"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield
This book was a wild ride from start to finish. I felt like it was trying to hit a lot of keywords all the time just to pique peoples interests from every background, from the way Pressfield references the methods which we obtain inspiration to we reference identity. Sometimes he says the power to create comes from a mythological Greek muse and sometimes it’s from his second cup of coffee. I understand that illumination can come from several different places, but at times some of his references seemed like too much of a reach.
There were some great insights in this book though, I think it’s rare that I enjoy everything about a given book, but I did glean some insight from it. I especially liked the sections about Professionals V.S. amateurs, here are two great snippets from that section.
“To clarify a point about professionalism: The professional, though he accepts, does his own work out of love. He has to love it. Otherwise he wouldn’t devote his life to it of own free will.”
“The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.”
Not to sound like I didn’t enjoy the book but I also really liked the some of the sections about the Ego V.S. the self. Which was then tied into how we make ourselves conform to a hierarchical society, which prevents us from staking our territory and becoming stronger. I feel defining personal territory and learning to enter into situations void of ego are some great steps towards personal success.
I would actually recommend starting this book on page 135, and then once you get to the end, see if you would like to read the rest. I don’t think the book is summarized in the last thirty pages, but I found those to be some of the most compelling for me to read.