The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pressfield delivers an engaging collection of aphorisms that deftly achieve to inspire creative types. Through clever examples, pertinent quotations, and a narrative of phases and study-cases, THE WAR OF ART breaks down many of the archetypal obstacles to creative endeavors, be that artistic or entrepreneurial. One aspect that may put some readers off, however, is Pressfield’s insistence (even blind reliance) on a religiously-based logic for creation–“God gave you the talent, so it’s a divine command to use it” type of situation, which only a few times he backs away from in favor of a more neutral-yet-metaphorical approach for art as inner inspiration and means to individual realization. In the end, this fast read can help almost anyone unlock their drive to create.
Alex Garcia Topete 