples of Resistance’s clever disguises。The War of Art also touched me in a way I probably can’t explain。 Not exactly “Welcome to the human race”; we all experience obstacles to achieving any goal。 Not exactly， “You were born for this！ You can do this！” Not exactly energy for battle。 A scripture pops into my mind: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man。 And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear。 But when you are tempted， He will also provide an escape， so that you can stand up under it。” [1 Corinthians 10:13] For me， The War of Art is part of God’s escape plan for me。 。。。more
M。 Nazar Nazar Syed
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If you’re a creative of any sort， you MUST MUST READ THIS。 This is one book that I will be revisiting many times again。 Up there with the likes of On Writing by Stephen King。 Beautiful。
Nicole
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I enjoyed the first 2 parts of the book， but he lost me in the third section。 Still has some good advice and ideas in it
Jack D
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Serves as a good tough-love pep talk， though it loses me when instructed to create for and be inspired by the Christian God。
Jemima
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