Reflections on The War of Art

Two things that I do daily are paint and read. And although I post works in progress and finished artworks I do not talk about the books that I am currently reading. And the authors I am reading are informing me to the processes I am engaging in and the new worlds I am traversing. Working as an artist after having lived in a very conventional mindset and way of life has been a journey in itself and not one that I have found that easy. It was more to do with the fixed ideas I had about what 'real' work was and how to negotiate a stretch of 24 hours without a boss, a building to go to along with a timetable and list of what I 'should' be doing. So really the past couple of years have been me finding my bearings and creating a work schedule that is made by me and governed by me.

A book I have been meaning to read and had never quite got round to it, is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I read it recently and this is not just a book for those in the creative fields it is a book for those alive and living a life; it is a book for us all.

He speaks of the resistance we have against the very things that would serve us and our souls well. The manner in which we put up barriers in the form of excuses, finances, health issues and any and all the wondrous ways our brains concoct excuses to let us know it is not the right time, we are not in the right frame of mind , it doesn't feel right and the list goes on. And I recognised myself in those laments, I use those excuses too. And the bottom line to doing anything we really want to do in our lives is to turn up and do the very thing we are meant to do. Without the narrative of why I can't or shouldn't.

Steven Pressfield emphasises that when we go to work in a conventional job or environment we turn up even if we are unwell, we are punctual, we stay the course of the day, we hold ourselves accountable for the work we do and we complete a days work before we leave. So why do we not apply these tenants to work we are fulfilled by doing. Just because it is creative, it is still work and the same rules apply. Do the work. Turn up at the desk, easel, dance studio on time, do the work and be accountable.

He also impresses on the reader the fact that when doing engaging work there are also invisible forces at play. A connection many of us feel when we are focussed on a piece of work that is delivering us out of the world we live in, into a space where time, space and the ego of us disappears.

I liked his no holds barred approach. Telling it like it is with a dose of mysticism in the mix. I would recommend this book to anyone and especially those who are travelling a path somewhat unworn.