The War of Art

Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War in ancient China. As a military general, Sun Tsu philosophized the broad concepts surrounding war and wrote of strategies to win. The book has now been appropriated to multiple facets of contemporary life–such as business, politics, and marketing. The book is a brilliant work and highly regarded for its wisdom. It’s so well-read that its concepts could be referenced as common knowledge in some industries–those that involve the domination of others. Whether or not you believe that dominating others is an important or good thing, conquering yourself is vital. Another well-regarded Chinese philosopher, Confucius, once said that “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” In order to win wars or accomplish anything, we must first win the battles within.

Steven Pressfield provides insight into winning our inner battles in The War of Art. If you’ve ever had creative ambitions and care to fulfill them, buy the book now. It’s a no bullshit kick in the ass to stop making excuses and pursue your desires. The book doesn’t offer tips, tricks, or shortcuts to getting what you want. Pressfield tells the hard truth and gives you the perspective to push through it nonetheless. In order to succeed in anything, you have to put in the work: the blood, sweat, and tears. If you don’t care to do that, you aren’t cut out for your ambitions. And thats’ okay, most people aren’t. The sun will still come up tomorrow and the world will move on.

Because nobody cares about your dreams.

If you want to become a musician but fail to do so, nobody will care. If you want to write a novel but quit halfway through, nobody will care. If you want to start a business, create beautiful sculptures, or build the home of your dreams and fail, nobody will care. It’s your job to care. It may seem self-centered, but in order for you to do great things, you need to focus on conquering yourself. This means beating resistance.

Resistance is a force that afflicts us all. It causes us to procrastinate and fill our time with meaningless junk. It distracts us from pursuing our goals. Its only purpose is to make sure we don’t succeed. It is invisible, internal, insidious, implacable, impersonal, infallible, universal, unrelenting, feeds off fear, recruits allies, and is “strongest at the finish line.” If you are a painter who doesn’t paint or a writer who doesn’t write, resistance is beating you. It takes different forms–Facebook, sleepiness, drugs, alcohol, other work, and even your friends. When you start working against resistance–say, sitting down to write each evening–your friends may plead for you to hang out even more. This is resistance, and it is a strong objective force. Pressfield defines it well and, like Sun Tzu, offers strategies to combat it.

First: Do your art every day. Don’t wait for “inspiration.” That only comes after you’ve earned it. Somerset Maugham once said, “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

Second: Find pleasure in misery. It isn’t fun to be dedicated to a goal. Resistance may offer fun distractions, but you must revel in misery. Art is fueled by that.

Third: Create order. A structured, organized, and simplified life leaves less space for distraction.

Fourth: Demystify your work. You aren’t creating art. You are honing your craft. You should not over-identify with your craft because you are not entitled to the fruits of your labor.

Fifth: No excuses. You beat resistance or you do not.

After striving to better ourselves and hone our craft on a daily basis, we can overcome resistance. We will find help in the form of other spirits, claims Pressfield. The Muses help us to achieve our goals once we have paid them commitment. And this commitment is simple to foster. You can begin today. Invoke the Muses…

O Divine Poesy
Goddess-daughter of Zeus,
Sustain for me
This song of the various-minded man,
Who after he had plundered
The innermost citadel of hallowed Troy
Was made to stray grievously
About the coasts of men,
The sport of their customs good or bad,
While his heart
Through all the seafaring
Ached in an agony to redeem himself
And bring his company safe home.

Vain hope – for them!
For his fellows he strove in vain,
Their own witlessness cast them away;
The fools,
To destroy for meat
The oxen of the most exalted sun!
Wherefore the sun-god blotted out
The day of their return.

Make the tale live for us
In all its many bearings,
O Muse.

…and beat resistance.