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The Artist's Journey: The Wake of the Hero's Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning
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"No one's insights about the craft and journey of being an artist have guided me in the day-to-day struggle of this profession more than Steven Pressfield. Wherever you are, whatever you've been called to make, you need to read this book...and everything else he has written."
— Ryan Holiday, Bestselling Author of Ego Is the Enemy and The Obstacle Is the Way
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Kindle Edition, 165 pages
Published
July 11th 2018
by Black Irish Entertainment LLC
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Start your review of The Artist's Journey: The Wake of the Hero's Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning
To read my review, click here: http://patricksherriff.com/2019/01/06...
This short work is stunning in its excellence.
Steven Pressfield has become even more succinct with age. That has enriched his work.
He can say more in a 100 words than most writers can in 100,000.
There's not one sentence wasted here. This is a concise analysis of what it means to be a creator of anything. He addresses what stops creators, what ennobles creators, where real inspiration comes from, and how to access that inspiration.
His few spiritual ideas are diverse in origin and helpful in ...more
Steven Pressfield has become even more succinct with age. That has enriched his work.
He can say more in a 100 words than most writers can in 100,000.
There's not one sentence wasted here. This is a concise analysis of what it means to be a creator of anything. He addresses what stops creators, what ennobles creators, where real inspiration comes from, and how to access that inspiration.
His few spiritual ideas are diverse in origin and helpful in ...more
Another fantastic book from Pressfield. So thought provoking and inspiring. I loved how philosophical this one was looking at life and the wider journey of the creative person. I also love the concepts of the Daimon and the fact it’s separate to us and that once we get on this journey is a non stop ride to the end. Will be pondering many of the ideas in this for weeks to come.
Really enjoyed this book! I felt as though this is a great companion for all of us who feel misunderstood as artists, OR who can barely understand the artistic zeitgeist itself, but who can still feel it in every inch of our bodies and souls. If you're feeling lost, alone, or just plain bamboozled by your artist life, definitely pick up this book. It's like having an old mentor, who's walked your path, clap you on the shoulder and say, "It's okay, buddy. I'm right there with you."
Steven Pressfield never disappoints.
If you enjoyed the War of Art and the work of Joseph Cambell (Hero's Journey) then you'll love this! I see the works of Steven Pressfield as required reading for any artist looking to re-inspire their commitment to "do the work" and really give everything to their calling/craft.
This book blew my heart wide open. If you identify as an artist, you have a call. Accept it and step up. The world is waiting.
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“Your artist’s journey is unique to you. You alone are on your path. Your job is only to follow it and be true to it. Who knows what heights it may eventually bear you to? You are an artist. Your journey–however humble, however fraught, however beset with thorns and thistles—is part of a noble, cosmic cause. It is not meaningless. It is not in vain. It is a portion of a grand adventure. The artist’s journey is the hero’s journey of the human race.”
This quote is an entry from the end of acclaimed ...more
This quote is an entry from the end of acclaimed ...more
It might just be my impression but I felt like he bit off more than he could chew here. This book is *much* more philosophical than the other books I've read by him ("Do the work" and "The War of Art"), and I felt like it missed the mark. He quotes Jung, Marx, Homer, Joseph Campbell, and many others, but just seems to pick and choose random quotes or tidbits. I couldn't help feeling like he wanted to sound philosophical, but wasn't sure exactly how.
I did like some of the points he made, such as ...more
I did like some of the points he made, such as ...more
If you consider yourself an artist or have the hopes of some day becoming one—read this book—it’s that simple.
Repetitive
The first book in this series would readily have sufficed to convey the repetitive message pounded home in this book.
The first book in this series would readily have sufficed to convey the repetitive message pounded home in this book.
"Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it."
I loved this book. It totally changed the way I was mentally framing my own artistic journey, and I loved the story/metaphor Pressfield came up to support that framework. It's weird and mystical, but also grounded and so incredibly relatable. (My sister introduced me to Stephen Pressfield with the quote above from The War of Art, describing him as ...more
Big, big fan of Steven Pressfield. I've read all of his writing books. I thoroughly enjoyed this book for the paradigm shift that he puts forth--the artist's journey--that speaks to both art and life. That is, we're mired in our own hero's journey until we heed the siren's call of the muse and that thing inside of us that won't let us live in peace. It's not until that truth is lived out in our own time and way that we begin our artist's journey. I loved this book for that shift and for the
...more
Creating a parallel between the Hero’s Journey and the Artist Journey, the author takes us through his thoughts, religious mysticism and other reflexions.
Art is powerful. I believe in the unifying power of the music, stories, the paintings of others. But art is wider than that. It can be starting a business or doing your work. Everything we do can be that. I connected it with Seth’s “emotional labour”
I felt the idealization or exaltation of the artist taking it to the religious, almost miracle ...more
Art is powerful. I believe in the unifying power of the music, stories, the paintings of others. But art is wider than that. It can be starting a business or doing your work. Everything we do can be that. I connected it with Seth’s “emotional labour”
I felt the idealization or exaltation of the artist taking it to the religious, almost miracle ...more
I follow Black Irish books so I picked up this and Tim Grahl’s latest as both ebooks and audiobooks.
Pressfield’s voice is one I know well and here he reads his own title.
Yeah, I guess… I suppose it helps to know there are good things to come.
Pressfield’s favourites show up: Twyla Tharp, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and a few others. He repeats some stories or quotes from other works.
Here he proposes that no matter ...more
Pressfield’s voice is one I know well and here he reads his own title.
The artist's journey comes after the hero's journey. (Kindle Locations 134-135).
Yeah, I guess… I suppose it helps to know there are good things to come.
Pressfield’s favourites show up: Twyla Tharp, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and a few others. He repeats some stories or quotes from other works.
Here he proposes that no matter ...more
I had really mixed feelings about this book but I feel like I am, perhaps, the wrong audience.
It seems to me this book is intended for the budding artist who needs a push on their journey. This book spends a lot of time talking about the nobility of purpose of creating art. That isn't a bad thing but there wasn't much of practical use in this book. Mostly, it is the exploration of why one chooses to become an artist.
I found the first part of this book confusing. I didn't really grasp the point ...more
It seems to me this book is intended for the budding artist who needs a push on their journey. This book spends a lot of time talking about the nobility of purpose of creating art. That isn't a bad thing but there wasn't much of practical use in this book. Mostly, it is the exploration of why one chooses to become an artist.
I found the first part of this book confusing. I didn't really grasp the point ...more
I can't get enough of this book! It's one of those pieces you'll read over and over, getting something new from it every time.
Pressfield takes us through the process and concept of the artist's journey - in the most basic of terms, to create something to put into the world. Each person is an artist, of their own life or something more tangible, and each person goes through a hero's journey first, in which they're preparing for the artist's journey. Each small chapter is a step-by-step manifesto ...more
Pressfield takes us through the process and concept of the artist's journey - in the most basic of terms, to create something to put into the world. Each person is an artist, of their own life or something more tangible, and each person goes through a hero's journey first, in which they're preparing for the artist's journey. Each small chapter is a step-by-step manifesto ...more
I confess it wasn’t my first instinct to read this book. After reading Pressfield’s most famous release “The War of Art” and not being that impressed, I figured he was one of those authors that achieved great insight, but all of the knowledge had already been distilled into popular culture, rendering it unnecessary. I ended up getting the book bundled with Tim Grahl’s “Running Down A Dream” and decided to give it a go in its audio format.
What a surprise! Very insightful and candid, Pressfield ...more
What a surprise! Very insightful and candid, Pressfield ...more
Well, it's a great pep talk for all creatives. A quick read, and way too much repetition. I do in principal share the same views, as the author, except maybe the muse view: 'the only woman I've been loyal to'.
It's short, easy to read. But I think it is a a too vague a synthesis of Joseph Cambpell's work. I really do recommend reading Campbell himself. Who is intelligent, interesting, and fun to read. The mythology series is amazing, it will enrich your life and imagination.
It's short, easy to read. But I think it is a a too vague a synthesis of Joseph Cambpell's work. I really do recommend reading Campbell himself. Who is intelligent, interesting, and fun to read. The mythology series is amazing, it will enrich your life and imagination.
Lost interest along the way
Frustratingly entertaining yet still not what I expected, if that makes sense. I lost interest about 20% in.
It is a good thing I'm not a hero and I don't have a journey. It's also a good thing I've learned about the Hero's Journey from other places.
It is an interesting read if you want to live under a fictional shadow. Other than that, get on your bike and head over to another book that would do better for you.
Frustratingly entertaining yet still not what I expected, if that makes sense. I lost interest about 20% in.
It is a good thing I'm not a hero and I don't have a journey. It's also a good thing I've learned about the Hero's Journey from other places.
It is an interesting read if you want to live under a fictional shadow. Other than that, get on your bike and head over to another book that would do better for you.
This book, like all of Pressfield's non-fiction, went off like a thunderclap in my brain. With a flourish of revelatory insight and a dash of levity, this book catalyzed so many thoughts and ideas within me. Furthermore, it extenuates the implications of Pressfield's classic, "The War of Art". Although I've reread that book several times, I always found myself asking, "now what?" "The Artist's Journey" provides the esoteric framework I needed to keep the journey going.
A remarkable book for artists, aspiring artists, and creatives everywhere. Like “The War of Art,” “The Artist’s Journey” inspires, but it doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Rather, the book leads readers to their own trailhead where they can begin their individual and unique journey to discover the artist within. Mr. Pressfield fills this compact book with wisdom and heart. It will kick your creative tail into action.
I read The War of Art but this collection hit home with me as a writer far deeper than that one.
Pressfield compares the actual process of writing to the hero's journey and I found myself in the stories & lessons deeply time and time again. It felt both comforting and inspiring to get that this is all just part of the process.
Highly recommend: easy to read, inspiring, perspective shifting and simple in it's delivery.
Pressfield compares the actual process of writing to the hero's journey and I found myself in the stories & lessons deeply time and time again. It felt both comforting and inspiring to get that this is all just part of the process.
Highly recommend: easy to read, inspiring, perspective shifting and simple in it's delivery.
Thank you Steven!
This was an amazing book! It clarified for me why I loved Hero with a Thousand Faces many years ago when I read it. This book also clearly spells out why we artists must do what we need to do. I struggled for many years with the push-pull inside of me, not understanding exactly what it was until I read this book. It is a quick, enjoyable read, that I hope inspires many others as it has done for me. Thank you Steven!
This was an amazing book! It clarified for me why I loved Hero with a Thousand Faces many years ago when I read it. This book also clearly spells out why we artists must do what we need to do. I struggled for many years with the push-pull inside of me, not understanding exactly what it was until I read this book. It is a quick, enjoyable read, that I hope inspires many others as it has done for me. Thank you Steven!
I've been a long time fan of Steven Pressfield's work and this book is no exception. Funny, enlightening, engaging, honest, sobering at times and good kick in the behind if one is dragging their feet. Several times I had to go back a few pages and re-read them just to soak them up and process the meaning. I found myself making notes and pasting them on my desk and computer for instant inspiration. Loved it.
Very fast read. I found it a bit hit and miss, but I'll think about the things that resonated. I think my main point of divergence is Pressfield's idea that there's some other unified plane of consciousness (and that the artist's journey is retrieving from that other level). Obviously it's fine if that's how he conceptualizes his creative process, but it doesn't work for me. I guess I think there are enough mysteries on this level that I don't yet need to theorize additional levels.
I really wanted to love this book as much as I have some of Mr Pressfield's other works (Gates of Fire, The War of Art, Turning Pro, Do The Work - all some of my favorite books ever), but it just didn't do it for me. I don't specifically know why, and it did have some good stuff going for it, but overall I felt it was just OK.
Favorite Quote: "The artist mines the same vein over and over. He just digs deeper over time."
Favorite Quote: "The artist mines the same vein over and over. He just digs deeper over time."
Pressfield reads this on Audible and that is priceless. I felt like I was in a lecture with him and couldn’t stop listening. So much wisdom. I had been struggling with finding my place in the Hero’s Journey and he made it so clear. Bam! Highly recommend it for anyone trying to find their voice and place as an artist.
This is a rather deep mindset book on how the artists journey reflects the Campbellian The Hero's Journey. Very thought provoking and inspiring, i can see myself going back to reread this a few times when anxiety tries to take over.
Also very applicable to other artistic pursuits than just writing, so for those unfamiliar with the Hero's Journey, this will still be a valuable read.
Also very applicable to other artistic pursuits than just writing, so for those unfamiliar with the Hero's Journey, this will still be a valuable read.
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“On our hero's journey, we see, we experience, we suffer. We learn. On our hero's journey, we acquire a history that is ours alone. It's a secret history, a private history, a personal history. No one has it but us. No one knows it but us. This secret history is the most valuable possession we hold, or ever will hold. We will draw upon it for the rest of our lives.”
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“The hero's journey software in our heads is demanding to be lived out. The blanks are insisting on being filled in.”
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