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Apr 05, 2008

Natalie rated it:

I couldn't get into this book. I've read and reread it several times, but it just doesn't do it for me. I gave it the second star because he does give some good advice about committing to the work, and staying in the seat. Some good bits about discipline and such.

I have about 13 years of collegiate and graduate art school under my belt, and I've worked in the fine and commercial arts. Thing is, I hate seeing the challenge of making art turn into this romanticized, epic battle between More...

6 comments like (10 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2010

Rosie rated it:

An early chapter just grabbed me with this opening line, "Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance." Those sentences grabbed me and have stayed with me. How much do I resist? How do I resist? Why do I resist? The reflection that chapter inspired was well worth reading the rest of the book though nothing else was as revolutionary for me-- I got what I needed early in the pages. There's also a fabulous quote fr More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Sundry rated it:

I like to have a writing book around to dip into when I get stuck or frustrated or just to keep me going.

This one started out with some interesting ideas, but it ended up not being very supportive. A little bullying, in fact.

Toward the end, it's a lot of religious pronouncements and philosophy that I didn't agree with or find very helpful. It felt a bit rigid.

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2009

Signe rated it:

this book is basically a self-help book about confronting procrastination. pressfield begins by distinguising the behavior of an amateur from a professional artist. he believes that to be human is to be an artist and that we procrastinate because we're afraid of achieving our full potential because to do so is very hard and requires much failure. also, he references tiger woods and arnold schwarzenegger a lot.

much of what he says feels truthful; however i immediately become suspicious More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2012

Michael rated it:

This book is both practical and spiritual in nature.

I really enjoy the first two thirds but I think that the author may lose his most conservative audience to the last third as his spiritual influence has so much imagery attached to it that is counter intuitive to western religion.

Growing up around Christian fundamentalism (which he properly criticizes), I have had to fight the inner battle myself and it takes years to get that nonsense truly out of your head so you can work. I wish that the “W More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 25, 2011

Makeba rated it:

Hello, my name is Makeba and it has been 22 days since I've thought about writing and decided to do something else instead. I write everyday, and this book helped me do it.

"The War of Art" made me feel bad about my relationship with the creative process. She would invite me out and I'd decide to wash my hair instead. He would call and I'd push the button that sent it straight to voicemail. I was a lousy friend. Illuminating what Pressfield defines as resistance and turning More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 10, 2008

David rated it:

How creative of a person are you? "They" say the more creative you are, the more sensitive you are. Which can mean that you don't want to get out of you bed some days, or that you have the ability to procrastinate greatly, or that you want to destroy every piece of work that you have ever created because it's crap and you'll never be as crazy as Vincent van Gogh or as cool as Michaelangelo.
Well, this book gives you tools to help you overcome all your short comings and own up to yo More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

Danielle rated it:

This is an odd book which is kind of a stream of consciousness rant about the ways in which an artist struggles with what the author calls "Resistance." That in itself is not odd, there are many books on 'the writer's journey' but this one reads as though it has been written by someone who is on, then off his lithium (or cocaine, whatever the cause may be.) The whole thing is a rant, sometimes it's an enthusiastic, insightful rant and sometimes it's just a manic bitch rant (people who More...

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Jan 04, 2012

Anne rated it:

I got a few insights from this book--chief among them being that resistance is the enemy, a veritable "death wish" (the opposite of joie de vivre--that's my addition), and that to overcome resistance one must act. In very, very brief "chapters," the author explains, in Book One, that resistance is invisible, internal, insidious, implacable, impersonal, infallible, universal; resistance never sleeps, it plays for keeps, it is fueled by fear, it only opposes in one direction, i More...

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Jan 03, 2012

Miesh rated it:

Overcome resistance to living the life you love

If you have a passion in your life -- writing, painting, music, sculpting, dancing, acting -- and if this passion is the reason you believe you're alive, then check out this book. One of Pressfield's premises is that we're all MEANT for something, we're each here for some reason, to create something in the world (Eternity is in love with the productions of time) and if we don't live for and through this, then we're wasting our time. He b More...

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Dec 28, 2011

Nikki Faith rated it:

This book is OUTSTANDING for anyone interested in accomplishing anything!! Every single page in this book is an absolute gem. Steven Pressfield offers a no-non-sense approach to really achieving your ultimate goals, whatever they may be. The book is geared towards writers, but it applies to everyone: athletes, students, parents, artists. Everyone. He compares artists to warriors and shows us how to win our personal battles. We are all creators, and he shows us how to overcome resistance, tune in More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 15, 2011

Danielle rated it:

If you need that extra kick in the pants to get started on your next oil painting, writing venture, or just to finally clean out your dang garage or the cupboards in your kitchen, this is the book for you.

Very straight-forward and inspiring book, not just for artists.

It's a good read for life in general. The first two-thirds of the book relate to all aspects of life, and inspiration in general. The final third of the book relates to more abstractly inspirational, ethereal, m More...

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Sep 07, 2011

Tommi rated it:

I didn't agree with everything he said but for the most part it was an eye-opening kick in the butt.
"Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic? Ever quit a diet, a course of yoga, a meditation pracitce? Have you ever bailed out on a call to embark upon a spiritual practice, dedicate yourself to a humanitarian calling, commit your llife to the service of others? Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run More...

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Jul 06, 2011

Amy! rated it:

As a writer, I found the advice in this book intriguing. It's not any old how-to book or manual on tapping into your creative potential, it's a philosophical discussion invoking muses and the Resistance that writers and other creative professionals face during their journey to creative success.

Basically, the advice given in this book is this:

Practice your art form every day, whether it is writing or painting or singing or dancing. Don't let excuses get in your way. Make s More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Harry Roger rated it:

Another short book that is so good I am tempted to quote the whole thing. I recommend that you get hold of this and read every word. I will indulge in four quotes from just the first section to give you a sense of what Pressfield offers. P 6: "...any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health or integrity...that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower...will elicit Resistance." P 26: "When we drug ourselves to blot out our soul's More...

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May 28, 2011

Danielle rated it:

I had a hard time rating this. The first part is invaluable for identifying Resistance and giving you a sense of what it is and how it works. The third part has some interesting bits about the Fear of Success and how this thing you're driven to do (but put off, because of Resistance) is part of your "higher self", I guess is how I'd put it.

The middle part, which tells you how to overcome Resistance, is just too...hard edged for my tastes. I agree with what he says--regul More...

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Apr 30, 2011

Steven rated it:

Brilliant and succinct meditation on the artist, the artist's calling, the philosophy of being a writer, and it does all of these things in ways that I would never have thought imaginable. Some very memorable things in here, such as the fact that Krishna says that we all have the right to our labor, but not to the fruits of our labor. (This means that we, as writers, have the right to work on our art--in fact, he says, we have the obligation to work on our art--but that we do not have the righ More...

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Dec 01, 2010

Aleksandr rated it:

It's a good, light read that is all about "Resistance" - in Pressfield's mind, Resistance is responsible for all the evils plaguing us light-bearing souls who descended from heaven - from unwritten books, overall unhappiness to cancer.

It's very manichean/kabbalalistic - the idea that we could be great if only we could overcome our blocks, or "Resistance", which, Pressfield believes, is "evil". Yes, we're getting into angel/muse/demon talking territory her More...

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Feb 15, 2010

Julie rated it:

I had high hopes for this book, even as I was reading it. He says the reason we procrastinate and never get down to doing what we feel we're meant to be doing or want to be doing is Resistance. He shows the many forms Resistance takes. And says we're at war with it.

And at that point, I'm saying, "Yes, yes. Absolutely right."

But then the next part of the book is supposed to be telling us how to combat Resistance. Isn't it? But it just meanders on about the difference More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 28, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

As some of you may have noticed, there's a book called The Midnight Disease listed as something I'm currently reading. I don't remember when I added it anymore, but I know it was a while ago.

There was a period of time this summer where I simply could not write *at all.* I tried everything--I tried to read book about writers block like The Midnight Disease. Nothing in them helped me. I went to different places to try and write. Nothing. I made myself sit down with only my AlphaSmart More...

3 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jun 18, 2009

Kat rated it:

I dig it. There are a lot of negative reviews of it on Goodreads, mostly about it being derivative, and/or unnecessarily characterizing the creative process as a struggle. Guys: you picked up a self-help book. You picked up a book called "The War of Art". If you hoped for originality, or a touchy-feely art-is-easy book, you made a strange decision. I'm just saying.

Personally, I found this book pretty useful. It's dense, wise, and low-bullshit. Spiritual, yes. Namby- More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

May 11, 2009

Maggie rated it:

This book is lightweight, derivative crap, written in the style of a self-hating self-help guru with blame the victim issues eighteen ways from Sunday. I tore out the two good pages, one of which was a quotation from W.H. Murray and the other of which quoted King Leonidas, and burned the book in the fireplace. That's how angry it made me. Horrible waste of paper and time.

Really, you want more details? Okay. The author personifies Resistance and then writes a tiny little snippet abou More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 03, 2009

H. rated it:

This is the only self-help book I've ever read. It's not the only one due to an opinion thinking there's anything wrong with self-help books. I am sure there are good ones and bad ones, and I definitely need help with all sorts of things. It's just the only one I've found that tackles one of the things wrong with me that I care enough about to want to fix or at least consider. The book is a quick read about creativity and the thousands of little things that we let keep us from actually creating. More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 08, 2012

Joanna rated it:

An unusual guide to creativity that discourages navel gazing and instead suggests putting your ass in the chair.

I was initially going to give this book four stars because the esoteric final section in which Pressfield discusses the source of creative inspiration put me off a bit. He discusses the Muses and angels, and I'm always skeptical of anything that involves little pink ponies or pixie dust.

On further reflection, though, I see that Pressfield's theory that great works o More...

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Dec 31, 2011

Keith rated it:

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!

Unless you are ready for all your personal blocks to be exposed in stark, glaring relief, stay away from this book. Once you're made aware of 'em, you gotta do something about 'em.

It is simple. It is not easy.

This book is simply written, it is powerful in it's content.

I'd call it a "self help" book.

The author manages to say, in few, simple words, what you've never been able to hear from any of your friends, colle More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Gareth rated it:

This book wasn't really what I expected, but in a good way. I thought it was going to be yet another cajoling, simpering self-help book designed to make people feel better about themselves and therefore get the finger out and start doing something. How wrong I was ...

Steven Pressfield does not hold back. Some people have commented on how they felt his tone and approach were bullying, and whilst I can see their point, I think this is exactly what most people need. His premise is this - More...

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Apr 08, 2011

Sam rated it:

If it were possible to give more stars to this book, I would add all the stars in the Heavens. This work resurrects fallen and forgotten altars; its importance cannot be overstated. I have conveyed my thanks to the Muse and the author in the following message to which he responded on Facebook:

"Sir, I believe I speak for everyone when I say that your book, The War of Art, was written just for me and me alone. I recognize this because I know that you wrote it for your own self wh More...

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Sep 09, 2010

Greg rated it:

[Note: this short review is taken from Amazon.com, written in 2006. I am its original author. I doubt that it's necessary to clarify this, but I've noticed that it's been quoted several times and didn't want any accusatory fingers pointed in my direction.]

This book started out really good. The first section on resistance is excellent, but then you start to get a feel for just how weird and negative this guy really is. From the personal anecdotes he gives involving his past, you'd thi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 06, 2010

Ruth rated it:

This book is a good kick in the pants for anyone who has something inside them that they "want to do before they die" but haven't started yet for one reason or another. Being creative and expressing yourself through music, writing, art, a business venture, etc. isn't being selfish; rather, it is selfish of you to keep the very specific talents that God gave you all locked up without making the unique contribution to the world that only you can make. All that is holding you back is yo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 09, 2011

Tammy rated it:

This book is a rant against the friction that our creative spirits struggle with. It employs occasional hyperbole in an attempt to shove us out of that place where we say "I can't do it". It does, however, provide specific information that I think is vitally important for anyone who wants to achieve something in life, to learn.

My favorite quotes:

p.38 When we see others beginning to live their authentic selves, it drives us crazy if we have not lived out our own. More...

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