Takový ty motivační kecy, díky kterým si i Franta, co od pondělí do pátku valí fejsbuky a tvitry pro firmu na obrábění klikových hřídelí, může myslet, že dělá Umění.

Autorovi ale rozhodně velkej palec nahoru. Podařilo se mu myšlenku „když se vám něco nechce dělat, tak jděte a dělejte to“ rozepsat na 250 stran, a NAVÍC nás všechny donutit si to koupit a přečíst (no jo, taky jsem naletěla, jedna nula pro něj). Do všeho kromě toho zakomponoval spoustu prázdných řečí o Bohu, vnitřním géniu a talentu s velkým T, aby naopak úplně zapomněl na zdánlivě nepodstatný, ale ve skutečnosti důlěžitý fakt. Psaní (kterému se v knize věnuje především) je Řemeslo, a všechny ty talenty, vnitřní géniové a božská vnuknutí jsou ve skutečnosti jen marketingová omáčka kolem, což vám potvrdí každej, kdo taky někdy něco napsal a kdo si nehýčká pózu múzami zmítaného génia.

Btw, pokud dnešní markeťáci kromě koksu sjížděj tohle, možná radši ještě změním obor. Ciwe.

There are two ideas in this book that I took away: the concept of Resistance and the advice about persistence. The rest is standard fare OR actively offensive, like the insinuation anxiety and depression are something we're doing to ourselves to keep us from creating because we're all in thrall to pharma companies. There's aggravating gems like that all through this book and they pop out and sock you in the jaw pretty often, because it's a small book.

I'd really recommend watching Jay Smooth's discussion about creativity (he's where I got this rec from) instead of reading this book because he distills the important parts down without dehumanizing people who aren't privileged, able-bodied white dudes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij6YX...

I dig it. There are a lot of negative reviews of it on Goodreads, mostly about it being derivative, and/or unnecessarily characterizing the creative process as a struggle. Guys: you picked up a self-help book. You picked up a book called "The War of Art". If you hoped for originality, or a touchy-feely art-is-easy book, you made a strange decision. I'm just saying.

Personally, I found this book pretty useful. It's dense, wise, and low-bullshit. Spiritual, yes. Namby-pamby, no. It treats inspiration as a mystery (because, um, it is). It does not treat art as a mystery. It says, you can't manufacture inspiration, so get your butt in the chair, every day, and do the work so inspiration has the opportunity to come.

I'm intrigued by his idea that the difference between a professional artist and an amateur is that the professional artist loves the art enough to arrange her/his life to allow him/her to do it full-time. An amateur, he says, isn't someone who does it only for the love; if the amateur really loved the art s/he wouldn't be content to be a weekend warrior. An amateur identifies with the work: "I make sandwiches for a living, and I'm an artist", whereas a professional does the work for its own sake: "I'm a person who writes novels for a living."

He also does this Jungian analysis of where art comes from and where internal resistance comes from. I'm sure it's not earthshattering, but I'd never heard it before.

One of the useful, profound books of my reading lifetime. I pull it out periodically just for the messages, the style, and the layout. Some readers apparently thought they didn't get their money's worth because the book is slim, and some pages contain only a paragraph or two. However, I've been an award-winning writer and newspaper editor for decades, and have just the opposite reaction. Believe me, it's much harder to write succinctly and effectively, and lay it out in such a way that each page supports the messages therin. The War of Art is brilliant in this regard, an example that should be studied by professorial types who write 1,000 page tomes on this same subject. As for Pressfield's constructs -- personalizing procrastination, calling on his Muse, etc., apparently you either buy into the metaphors or you don't. I'd say something disdainful about the literal-minded here, but I accept how they're wired. As for me, I find Pressfield's approach highly effective! Best regards, Mike

What a piece of garbage! The author of this new-ageish book repeatedly states opinion as fact, and proves himself to be a misguided and judgmental buffoon. Here are some of the things I "learned" while reading this meritless piece of tripe:

1. Attention Deficit Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder aren't "real"--they are merely excuses that we give ourselves because we don't want to succeed;

2. The reason Hitler killed millions of Jews is because he didn't have a creative outlet, and he should have painted more;

3. Since creativity requires a healthy body as well as a healthy mind, overweight people can never truly be creative.

I am happy to report that this is false. Since finishing this awful (but mercifully brief) book, I have already thought of several dozen ways the author can go f**k himself. Sounds like THIS fat man's creativity is working just fine.

Maybe I'm missing something here. With all of the great reviews I thought that this book would become an invaluable resource for me. What I got was utter nonsense. I found the author to be a condescending, angry man who was so busy reliving his failures while simultaneously asserting that his "creativity" is a divine gift, that I could not relate to him at all. I also found his thoughts on mental illness like anxiety and depression and physical illness like cancer to be completely offensive. How dare he assert that every person suffering from mental illness or a horrific disease like cancer is putting it upon themselves by not following their creative pursuits? We find multiple instances of highly creative (and successfully creative at that) people who were tragically felled by these illnesses. He gave no real advice, either, other than get your ass in a chair and force yourself to work which I think we all already knew. I did not find this inspiring or moving in the least.

I think if someone had taken certain quotes from the middle of this book and thrown them at me, I would have run in the other direction, fast. Buddhist theology? Praying to Homer's muses? Not really my thing.
But the very core of this book, and most of the quotes you could throw around, are totally me, and totally what I need to hear every day.
Take this message from the very end (I had to pause the audio book to write them down so I never forget): If you were created to do something, be it write, paint, study, heal, raise children, etc., and you don't do it, "...you shame the angels...you spite the Almighty who created you--and only you--with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God."
Consider my pants kicked. :)

This is a must read. I enjoyed this book and I've referred to it almost every week. For anyone who has creative battles in writing you will identify easily with Steven Pressfield in your face and humorous tone. This book helped me achieve certain writing goals I never seemed to get moving by motivating me to take action and realize the importance of my voice.

Regardless of whether you’re trying to write a novel or screenplay, finish your artistic works, start a charity, start dieting or exercising, or even if you hope to run a marathon someday, this book is for all of you..

This book will help you identify the major bottlenecks preventing you from achieving your dreams. It will then help you overcome these obstacles, while helping you become more aware of the nature of the “enemy” for future battles. It’s primarily a motivational and philosophical book, but also contains some techniques to help you put everything together. However, it is not a step-by-step “how-to” kind of book. It’s more about understanding the psychology of creation, and how you can support it.

The biggest concept/take away from this book is Steven’s label for the invisible force that seems to prevent us from achieving our goals. Using writing as an example, he states "There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance."

Using his “Resistance” concept, Steven splits up “The War of Art” into three sub-books. Book One deals with the concept of Resistance by defining what it is. Book Two deals with the techniques and mindset you can use to combat Resistance, now that you know what it is. Its main emphasis is on “turning pro” as a way of combating Resistance. Book Three has more of a spiritual element and tries to connect the previous books into one overriding whole.

Besides Resistance, Steven also talks about his interpretation of concepts such as Genius, Muses, Angels, and the nature of hierarchical and territorial motivations. He somehow manages to link these all into one coherent whole, leaving you with a lot to ponder over. There are many great quotes in this book that is a must to re-read.

This is highly recommend book for anyone who wants to combat the Resistance within them and wants to get starting achieving goals that you've maybe held off for some time. It is a easy fun read that is inspiring, motivational, funny, and honest. This book will also make you realize that the only person who is stopping you from completing goals is yourself.

S.P. flirts enough with valid conclusions. However I felt that the reasons behind the beliefs are ego driven, derisive and flippant. He makes unsubstantiated analogies and in many portions contradicts himself. He engages in belligerent novice bashing. He vehemently repeatedly reminds us that hes a 'pro' and leaves us with little material useful for practical application. Its not an accessible book since the entire narration sounds like hes pissed off and in turn taking it out on the reader. As he mentioned in the book he had years of failure and writers block. Due to that, hes written a manifesto on the tribulations of not getting over it in a timely manner. I felt the angst and passion. Yet I also felt that those feelings took away from his writing original well structured ideas and notions on the overall subject of writing.

In the first portion of the book he says you should write in a rote way and not consider what your doing as art. That its work like any other job, lacking loftiness. Then in the second half he says that not only is writing art but thats its something godly and divine.

This book saved my life. Sure, it's full of wise and pithy advice about the creative process and how to best serve the muse. More than that, it's the kind of advice that quietly whispers in your ear when you're struggling with those threshold moments in day to day life.

I read this book in January every year. I can't think of a better way to ground myself than with the reminder that Resistance is Out There Waiting and the only thing to do is to keep working. Every day. Diligently. Whether I feel "inspired" or on fire or not. Steven Pressfield taught me that the way to be inspired is to sit down and do the work. The muse loves those who serve her faithfully and she will reward us. That's not a theory nor is it a pretty metaphor. I have experienced it again and again.

The great golfer Gary Player said in response to a reporter asking him why he's so lucky, "The harder you practice, the luckier you get." If you read this book and follow Pressfield's advice, you will get lucky too.

This book is full of truth and, as such, needs to be savored and re-read during those times when you need inspiration. I recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to create. It will change you.

I had high hopes for this book, even as I was reading it. He says the reason we procrastinate and never get down to doing what we feel we're meant to be doing or want to be doing is Resistance. He shows the many forms Resistance takes. And says we're at war with it.

And at that point, I'm saying, "Yes, yes. Absolutely right."

But then the next part of the book is supposed to be telling us how to combat Resistance. Isn't it? But it just meanders on about the difference between an Amateur and a Professional. And it all basically boils down to 'A writer writes.' and 'Put butt in chair'. Like I hadn't heard that before. Like I don't _know_ that.

You haven't offered me any specific, detailed ways to beat Resistance. How do I sneak up on it? How do I trick it? How do I whittle away at it bit by bit?

And then towards the end of the book he starts going on about Muses and Angels and spiritual crap. Until I felt like I was reading _The Secret_ all over again.

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

But perhaps I can finally get around to reading The Art of War and name Resistance as my foe. And see if I come up with anything out of that.