Ant Hive Media - Steven Pressfields the War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles Summary

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Overview

Most of us have two lives. The life we liveand the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.War of Art

This book is written for writers and allkinds of artists in order to help them get over their creative mindblocks and produce inspirational and great work. The author talksabout his personal artistic battles and gives inspirational storiesof other artists in history as a guide to fellow creativeminds.

Resistance is the most formidable obstacleto an artist. It is the negativity that comes against an individualwhenever they try to positon themselves in a positive light; aswhen reaching for fitness goals, painting an image, or transformingyour life. Resistance is made up of self-deception, self-doubt,being afraid of success, and being afraid of change.

On a daily basis for example, resistancecomes in the form of procrastination when an artist chooses toclean house or cook rather than sitting down and working. On agrand scale, resistance could lead to an artist abandoning his/hercareer or denying his/her creative talents.

If you want to overcome Resistance as anartist, you have to have a professional mindset. For amateurs, artis a hobby that they engage in only when they want to.Professionals work on their craft regardless of how they feel. Theyare not held back by challenges or criticism because professionalsare able to separate their work from personal emotions.

Overcoming Resistance requires that anartist sits down and works. As soon as they do this, they willreceive assistance from spiritual forces. The universe is intent onmanifesting art into this world. Getting back to work shifts theconsciousness of the artist away from the inner Ego and out to themore spiritual, richer Self. Using artistic creation to overcomeResistance is thus a means toward spiritual development.

Important People

As a writer, Steven Pressfield writesscreenplays, non-fiction and fiction. Apart from his book The Warof Art, he also penned The Legend of Bagger Vance in 1995, whichwas later turned into a Hollywood movie. He also wrote Gates ofFire in 1998, a historical account of ancient Spartans.

William Blake (1757-1827): British painterand poet renowned for his visionary work.

Robert McKee: Author and teacher of creativewriting. In 1997, he penned the highly acclaimed screenwritersguide called Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principlesof Screenwriting.

John Lennon (1940-1980): Songwriter, singerand musician who was a member of The Beatles group.

Tiger Woods: American golfer regarded bymany as the best golfer ever.

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827): Germancomposer

Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist whoproposed that every human being has universal symbols embedded intheir collective unconscious, or mind.

Core Concepts

1. Resistance is the negative energy thatstands between a person and his or her dreams.

2. Resistance takes many forms, includingprocrastination, sex, trouble, self-dramatization, andself-medication.

3. Resistance is a good thing, insofar as itassures the artist that he or she is pursuing a worthwhilepath.

4. To defeat Resistance, a writer must thinklike a professional, not an amateur. This means working hard enoughto overcome obstacles and temptations.

5. Professional artists separate themselvesfrom their work. Although this sometimes means being paid forartistic work, the professional artist never sells out.

6. The universe supports creativity and willhelp the artists succeed who take the initiative to create.

7. Individuals are divided into anearthbound, mundane, insular Ego, and a broader, spiritualSelf.

8. Professional artists are not concernedwith hierarchy. Instead, they focus on territory.

Analysis

Core Concept No.1

Resistance is the negative energy that stands between aperson and his or her dreams

The pursuit of any goal or dream is usuallyaccompanied by Resistance, which is the negative energy thatattempts to push an individual back as they try to improvethemselves. Resistance causes difficulty in starting out on anexercise regimen, or even being committed to a relationship ormarriage. It is the same thing that prevents an artist frompursuing their craft. For an artist to paint or write, they have tosurmount external as well as internal Resistance.

On New Years Eve, most people resolve totransform their lives positively. Consequently, it signifies thestart of the peak of Resistance for that year. In America, over 40%of people come up with New Years resolutions. These individualsconvince themselves that exercise will be a key part of their life;they will clean up the house; maybe start writing that book theyvealways said they would.

The first 2 weeks usually sees peoplefollowing through. The gyms are full, desserts are refused, andpaintings and books are started. But soon things start to unravel.February sees people turning away from their resolutions, and soon,they abandon them entirely. All in all, only 8% of people actuallyachieve their resolutions. A whopping 92% of people who make NewYears resolutions are beaten by Resistance.