If I ever get to teach a writing course of any sort, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield would be required reading. Upon completion of this book, I felt inspired to continue writing, but more importantly, I knew that the only person that could hold me back was me.
The War of Art
Steven Pressfield
- Life has resistance.
– Resistance is an internal, insidious force that works against us when we create art. - Resistance is omnipresent, but so is our ability to push back.
– “Power of Creation”
– When there is resistance, there is always a way to push back. - Think territorially, not hierarchal.
– “In the animal kingdom, individuals define themselves in one of two ways – by their rank within a hierarchy (pecking order, place in a pack) or by their connection to a territory (home base, turf).
– Someone living territorially gets sustenance, “from the act itself, not from the impression it makes on others.” - You have a right to our labors, but not to the fruits of your labors.
– Focus on what you do and do it for yourself.
– I write, not because people will read, but because the act of writing makes me better. - To turn pro, you must defeat resistance.
– What am I a professional at in life?
– “When I say professional, I don’t mean doctors and lawyers, those of ‘the professions.’ I mean the Professional as an ideal. The professional in contrast to the amateur.”
– Professionalism is a mindset.
– Do what you enjoy for you, not for others.
Hayden Coombs 