Summary of the War of Art

Summary of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield | Includes Analysis

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Steven Pressfield's The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles is a book dedicated to helping writers and other artists overcome creative barriers and produce valuable and satisfying work. Pressfield discusses his own artistic struggles and uses examples of artists throughout history in order to inspire and guide other creators.

The biggest barrier to artistic creation is Resistance. Resistance is a negative energy that intercedes whenever a person attempts to achieve a positive goal, such as painting a picture, exercising, or making a life change. Resistance is a combination of self-doubt, self-deception, fear of change, and fear of success.

On a day-to-day basis, Resistance is expressed as procrastination, as when an artist cleans the house, gets a snack, or does anything rather than sit down to work. On a larger...