Book Review: The War of Art
I just recently blew through The War of Art, an interesting and unique self help book from author Steven Pressfield about the creative process. I'd had it recommend by some people as well as seeing it come up based on my Amazon history, so since it was available for very cheap through the Kindle store, I figured I'd give it a try.
This was a very quick read with some good takeaways in it but the most intriguing part of the book is how it is written. It has several short points to make instead of drawn out chapters and takes a very deep, meta, philosophical view on being creative and committing to creating. It personifies things like "Resistance" and the "Muse" and preaches for a strong devotion to working to create each and every day. This strong devotion that he elaborates on in the book sort of takes on a viewpoint similar to how theories are explained, in a context of all other things being constant, which is hardly realistic but still allows for some helpful advice.
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who struggles with creative blocks. While it sometimes lacks practical tips, it makes up for it by going into the psychological and philosophical elements of how we create, and why it can be such a struggle sometimes. The first big step in dealing with a problem can be awareness of it and understanding it. This book is a great place to start in terms of getting towards a more natural creative flow and acknowledging that we're all creative, no matter what we may think, we just need to focus, commit, and get to work refining our craft.
You can check out some more info about Steven Pressfield and The War of Art (as well as his other books) at his website.