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The War of Art

The War of Art . Notes by David E. Goldberg University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign deg@uiuc.edu. The Text. Pressfield, S. (2002). The war of art: Winning the inner creative battle. New York: Rugged Land. Pressfield is author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and other books. .

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The War of Art

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  1. The War of Art Notes by David E. Goldberg University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign deg@uiuc.edu

  2. The Text • Pressfield, S. (2002). The war of art: Winning the inner creative battle. New York: Rugged Land. • Pressfield is author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and other books.

  3. What Pressfield Knows • Writing isn’t hard. • Sitting down to write is hard. • Resistance prevents us from sitting down to write (or design, or start a company, or invent, or ???).

  4. The Unlived Life v. the Life We Live • Resistance is the distance between the two. • Ever • Quit a diet? • Stop exercising? • Give up on a dream? • The “what if I got cancer tomorrow?” test.

  5. Resistance’s Greatest Hits • Writing, painting, dance, music. • Entrepreneurial activity. • Diet or health regime. • Program of spiritual advancement. • Program to overcome addiction. • Education. • Act or moral or political courage. • Commitments of the heart.

  6. Internal vs. External Opponents • Resistance is internal. • Often blamed on others. • Pat Riley calls them “peripheral opponents.”

  7. Resistance is • Insidious: it lies. • Implacable: like Jaws. • Impersonal: Just business. • Infallible: More important, more resistance. • Universal: Happens to all. • Fueled by fear: Like Star Trek episode. • More powerful at the finish line:

  8. Manifestations • Procrastination is job one. • And it can become a habit. • Sex? • Trouble (seeking attention). • Self-dramatization. • Self-medication. • Victimhood.

  9. Resistance Feels Like • Unhappiness. • Unalleviated. • Clinical: depression • Buy stuff to overcome.

  10. Criticism of Others • Sign of resistance. • Can’t stand thought of others succeeding while we are blocked.

  11. Isolation as Necessary • Solitude with your thoughts is not being alone. • Writer with reader. • Artist with viewer. • Entrepreneur with customer.

  12. Combating Resistance • Turning Pro: Sit down regularly to do what’s necessary. • Difference between urgent and important. • Do the important. • Pro’s already: At our jobs. • Show up everyday. • Show up no matter what. Don’t over-identify with • Stay all day. Learn technique • Committed for long haul. Have sense of humor. • Stakes high and real. Accept remuneration. • Accept praise or blame in the real world.

  13. Pros Love Their Work • Do it out of love. • Are patient. • Seek order. • Demystifies. • Endures adversity.

  14. Beyond Resistance • Making a start. • Keep going: Improvement and revision. • Authentic self: Tabula rasa’s are not us. • A hack: someone who second guesses his audience.

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