The War of Art
Steven Pressfield's short book on resistance and turning pro
Pressfield names the force that keeps people from their work, resistance, and treats it as predictable rather than personal: it gets stronger in proportion to how much the work matters. The first half catalogs its disguises, from procrastination and self-doubt to drama and busywork. Turning pro fills the second half. That means showing up on a schedule, the way a plumber does. Chapters often run a single page. It circulates widely among writers, artists and founders.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Seth GodinRecommends
Author · Seth's Blog, published daily
One of the handful of books he says he goes back to again and again rather than reading once, and hands out to colleagues expecting them to pass it on. Pressfield is a friend as well as an author on that list, which he states plainly when he shares it.
Source: seths.blog: Books for the journey
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Book entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.