"The War of Art"

First off... if you don't read, you're missing out. If you claim you don't read for a "lack of time" and yet watch more than an hour of TV, you're fooling yourself! Books can bring so much more to your life, and get parts of your brain firing that you haven't used in a while. Stoke your fire and make some time to read!

That said, one of my favorite sites is http://chrismccombs.net and his writings geared toward "Hardcore Happiness". The dude has a message to spread, and does a great job getting it across. A while back he recommended the book that this post is all about: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I figured it would be worth 10 bucks to see if it was as great as he claimed, so I bounced over to Amazon and ordered it up. One morning this week, I opened it up with the intention of only reading the foreword or at most a chapter. What I did instead was clear my morning and dig all the way through by lunch. I then threw it in my backpack and have steadily gone back to reread portions, and my wife started digging in as well. I plan on reading it again all the way through, I liked it THAT MUCH.

Pressfield is a guy that has paid decades of dues, had his dreams smashed, been told no, and ridiculed. But he still gets up every morning, fights through, and puts words on the page. He caught a big break when he pumped out The Legend of Bagger Vance despite the fact it was about golf. He's learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and I for one REALLY appreciate learning from other people's hardships and avoiding them like the plague.

This book dives into creativity, but not so much the creative process. Rather, it tackles the setting for making creativity happen. When inspiration meets skill, great things can happen. But as anyone who tries to be a full time creative can tell you, there's a lot of Resistance to this. Pressfield dives face first into this very Resistance, and shows ways to identify and battle the forces that try to stifle creativity. I for one needed the kick in the pants that he offers up, and will put his words into practice.

He explains the difference between an amateur and Pro. And it's brilliant. A solid road map for going pro in whatever it is you do, and the keys to keeping the joy. Your creative outlet is your territory, and an entirely different set of rules apply to it. If you're an entrepreneur or fancy yourself a creative, or just need a little nudge, this book is for you. I for one know what several of my friends will be getting as gifts in the coming months. Grab it, read it, and CREATE EVERY DAY!

-Scratch