Joe Rogan interviews Steven Pressfield about his book, The War of Art. Published in 2002, Pressfield talks about battling "The Resistance" that holds all creative people back from doing the day to day work of being creative in whatever avenue they work in, or want to work in.
There are a lot of books that inspire each of us in some way. But most of the time, those books have something that our individual self needs to hear at that particular point in time. That's why it will resonate so deep with us. But another creative or entrepreneurial person may not get anything out of that book. Then there are books that touch every creative person that dives into them, each in a different way. Here are two books I think every artist, writer, or creative person, and every entrepreneur should read at some point.
What book should you read right now? The one that keeps catching your attention, or sticking in your mind. When that happens, there's something in that book you need to hear at this point in time.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield- I heard Seth Godin mention this bookin a video years ago. But I never looked it up. Right before Christmas, I knew I'd have some time to read over the holidays, so I wandered through the library, looking for a good book. I found this one. I'm only 84 pages into it, and it's blown m mind many times over, already. Pressfield talks about this force, "The Resistance," he calls it, that tries to keep us from doing creative work. He just nails the insidiousness of all the things The Resistance does, or gets us to do to ourselves, to become less productive. I'm a broke dude, but I get a lot of content created, I'm a productive, creative guy already. This book called me on my BS several times. If you're a writer, artist of any kind, or an entrepreneur, or want to be any of those, read this book.
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron- This book is really a 12-step program to reclaim your inner creativity. But it's a 12 step program for people who may hate 12 step programs. You work through it, chapter by chapter, over 12 weeks, and do exercises along the way. Every creative person should read this book, and actually do the work. I went through it in 1996. It made all the difference in the world of helping me come to grips with my creative drive. On one hand many of us have this urge to write, draw, paint, sculpt, shoot photos, produce videos, or whatever. Yet we live in a world that usually says, "Well, that's nice, but what are you going to do for a REAL job." Creative work can be a real job, or just a passion on the side, it's different for everyone. This book, this 12 week course, helps you figure out why you struggle with your creativity, and all the issues that come with it. This book made all the difference in the world to me as a writer, and now an visual artist as well. Just read it, and do your "morning pages." I did them for five years straight after reading this book.
Read both of these books, at some point. That's all I'm going to say.
These are not paid links in this blog post.
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