The War Of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle
tudouwang
prescient, July 15, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win
Your Inner Creative Battles (Paperback)
I posted a review of this book over a year ago, right after I read it
for the first time. I gave it three stars at that time because, other
than the first section dealing with resistence in a practical sense, I
found the rest of the book to be too esoteric. Since then I have done
a tremendous amount of soul-searching regarding my inner drive to
become a writer. That search took me back to this book recently, and
after reading it for a second time I have to say I don't know what I
was thinking when I gave it only three stars. Today I truly believe it
is worthy of five stars because it struck deep into my conscience and
helped me understand my situation and the situation of others like me.
Anyone who is trying to tap into the inspiration they sense burning
somewhere inside them that tells them to go out and write - or to
create any other kind of art - will benefit tremendously if they open
their minds and prepare themselves for rigorous introspection. This is
not a simple self-help or how-to book. It is a truly profound
examination of the human mind and the quest for fulfillment that we
all feel.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Novelist Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance; Gates of Fire)
goes self-help in The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle.
Dubbing itself a cross between Sun-Tzu's The Art of War and Julie
Cameron's The Artist's Way, Pressfield's book aims to help readers
"overcome Resistance" so that they may achieve "the unlived life
within." Whether one wishes to embark on a diet, a program of
spiritual advancement or an entrepreneurial venture, it's most often
resistance that blocks the way. To kick resistance, Pressfield
stresses loving what one does, having patience and acting in the face
of fear.
From Library Journal
Drawing on his many years' experience as a writer, Pressfield (The
Legend of Bagger Vance) presents his first nonfiction work, which aims
to inspire other writers, artists, musicians, or anyone else
attempting to channel his or her creative energies. The focus is on
combating resistance and living the destiny that Pressfield believes
is gifted to each person by an all-powerful deity. While certainly of
great value to frustrated writers struggling with writer's block,
Pressfield's highly personal philosophy, soundly rooted in his own
significant life challenges, has merit for anyone frustrated in
fulfilling his or her life purpose. Successful photographer Ulrich
(photography chair, Art Inst. of Boston; coeditor, The Visualization
Manual) explores the creative impulse and presents an approach to
developing creativity that, like Pressfield's, will be relevant to
artists and others. He identifies and explains seven distinct stages
of the creative process: discovery and encounter, passion and
commitment, crisis and creative frustration, retreat and withdrawal,
epiphany and insight, discipline and completion, and responsibility
and release. He also develops his view of the three principles of the
creative impulse, which include creative courage, being in the right
place at the right time, and deepening connections with others. Rooted
in Eastern philosophy, Ulrich's fully developed treatise nicely
updates the solid works of Brewster Ghiselin (The Creative Process),
Rollo May (The Courage To Create), and Julia Cameron (The Artist's
Way). It also supplements Pressfield's inspirational thoughts on
overcoming resistance through introspective questions and practical
exercises that further elaborate the creative process. Both books are
recommended for public libraries needing additional works on
creativity. Dale Farris, Groves, TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Buy ON AMAZON：http://amzn.to/uToQe8