The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle

Steven Pressfield, 2002

Steven Pressfield examines the inner resistance that delays creative work, then argues for a professional routine of showing up, learning, finishing, and beginning again.

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4 parts, about 17 minutes to read.

Why read it

Name Resistance, the inner force that disguises itself as procrastination and prudent rationalization, and learn to read fear as a sign the work matters
See turning pro as a decision to show up on schedule, treating the work as a job without letting it become your whole identity
Weigh hierarchy against territory, a practice worth doing with nobody watching, as a footing for creative work

Who it is for

Writers and artists who keep postponing the work they care about
People holding a project back because of fear or self doubt
Beginners who want a steady routine rather than waiting for inspiration

What the summary covers

The War of Art1 min
Name the inner opponent4 min
Turn pro6 min
Make room for inspiration6 min

Recommended by

Jay McInerneyBestselling author of Bright Lights, Big City
Amazingly cogent and smart on the psychology of creation.

About the author

Steven PressfieldAuthor of The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire and The War of Art
- He was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943, while his father was stationed there with the U.S. Navy.
- He graduated from Duke University in 1965 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1966 as an infantryman.
- Before he was published he worked as an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, truck driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, fruit picker and screenwriter.
- His struggle to make a living as an author, including a period when he was homeless and living in his car, is described in The War of Art.
- His first book, The Legend of Bagger Vance (1995), became a 2000 film directed by Robert Redford.
- His novel Gates of Fire (1998) about Thermopylae is taught at West Point, the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps Basic School.
- In 2012 he launched the publishing house Black Irish Books with his agent Shawn Coyne.
- The War of Art (2002) is about the resistance artists, entrepreneurs and athletes face when trying to break through creative barriers.

Read it alongside

Puts it into practiceAtomic Habits
Pressfield says procrastination rarely says never, only tomorrow, and that the next possible moment can be used to sit down and act. Clear shows how to make that start happen: shrink it to a ritual of under two minutes, fix its time and place in advance and remove friction from the first step.
Goes deeperThe Mountain Is You
Steven Pressfield calls the force that keeps us from our calling Resistance, an impersonal opponent that rises within us. Brianna Wiest says such resistance is most often the subconscious meeting an unmet need and holding on to the familiar, so it tends to appear around what is going right.