Reddit Reddit reviews The War of Art

We found 23 Reddit comments about The War of Art. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Books
Self-Help
Creativity
The War of Art
Check price on Amazon

23 Reddit comments about The War of Art:

u/M_WilsonArt · 10 pointsr/learnart

Nice platitudes won't help you or answer your question. There's no way internet strangers can answer this for you. No one can.


I can't tell you why but I can tell you that all your points are common mistakes in reasoning that are highly effective to sabotaging yourself.


You mythically define an "artist" and at the same time determine that you don't fit your own fake definition. The only definition of an artist I know is: someone who doesn't quit; the pain of not making art outweighs the pain of making mistakes.


You mythically equal art making with happy joy inspiring feelings. You determine you don't have happy joy inspiring feelings so you mythically rationalize you aren't an artist. Truth is - art making is work; people are lazy and look for excuses to not work.


You should read: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

u/drink_your_tea · 4 pointsr/EOOD

no, no, /u/MattDemers really did mean "War of Art"! The title's obviously a play on Sun Tzu's work, but War of Art has to do with overcoming internal creative hurdles and the like. Here's the link to the Amazon page.

I haven't read it myself yet, but I saw it on a suggestion thread on a different subreddit a while back so it made its way onto my "look into" list.

u/CharlesWiltgen · 4 pointsr/laravel

Yes. FWIW, it's a reasonably common thing for creators to feel. A couple book recommendations:

u/Shpigford · 3 pointsr/Entrepreneur

You're overthinking this. All of those things you listed are excuses. They seem reasonable to you, but they're literally just false roadblocks.

There's only one thing you need do: start.

Don't think about the thousand things you think you're supposed to do or that you think you need, just start.

Also, go read The War of Art.

u/speedy2686 · 3 pointsr/writing
u/kirbyderwood · 3 pointsr/AskLosAngeles

Uhhh... are you sure you're looking at the right book? I don't recall any of that.

Regardless, the book has a pretty simple premise: If you want to be a professional writer, sit your rear end in a chair and write. The only way to get good enough to find work is to put in the work first.

There, I saved you 11 bucks.

u/smithincanton · 2 pointsr/pics

The enjoyment should come from the drawing, not be a destination where you feel you fail if you don't get there. If you want to draw there is a really great book called The War of Art. One of the ideas in the book is that there are internal battles that keep you from getting where you want to be. One of mine is not wanting to waste paper/pencils/supplies and I have to over come that and "free" my guilt of that and be free to fail and keep drawing.

u/Etaaannn · 2 pointsr/productivity

Books that really helped me make a change were The War of Art, GRIT, and The Kaizen Way. All linked below :)

And to be honest with you I was never a morning person either. It took me 3 weeks of going to sleep at 10 and waking up at 5 before I could finally do it and not want to kill myself haha. But it gets easier, and your days become a bit more manageable when you've got a headstart on the world. No matter what time you get up I always recommend getting right out of bed whenever possible.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007A4SDCG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010MH9V3W/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GU2RHCG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

u/csgojoe · 2 pointsr/writing

Read the War of Art by Steven Pressfield
www.amazon.com/dp/B007A4SDCG

Bascially you are experiencing resistance in the form of procrastination.
Fix a writing schedule and stick to it, Motivation or Not. Once the routine is set follow it religiously. Once your fingers are moving and the words start appearing on the page, motivation will follow.

u/OpiatedDreams · 2 pointsr/GetMotivated

Hey, I have a different life experience but similar in many aspects. As far as creativity goes, overcoming that fear and producing I found this book helpful. This author has a few views I roll my eyes at but it is helpful and motivating.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

u/jessebkrmusic · 2 pointsr/CreativeRoom

I feel you, I get creative blocks when I try to make music. I suggest looking into creative processes, they are meant to use in times like these and the more you study them the more you'll be able to find your own that works

Here is some examples I found online: https://simplicable.com/new/creative-processes

Ive also read some books on creativity I would suggest picking up some of them for yourself also.

Here's one I like: https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Steven-Pressfield-ebook/dp/B007A4SDCG

u/KobeWithAccent · 2 pointsr/makinghiphop

> But that's just stupid.

What is?

>100% of our time isn't dedicated to music. You dont always have to be doing something that's pushing your music forward

Of course not and nobody is advocating for that. But we are talking about something that is holding you back whenever you ARE making music. Getting anxious, overly judgemental, restless and/or empty-minded are very common feelings when working on music, or at least for me.

One thing I would recommend to everybody is trying to get past those said feelings. Cope with them, acknowledge them and not focus on them too much. There is a great book that talks about this, War of Art (not Art of War). It focuses mostly on this overly-judgemental feeling, sometimes referred to as "Writers Block".

When I first started to make music I would get the "writers block" and feel annoyed by it. Nothing wrong with talking about it, but it doesn't solve much. And that's the point (I think) OP was trying to make, or at least I am trying to make.

u/tobitobiguacamole · 2 pointsr/exmormon

I recommend checking out The War of Art (https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Steven-Pressfield-ebook/dp/B007A4SDCG), it's helped me a lot with keeping on track with my artistic endeavors and as well as worrying about losing the inspiration/talent.

u/Cromar · 2 pointsr/getdisciplined

> Think of yourself as a human being with normal working body parts, the only difference is that you have what is essentially a rogue AI in your brain. It randomly runs junk code at random times of the day saying "hey now's a good time to look at porn". That code just somehow got implanted in you somewhere along the way, it didn't originate from you, and it is not an inherent part of you, at all.

Reminds me of The War of Art. Steven Pressfield personifies your rogue AI idea as "Resistance," a sort of anti-muse that acts like an invasive mental pest distracting you from your priorities.

u/MidnightPlatinum · 1 pointr/CasualConversation

Hmm... seeing your post history includes both IT and writing...

I'd suggest buying and reading the book "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. I'd do that today if you never have. Load it up on the Kindle PC app and for $7 you have life changing knowledge. You can read most of it in 2 hours or less. Many chapters are less than a page. It is the foundation for many writer's lives.

Second, I'd taking writing classes or enroll in a local writers group that meets and shares regularly. Knowing you'll get feedback each week makes writing rewarding, social, and teaches you the (literally) HUNDREDS of things you need to know to stand a chance at completing and marketing a finished novel. It also adds natural discipline. People who only write "when they feel inspired" are openly laughed at in university English departments. Plus, I've felt my strongest inspirations after I've sat down and just tried to write a scene... thinking about the characters on paper and imagining what they will do next. Inspiration is earned. It is fought for. If you only do what you feel like, you'll have an unfulfilling life!

Beyond that, if you work in IT, it is relatively easy these days to take some classes online for free or cheap and add another specialty to your CV/resume. Think of all the sites you see constantly posted on Reddit/Imgur: Codecademy, Khan Academy, Udemy, etc. Just learn one or two more skills and try looking for some new job positions. Just looking around and checking job postings... that's a motivating act! It often makes people feel like they have hope.

Writing like Suzanne Collins is relatively easy by the way. The vocabulary level is low and the plotting is not that intricate. I'm not saying you'll become famous (your story must be magical and liked by readers for that), but that is not a difficult standard to hit! Just reading a few books on plot, like those by James Scott Bell or "The Writer's Journey" by C. Vogler, will start you powerfully down the path! Your first book will probably suck. No one can write great stories at first. But, by your 2nd book you feel good. And by your fourth or fifth book you are actually good.

u/Diplamatik · 1 pointr/MandelaEffect

You may be right but it would be pretty bizarre for this one particular name to be subject to the same specific misspelling on such a mass scale. The first part of the name "Beren" is a more uncommon sound than "stain"; wouldn't you expect a misspelling like "BERNstain" to be more prevalent than "Berenstein". Also, when people find out they've been misspelling a word they generally don't react with the level of shock and discomfort that Berenstain has caused. Couple this with the fact that it's a book series that kids have used in learning how to spell - sounding out every syllable.
Also check out an old amazon review of a book by none other than Stan Berenst?in:
 
"A marvelous help for anybody who has ever encountered the resistance of a blank page, an empty canvas or an unyielding musical scale."

- Stan Berenstein, co-creator of The Berenstein Bears##

from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007A4SDCG?ref_=cm_cr_pr_product_top&pldnSite=1
 
I'm British so I don't have a dog in this fight either way.
Every theory I've seen about what is actually causing the Mandela effect (parallel universes, time editing, simulation etc..) has some problems or is contradicted by some aspect of the ME phenomena. I don't think anybody currently has enough information to reliably say what is going on.
Anyway, I don't want to derail the conversation from your hashing proposal. I think it's a truly inspired idea and I'm downloading Wikipedia as I type...

u/the_good_time_mouse · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

This is a short read:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007A4SDCG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Moreover, how long did it take you to acquire the skills you do have? Do you use them in ways that are entirely personal to you?

Creating music is just a skill, like all the others. Be prepared to feel like you suck for a long time before you ever feel like you are accomplishing anything, possibly forever, even if you do great things.

u/Drahkir9 · 1 pointr/gamedev

I kind of have mixed feelings about it. I'm reading the War of Art for the second time, and it advocates almost the exact opposite approach to creative endeavors. Pressfield encourages you to "just do it", in a sense. Simply force yourself to put in the work, and let inspiration find you. Sort of like the old saying "Inspiration can find you, but it has to find you working."

Thanks to that advice I've been able to push past self-doubt and procrastination to put in at least an hour a day of game dev time for some time now. And yeah, my first game won't be anything inspirational or amazing, and maybe Bukowski would say that it didn't burst out of me so maybe I shouldn't have done it. But I'm proud of it, and as the War of Art also taught me, the next project will be even better.

u/skinpop · 1 pointr/samharris

'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield[0] is a great book on productivity and procrastination in creative endeavors. He introduces the concept "resistance", a force that sabotages your ability to get things done - and offers insights on how to overcome it.

 

[0]https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Steven-Pressfield-ebook/dp/B007A4SDCG

u/screenwriter101 · 1 pointr/Screenwriting

Read "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. It deals with this exact problem and could help you to overcome it.

u/aiwacht · 1 pointr/Fitness

I think this is a case of focusing on the least effective aspects here. I'd instead suggest taking a two month block to work on perfect form in the basic movements, and focus on only that for that period. Ingrain the basic habits, and then progress. Also, I'd suggest reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield for the motivation side...which is really the discipline side. In other words: your likely totally fine as a person, you are just lacking a few skills. Focus on acquiring the skills rather than beating yourself up. The skills change everything, the self abuse does nothing. https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Steven-Pressfield-ebook/dp/B007A4SDCG

u/House_DeMota · 1 pointr/getdisciplined

You've hit rock bottom which is a good thing, now there is only one way to go and that is up. Another plus is that your canvas is clear so you could experiment with different colors to paint a different life for yourself.

But first you need some guidance so open up a few books and read. Stay up and stay strong my friend.

A book that will help is....

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
By Steven Pressfield

https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Steven-Pressfield-ebook/dp/B007A4SDCG