{"id":28208,"date":"2022-02-11T01:54:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T09:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=28208"},"modified":"2022-02-11T01:54:34","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T09:54:34","slug":"momentum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/momentum\/","title":{"rendered":"Momentum"},"content":{"rendered":"

We read two fascinating books on the creative process this week. In The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles<\/em>, Steven Pressfield tackles the opposing psychological and spiritual dimensions of resistance and creativity.[1]<\/a> His book is classified by the Library of Congress under their large Religion, Psychology, and Philosophy umbrella, and more specifically under the psychological fields of cognition and consciousness. He divides his text into a three-part informal introduction followed by three books. Book one delves into the nature and purpose of resistance and the many forms it can take.[2]<\/a> \u00a0Book two develops the practices of thwarting resistance by moving from amateur to professional in any creative endeavor.[3]<\/a> Book three explores the mystical and divine sources of creative inspiration through an eclectic lens of spiritual influences.<\/p>\n

Stephen King\u2019s, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft[4]<\/strong><\/a><\/em> uses the story of his formation as a writer to discuss some of the same dimensions of the creative process covered by Pressfield, but also writes specifically about language and the skill of writing. The Library of Congress classifies his book under the Literature and Languages umbrella, specifically under Individual Authors of American Literature. His book structure is more difficult to define. He presents a series of what he calls \u201csnapshots.\u201d[5]<\/a> These snapshots capture his formation journey in glimpses.<\/p>\n

I read Pressfield\u2019s book first, and so experienced King\u2019s book as a case study for what Pressfield discusses about the work of creativity\u2014and it is work. For example, Pressfield writes in his summation: \u201cCreative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It\u2019s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don\u2019t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you\u2019ve got.\u201d[6]<\/a> King writes: \u201cWriting isn\u2019t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it\u2019s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It\u2019s about getting up, getting well, and getting over.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

Discipline is the practice that transforms an amateur into a professional. Pressfield says, \u201cSomeone one asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. \u2018I write only when inspiration strikes,\u2019 he replied. \u2018Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o\u2019clock sharp.\u2019\u201d[8]<\/a> King echoes this disciplined approach when he urges writers to find a dedicated writing space: \u201cThe space can be humble (probably should be, as I think I have already suggested), and it really needs only one thing: a door which you are willing to shut. The closed door is your way of telling the world and yourself that you mean business; you have made a serious commitment to write and intend to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

Many of Pressfield\u2019s observations about the battle between resistance and creativity reminded me of Friedman\u2019s panacea for overcoming the destructive force of anxiety and Campbell\u2019s description of the Hero\u2019s Journey. For example, Pressfield writes, \u201cThe professional prepares mentally to absorb blows and to deliver them\u2026His goal is not victory\u2026but to handle himself, his insides, as sturdily and steadily as he can.\u201d[10]<\/a> Friedman reminds the reader that in the face of toxic anxiety, one can only manage oneself.[11]<\/a> Pressfield writes: \u201cOur ancestors were keenly cognizant of forces and energies whose seat was not in this material sphere but in a loftier, more mysterious one.\u201d[12]<\/a> Campbell laments contemporary society\u2019s loss of interest in or respect for the mythological.[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

The cumulative impact of this week\u2019s readings and their intersections with Friedman and Campbell leave me more deeply committed to developing the professional disciplines described by Pressfield. In particular, his section \u201cYou, Inc.\u201d caught my attention.[14]<\/a> \u201cMaking yourself a corporation (or just thinking of yourself in that way) reinforces the idea of professionalism because it separates the artist-doing-the-work form the will-and-consciousness-running-the-show.\u201d[15]<\/a> As I develop my NPO, taking this incorporation step will help me set healthy DNA in my initiative from the beginning and position me to better continue the creative work this NPO will require of me and maintain forward momentum.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Pressfield, Steven. 2002. The War of Art: Break through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles<\/em>. New York, NY, Los Angeles: Black Irish Entertainment LLC.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid., 5ff.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 62ff.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> King, Stephen, Joe Hill, and Owen King. 2020. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid., 18.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Pressfield, 165.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> King, 269.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Pressfield, 64.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> King, 155.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Pressfield, 82.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Friedman, Edwin H., Margaret M. Treadwell, and Edward W. Beal. 2017. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix<\/em>. 10th anniversary revised edition. New York: Church Publishing, Kindle location 421.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Pressfield, 114.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Campbell, Joseph. 2008. The Hero with a Thousand Faces<\/em>. 3rd ed. Bollingen Series XVII. Novato, Calif: New World Library., xii.<\/a><\/p>\n

[14] Pressfield, 97-98,<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Ibid., 97.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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