Efficiency-Who would like to share their Daily routines?

[toodamnhip]

I highly recommend the book "The War of Art" by Stephen Pressfield for some
insights into productivity

Schweats

Could you give an example of a concept or two?

[Matcher]

I highly recommend the book "The War of Art" by Stephen Pressfield for some
insights into productivity

Schweats

I will be receiving my copy soon, thank you for the heads up!

[toodamnhip]

So what is the main emphasis and attraction to this book?

[Matcher]

I read some great reviews from Amazon, I recommend going trough some of them. Here's the back cover

[Tim]

I read some great reviews from Amazon, I recommend going trough some of them. Here's the back cover

Oh... those things.

[toodamnhip]

Looks interesting!
As long as it isn’t psycho babble about how man is only a “brain” or an animal, and treats man as a creative, spiritual being, I might be down for reading this.

It loos like it’s pretty light so I’d bet I’ll be cool...lol...I can relax now....

[Dan Worley]

 
Brings to mind an earlier (and somewhat famous) book, Art & Fear. That book helped me tremendously.

Art & Fear

"This is a book about making art. Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like: all art not made by Mozart. After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people; essentially—statistically speaking—there aren't any people like that. Geniuses get made once-a-century or so, yet good art gets made all the time, so to equate the making of art with the workings of genius removes this intimately human activity to a strangely unreachable and unknowable place. For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius."
—-from the Introduction

Art & Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. The book's co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is experienced by artmakers themselves.

This is not your typical self-help book. This is a book written by artists, for artists -— it's about what it feels like when artists sit down at their easel or keyboard, in their studio or performance space, trying to do the work they need to do. First published in 1994, Art & Fear quickly became an underground classic. Word-of-mouth response alone—now enhanced by internet posting—has placed it among the best-selling books on artmaking and creativity nationally.

Art & Fear has attracted a remarkably diverse audience, ranging from beginning to accomplished artists in every medium, and including an exceptional concentration among students and teachers. The original Capra Press edition of Art & Fear sold 80,000 copies.

[zed]

 
Brings to mind an earlier (and somewhat famous) book, Art & Fear. That book helped me tremendously.

Indeed. That sounds like a description for the very same book.

I have had both a friend and family member read The War of Art and then get a copy to me because they kept saying that they thought of me the whole time they were reading it. I read it with interest to get a better grip on what they imagined my challenges to be.

And it is a worthwhile read, telling you all of the usual things that every artist should know (like not letting fear hold you back and cripple you, and getting down to work each day being the hardest part of the process, and not allowing cynical family & friends to discourage you, etc.)

I think the most interesting part of the book for me was becoming even more aware that some of the challenges I have faced are pretty common challenges faced by many creative people. I could understand why it was thought that I needed to read this book, but my *real* challenges are quite a bit more complex than family/friends realized and beyond that which this book is designed to assist with. For me that book was mostly preaching to the choir, though there were some great tidbits and I will probably read it again to remind myself of them and to keep my direction more focused.