“The War of Art” Book Review
The War of Art is a nonfiction book by writer Steven Pressfield that explores and highlights the potential barriers and struggles of doing something very hard. Or as Pressfield mentions, anything that delays instant gratification in exchange for creating or achieving your calling — whether that be writing a novel, attempting to be a healthier human being by not eating so many bags of Frito Lays, divulging in athletic prowess or reaching nirvana.
Pressfield is an author of historical fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays and he’s had many failures as a writer before finding success.
After setting the book down I concluded that it was both motivating, needlessly aggressive, and I firmly believed the last 1/3 of the book to be a bit pointless. The strength of this book lies in its brevity, personal anecdotes, the first 2/3 and its ability to distill the complex evolving process of doing hard shit.
Before I get into what didn’t jive with me, I’d like to highlight what this book does so well.
1) It is a tiny book with tiny chapters and short, clear descriptions of difficult, complex and nuanced moments in the creative process. It really distills and connects all of them in a unique way. This brings me to point 2.
2) The book gives a name to creative barriers and struggles. It collects them and labels them. It puts them outside of ourselves to address. The book simplifies all of them into one term — Resistance. This did an excellent thing for me as a writer. It put all of the blockages, procrastination pitfalls and little moments where I simply don’t want to do the hard thing outside of myself into something that Pressfield believes is out to destroy us. Unlike Pressfield, I don’t believe Resistance is inherently malicious and is more so a product of unfortunate childhood experiences that shaped self-esteem and discipline. But by making it the villain, Pressfield makes it all a bit more fun. It gives me as a writer something to point at and say, “Get the fuck outta here!” when I feel fear or procrastination coming on. It’s helped me to sit down and write on more than one occasion post-read.
3) There aren't as many solutions as I’d like to Pressfield’s proposed Resistance but the ones that are included are particularly helpful. One said solution is belief in one form or another. Belief in the Muse or your higher-self. Belief in something outside of yourself to get you through the tough bits. Again, it helps us point to something that gives us strength when we don’t have much left.
But after that, which takes up 2/3 of the book, Pressfield loses me. The book slips from tangible actions to combat Resistance and relatable anecdotes into some sort of sermon from an Evangelical church. Lots of references to Christianity, describing our high selves and muses as angles, where I feel Pressfield really pigeon holes the relatability of this book.
The tone of the book itself was a bit aggressive for my tastes. Bite sized tidbits with so many war metaphors it’ll make you feel as if you’re trapped in Saving Private Ryan. The “don’t let the bullshit win” tone makes sense, given Pressfield was an infantryman in the Marine Corps and writes war novels. For me, as somebody who has high sensitivity, the tone was motivating only sometimes and absolutely off-putting at others.
It was all a bit hurrah hurrah! American for me but that’s just me.
I also have to disagree with Pressfield on a major point and thesis of this book — that we must be at war with the process of making art and ourselves.
Art does not have to be a war of any kind. If you believe it is a war then get ready for battle but if you’re open to working with the parts of yourselves that need encouragement, reassurance and compassion, then it doesn’t have to be all guns and guts. You can actually learn to become aware and acknowledge Resistance and treat it as a small dog who is afraid of change. Afraid of succeeding. Afraid of rejection. A creature that is afraid will snap to protect itself. It also responds more to kindness than to combat.
I would still recommend this book to anybody who is feels that making art is just too damned hard, who is struggling to start projects, finish them, or who never shares their art, and who wants a quick read to unpack the complexities of being at war with yourself while making art. It’s mostly a book to read back to front if you’re new to the game of art making. It is also a book that I will leave on my shelf, turn to a random page on a random day, and get a little bit more motivation as a result.
