39 pages • 1 hour read
Steven PressfieldThe War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2002A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Discipline and Self-Mastery
Pressfield frequently points to discipline and self-mastery as the key to overcoming Resistance and living a meaningful life. He laments that many people try to mask symptoms of Resistance, such as restlessness or anxiety, with shopping, eating, alcohol, or drugs. Pressfield proposes “self-knowledge, self-discipline, delayed gratification and hard work” as the antidote to these Resistance-related behaviors (26). He emphasizes that being disciplined is an enormous challenge for most; culture has primed us to seek escape from suffering instead of changing our perspective or behavior.
Rather than endure physical or mental discomfort, people try to fix or ignore it by “being good Americans and exemplary consumers” and “doing exactly what TV commercials and pop materialist culture have been brainwashing us to do from birth” by seeking distraction and comfort (26). For Pressfield, the only solution to overcoming this “brainwashing” is the development of self-discipline. Pressfield recalls his own painful journey of developing self-mastery in his late twenties. He reveals that he had little self-discipline in his youth until his friend Paul Rink “lectured” him on the subject while Pressfield was trying to finish his first novel (111). Only when he became “determined to keep working” was Pressfield able to complete his novel, gain a sense of accomplishment, and feel like a real writer (111). For this reason, Pressfield claims that “[t]he most important thing about art is to work” (108).
Pressfield connects his exploration of discipline with his comparison of artists to the especially disciplined profession of being a warrior. He points to Krishna’s wisdom in the Bhagavad-Gita as especially relevant for artists. Pressfield agrees with Krishna that people should work hard without focusing on the potential rewards, and dedicate their work to God. Pressfield writes: “To labor in this way, The Bhagavad-Gita tells us, is a form of meditation and a supreme species of spiritual devotion” (161). He suggests that artists look to the American marines for inspiration; marines are known for their embrace of pain and misery, which artists are also bound to experience.
Pressfield explains: “The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation” (68). Developing enough discipline to withstand this discomfort, Pressfield argues, is essential to overcoming Resistance in all its forms and staying productive in any craft. Furthermore, Pressfield emphasizes that discipline is not only essential to fulfilling one’s potential as an artist, but is a liberation from other societal forces. He quotes Socrates’s observation that “the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery” (37). Pressfield encourages the reader to adopt this outlook and have the discipline to control their own minds.
The Manifestations and Consequences of Resistance
Pressfield dedicates a great deal of his book to exploring the different ways Resistance can manifest in people’s lives, and the consequences they may face. He defines Resistance broadly as a “repelling force” that arises within people any time they pursue “any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity” (6-7). According to Pressfield, depending on the individual this “force” may manifest as illness, poor moods, procrastination, sex addiction, as well as “drugs, shopping, masturbation, TV, gossip, alcohol, and the consumption of all products containing fat, sugar, salt, or chocolate” (23). He claims that personal problems such as family conflicts, relationship issues, and bullying or being bullied can be manifestations of Resistance. Pressfield blames “victim mentalities” on Resistance; he feels that this arises from a desire to evade work by manipulating others and seeking rescue or sympathy. These various problems not only prevent people from developing their craft; they also cause significant suffering. He asks:
How many of us have become drunks and drug addicts, developed tumors and neuroses, succumbed to pain-killers, gossip, and compulsive cell-phone use, simply because we don’t do that thing that our hearts, our inner genius, is calling us to? Resistance defeats us (3).
Pressfield underlines the importance of identifying Resistance and its repercussions by sharing the pain that it caused him personally. He relays that he was in the grips of Resistance throughout his young adulthood: “From age twenty-four to thirty-two, Resistance kicked my ass from East Coast to West and back again thirteen times and I never even knew it existed” (3). For him, Resistance manifested as a “compulsion to self-destruct. I could not finish what I started” (112). This meant that he never completed his novels; consequently, he experienced a perpetual feeling of failure and depression: “I had failed so many times, and caused myself and people I loved so much pain thereby, that I felt if I crapped out this time I would have to hang myself” (111).
Pressfield reveals that even now as a prolific and professional writer he regularly confronts his Resistance, which he believes never completely goes away. To illustrate how Resistance can insidiously disguise itself as rationalization, he details his initial thoughts when deciding to pen The War of Art: “Resistance told me I shouldn’t seek to instruct, or put myself forward as a purveyor of wisdom; that this was vain, egotistical, possibly even corrupt, and that it would work to harm me in the end. That scared me. It made a lot of sense” (30). Pressfield’s personal anecdotes demonstrate how Resistance can hinder creativity.
The Artist as Warrior
Pressfield compares artists and warriors throughout the book. Because Resistance is persistent and can take many forms, Pressfield argues that artists must adopt a warrior-like mindset in which they expect to routinely battle this enemy. He writes: “The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day” (14). Pressfield frequently alludes to both legendary and historical warriors. For example, he references the legendary warrior Arjuna from the Bhagavad-Gita to demonstrate that just as warriors should humbly serve without expecting anything in return, artists must give their labor and talent to God and not focus on their own ambitions. Similarly, Pressfield references Spartan king Leonidas, arguing that artists must operate with a “contempt for failure” in order to “cut the earth from beneath the blue-painted, shield-banging, spear-brandishing foe” which is their own Resistance (160).
Comparing successful artists to warriors conjures the intensity of the work ethic and self-discipline that Pressfield believes are essential to being a productive artist. Rather than promise an easy journey or ideal destination, Pressfield emphasizes the relentless work necessary to overcome Resistance. For instance, Pressfield warns against the expectation of ever completely overcoming fear and self-doubt about one’s craft, since “there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist” (79). Like a medieval knight, artists should adhere to a strict code of behavior, or “Warrior’s Way,” to ensure they remain hard-working and humble.
Pressfield argues that these qualities will ensure that artists can continue to produce art that is genuine and meaningful (109). Pressfield explains: “It’s an attitude of egolessness and service. The Knights of the Round Table were chaste and self-effacing. Yet they dueled dragons. We’re facing dragons too. Fire-breathing griffins of the soul” (109). Pressfield reiterates that artists’ “dragons” are their own Resistance, which come from the Ego.
In order to defeat these dragons, artists must channel the humility of the Self. Pressfield explains: “The enemy of the artist is the small-time Ego, which begets Resistance, which is the dragon that guards the gold. That’s why an artist must be a warrior and, like all warriors, artists over time acquire modesty and humility” (163). Pressfield emphasizes that while it may be easy to identify one’s own Resistance and consider how to overcome it, artists will only make this a reality by adopting a warrior’s perseverance and discipline. He quotes Telamon of Arcadia: “It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life” (61).
