Why this book Over the years, I’ve heard this book referred to and praised a lot – by Tim Ferriss among others.  Also I’ve read and enjoyed several of Pressfield’s historical novels, as well as his Warrior Ethos (reviewed here,) and we recently hosted him in an on-line  discussion of his book Virtues of War (reviewed  here.)  I really admired the man, as he humbly shared how he wrote such a fascinating book about Alexander the Great in Alexander’s voice – in the first person. The War of Art explains the process he shared with us in that session.    I’ve had The War of Art on my shelf for quite a while, so I figured it was time to read it and see what Pressfield has to say about creativity.

Summary in 3 sentences: In The War of Art  Pressfield is sharing his wisdom after a lifetime of struggling to overcome simple human impulses to avoid the hard work of venturing out beyond oneself to engage in a creative endeavor.  He anthropomorphizes “Resistance” as this human impulse to avoid the hard work of creating; he encourages us to fight it as an implacable enemy who never is completely defeated and is always ready through subterfuge to undermine our best efforts.  Finally he shares with us how to feed and cultivate our “muse” as the connection between our inner creative selves and something Pressfield doesn’t claim to understand, but which he believes is bigger than us and to which we must connect, in order to open up our creative channels. 

My Impressions:  There is a lot of content, wisdom and insight in this short work – only 165 pages with large print. In this review, I’ll try to give a few highlights that may inspire you to pick it up – especially if you the reader, have ever struggled to lose yourself in a creative endeavor. It is structured in short, readable, almost aphoristic chapters, that make it easier to absorb his esoteric concepts in small bites.  The style reminds me a bit of how Legacy by James Kerr is written – easy to pick up, open it at a random spot, and grab a quick bite of insight and inspiration. 

The War of Art is written in three parts, and each of these parts is broken up into short, one-to-three page chapters, and the titles of those chapters give us a heads up as to the point he’ll be making.  The three parts build on each other, the culminating section – Part 3 Beyond Resistance – is in my view, his piece de resistance.  The chapter titles themselves give a sense for the wisdom Pressfield is imparting in each part and in the book. 

Part 1 Resistance: This chapter sets up the book, and makes “Resistance” into a conscious, sneaky, clever and diabolical enemy intent on keeping us from doing what we know we need and want to do.  Treating “Resistance” as a personified enemy, who we must be willing to fight continuously, is a perspective he offers to help us do what we may be struggling to get ourselves to do. Pressfield is open and unabashed about his own battles with Resistance,  and is not reticent about describing the battles he’s won and lost. 

Some of the chapter titles in this part include: Resistance and Criticism, Resistance and Self-Doubt, Resistance and Victimhood, Resistance and Procrastination, Resistance and Rationalization, Resistance Recruits Allies, Resistance is Most Powerful at the Finish line, Resistance and Choice of Mate.   

A few quotes from “Resistance:”

• Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the un-lived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.
• Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt.  Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work. p7
• Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. p9
• Remember our rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. p 40

Part 2: Combatting Resistance. In this part, Pressfield makes the distinction between the Amateur and the Professional  – noting that to be serious about what one is doing, one must be willing to commit to fight Resistance, in order to open the door to one’s muse, and keep it open. Resistance will always be there like a dormant virus, waiting for a moment of weakness to strike.  Amateurs compromise with and accommodate Resistance and give it its head.  That’s ok, but they are not Pros.  To be a true Professional is to commit seriously to one’s art and to keeping Resistance at bay – to never let it gather momentum.  

Some of the chapter titles in this part include: Professionals and Amateurs, What a Writer’s Day feels like, For Love of the Game, a Professional is Patient, a Professional Seeks Order, a Professional Acts in the Face of Fear, a Professional Accepts no Excuses, a Professional plays it as it lays, a Professional does not Show off, a Professional dedicates Himself to Mastering Technique, a Professional does not Hesitate to Ask for Help, a Professional does not take Failure (or Success) Personally, a Professional Reinvents Himself.  

A few quotes from “Combatting Resistance:” 

• The amateur plays for fun.  The professional plays for keeps. p 62
• What’s important is the work. That’s the game I have to suit up for.  That’s the field on which I have to leave everything I’ve got.  p 65 
• The more you love your art/calling/enterprise, the more important its accomplishment is to the evolution of your soul, the more you will fear it and the more Resistance you will experience facing it. p 73
• Resistance outwits the amateur with tho oldest trick in the book: it uses his own enthusiasm against him….The professional, on the other hand, understands delayed gratification. He is the ant, not the grasshopper; the tortoise, not the hare. p75
• The professional identifies with her consciousness and her will, not with the matter that her consciousness and will manipulate to serve her art…. Madonna does not identify with “Madonna.”  Madonna employs “Madonna.” p86

Part 3: Beyond Resistance.  In this part Pressfield acknowledges the mystery and wonder about where creative inspiration and insight come from – and this part has a quasi-mystical tone to it.  The rest of the book is basically a build up to and foundation for this part – Part 3 is the essence of his message.  Understanding and combatting Resistance are only worth the effort if one can find and nurture one’s muse.   He notes that most mammals, humans included, identify themselves by either their rank within a hierarchy or by their connection to a territory, and he uses the term “territory” in a broad way.  He says that artists must be territorial, noting that “For the artist to define himself hierarchically is fatal.”

Some of the chapter titles in this part include:  Approaching the Mystery, Invoking the Muse (Part 1,)  Invoking the Muse (Part 2,) Invoking the Muse (Part 3,) the Magic of Making a Start, the Magic of Keeping Going, Life and Death, the Ego and the Self,  Fear,  the Authentic Self,  Territory versus Hierarchy, the Artist and the Hierarchy, the Supreme Virtue, the Fruits of our Labor, and his concluding chapter, the Artist’s Life.

Some quotes from “Beyond Resistance:”

• When we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen. A process is set into motion by which, inevitably and infallibly, heaven comes to our aid. Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose. p108
• The last thing I do before I sit down to work is say my prayer to the Muse. I say it out loud, in absolute earnest.  p110
• This is why artists are modest. They know they’re not doing the work; they’re just taking dictation. p127
• Here is what I think. I think angels make their home in the Self, while Resistance has its seat in the Ego.  p136
• In other words, the hack writes hierarchically.  He writes what he imagines will play well in the eyes of others. He does not ask himself, What do I myself want to write? p 152
• We must do our work for its own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.  p 161

Loved this short book. It gives a different and insightful perspective about why many/most of us often choose the path of least resistance, and don’t fulfill many of our life’s dreams. It challenges all of us to examine whether we are, or have been “pros” or “amateurs.”  It challenges the reader to find his/her muse, to feed and nourish and sustain her, and to live by her guidance.  Our muse, Pressfield would claim,  is our better self.  A worthy challenge indeed.