The War of Art by Steven Pressfield rocks you from the get go. While you may not agree completely with his views on God or ultimate reality, he gets to the core of what stops creatives from creating.
Whether you’re creating a work of art, starting a new venture, planting a church, or instilling a new habit, he wages war on every excuse you can think of that he personifies as “The Resistance”, innate to all human beings.
One of my favorite sections on the challenge of creativity:
“You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study. He applied to the Academy of Fine Arts and later to the School of Architecture. Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I’ll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.”
He doesn’t provide much in the way of how-to’s, or scientific research, simply his own personal insights and experiences from a lifetime of failures and rejections. Anyone who’s dared to do anything beyond the status quo will connect with Pressfield’s message.
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everything was great !
Interesting. Maybe if Hitler channelled more energy into creating meaningful art, he’d be less inclined to seek to destroy and oppress. It’s a stretch, but I believe it.
Hey Weewian, it’s a crazy thought isn’t it? just shows how challenging the creative task actually can be! Kudos to everyone who doesn’t succumb and give up…