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The War of Art cover art

The War of Art

By: Steven Pressfield
Narrated by: Steven Pressfield
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Summary

Think of The War of Art as tough love...for yourself.

Since 2002, The War of Art has inspired people around the world to defeat "resistance"; to recognize and knock down dream-blocking barriers and to silence the naysayers within us. Resistance kicks everyone's butt, and the desire to defeat it is equally as universal. The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.

Though it was written for writers, it has been embraced by business entrepreneurs, actors, dancers, painters, photographers, filmmakers, military service members, and thousands of others around the world.

©2011 Black Irish Entertainment LLC (P)2019 Black Irish Entertainment LLC

What listeners say about The War of Art

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Hard to get past the ignorance of mental health

I got this hoping it'd be a good motivator and may teach me some techniques for overcoming the resistance I feel towards starting and completing projects.

Unfortunately, it became clear pretty early on that the author seems to be labouring under the opinion that his "resistance" theory is literally the explanation for everything. Resistance, the author posits, is simply the resistance one feels to accomplishing tasks we set out for. Apparently its also an "evil" force, according to the author, designed to stop you from fulfilling the potential ordained to you by God.

Apparently it explains everything.

Unfullfilling sexual encounters? That's just resistance.

Depression and anxiety? Resistance.

Drug dependence and abuse? Resistance.

Within a few chapters our author is already proposing that mental health conditions are just "made up by copywriters to sell you a cure for a desease they invented".

It's wilfully ignorant attitudes like this that make those who suffer from mental health conditions lives so much harder, as they struggle to overcome the stigma that it's just "all in your head" and they must just not want to be well enough.

Pretty disappointed.

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52 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Good start but too much God nonsense

Starts off really entertaining and interesting but then quickly everything has some devine reference and Gods will this and holy purpose that, and other religious nonsense. First chapter or two well worth a listen but skip the rest.

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30 people found this helpful

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.

Enjoyed the first two chapters until he started rambling about magical angels and nonsense about god

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23 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Unbearable metaphors.

Insinuating Adolf Hitler started WW2 because he resisted becoming a painter, and the outrageous sentence “is it any coincidence the 9/11 hijackers frequented strip clubs?” F***ing what?

And the way Steven Pressfield writes about mental health like it could be shaken off. This is all so terribly tone deaf.

I’d love to stick it out past the half way mark, but all these terrible metaphors, and insinuations make it very hard to take it seriously.

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13 people found this helpful

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Okay start, rapidly descends into nonsense.

What starts out as a fine peptalk in the first few chapters unfortunately descends quickly into what I suppose I could cruelly summarize as half religious, half psychobabble rambling. It attempts to make creative pursuits out to be magical and mystic. I profoundly disagree with that kind of assertion.

This isn't a book without value, and the delivery is fine, although the backing music is at times distracting, at times a little too openly attempting to manipulate your state of mind. The actual content, as said, falls off in value.

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8 people found this helpful

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Straight to the point

Half way through the book I wanted to put it down and get on with my true purpose. It was motivating me so badly. If you like Corey Wayne you’ll like this. The reader is very enthusiastic too, which helps a lot.

I’m going to have to listen to this more than once, there’s so much information. But that’s fine because it’s not 12 hours long.

“The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference”

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7 people found this helpful

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Great ideas, but should have a religious warning

As some one who believe god is as real as the tooth fairy, I found that the half hour or so of religious talk unnecessary and useless. I completely zoned out for those parts and found it difficult to focus on the other bits.

That said the other ideas in the book are excellent.

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6 people found this helpful

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He’s a pro!

Defining words from a man who sits in the daily seat of graft and fights his demons. Read this, be brave. It’s a life support for all creative souls....

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5 people found this helpful

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WOW SUCH A GREAT LISTEN

WOW WOW WOW WOW Read if your in need
of an understnading of how you work when you want to
produce/create something will definitely help you.

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3 people found this helpful

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Stupid background music sound effects

It has all the stupid budget cinematic music that makes it impossible to listen to. I liked the War of Art, but can't listen to this as an audiobook. Awful!

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2 people found this helpful