Quotes from -THE WAR OF ART -by Steven Pressfield The creative innovator committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell whether he knows it or not. The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome.Are you paralyzed with fear? Thats a good sign. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. ...fear doesnt go away. The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We dont just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed. Casting yourself as a victim is the antithesis of doing your work. Dont do it. If youre doing it, stop. The artist cannot look to others to validate his efforts or his calling. If you dont believe me, ask Van Gogh, who produced masterpiece after masterpiece and never found a buyer in his whole life. Its not the writing part thats hard. Whats hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance. Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. The aim of resistance is to shove us away, distract us from doing our work. Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit. Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our souls evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it. Resistance has no conscience. Resistances goal is not to wound or disable. Resistance aims to kill. Resistance is implacable, intractable, indefatigable. Resistance is not a peripheral opponent. Resistance arises from within. It is self-generated and self-perpetuated. Resistance is the enemy within. Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. We feed resistance with power by our fear of it. Master that fear and we conquer Resistance. Resistance by definition is self-sabotage. Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were mean to be? Are you a writer who doesnt write, a painter who doesnt paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is. Were not born with unlimited choices. We cant be anything we want to be. We come into this world with a specific, personal destiny. We have a job to do, a calling to enact, a self to become. We are who we are from the cradle, and were stuck with it. Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it. The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying. Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny. This second we can turn the tables on Resistance. This second, we can sit down and do our work. Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the artist. Its a gift to the world and every being in it. Dont cheat us of your contribution. Give us what youve got. Because when we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen. A process is set into motion by which, inevitably and infallibly, heaven comes to our aid. Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose. THE MAGIC OF MAKING A START Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed would come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethes couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now. ― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 07:15:14 +0000
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