The War of Art

Pressfield contrasts amateurs with professionals, emphasizing that amateurs tend to leave their craft to their free time, pursuing it as a hobby, while professionals dedicate their lives to their craft. Professionals set aside time each day to do their work, rather than merely waiting for inspiration to strike. He admits that he still confronts Resistance every day, and is relieved when his writing day is over and he has produced some work.

Pressfield characterizes amateurs as people who are so over-identified with their craft that they feel become “overterrified of its failure” and therefore creatively “paralyzed” (70). They may procrastinate and never produce work at all, or only solicit reactions from friends or family. In contrast, professionals are realists about their work, knowing that some of it will not meet their expectations. They welcome feedback from industry professionals, and view failure as an opportunity to learn.

Pressfield reminisces about writing the screenplay for the film King Kong Lives, his first real writing job, and how devastated and embarrassed he was when the film bombed both critically and commercially. Pressfield realized that while the film was a failure, he was now a disciplined professional, ready to use the lessons of his failure and create new work.