357: Steven Pressfield: The war of art and nature
Steven Pressfield’s War of Art is a perennial bestseller. If you haven’t read it, I recommend reading it, even if you delay listening to this podcast. Well, listen to this episode since it will prepare you.
Before I read it, I could not have imagined someone writing it. I can’t think of another book like it. It’s helped countless people start acting on passions.
Steven shares how the book emerged—things you won’t get from just reading it. After we finished recording, he told me how he shared new things in this episode and he’s appeared on many podcasts.
I also commented on how the resistance he described to the individual on the verge of creating translates almost perfectly to two places, the individual acting on his or her environmental values as well as us in our communities, as a nation, as a species. Listen to hear his comments on that observation, and why his response made me feel so honored, flattered, and motivated to follow up.
He’s friendly. We spoke a bit after stopping recording. I asked him about an op-ed piece I’m working on that I feel expresses myself well and will serve the world but many people will object to. It feels great to hear from someone who has inspired so many to weather those risks to be true to yourself. Resistance looms large nonetheless.
Anyway, I don’t recommend that many books, but I recommend War of Art.