222: The Daily Pressfield with Steven Pressfield
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222: The Daily Pressfield with Steven Pressfield
Episode 222: Show Notes
In this week’s episode of The Light Watkins Show, Light Watkins sits down with bestselling author Steven Pressfield, known for his influential book The War of Art and his latest release, The Daily Pressfield. Steven shares profound insights into the creative process, discussing the ever-present struggle with resistance and the importance of showing up consistently to overcome it.
Steven offers a unique perspective on creativity, likening it to an improv exercise where there's always something in the box waiting to be discovered. He emphasizes the concept of the muse, a creative force that consistently provides ideas, and how crucial it is to invite this muse into our lives through disciplined practice.
Steven also shares personal anecdotes, including how carrying the Bhagavad Gita on flights led him to a breakthrough book idea. Light and Steven explore the importance of mindset in the creative journey, with Steven offering practical tips for writers and creators on how to entice the muse and defeat resistance.
The episode is packed with actionable advice for aspiring writers and creatives. Steven discusses the necessity of consistency, the significance of not judging your work too harshly, and the benefits of embracing imposter syndrome as a sign of stretching one's potential. He also shares fascinating stories from his career, including a strange writing circumstance that involved a medical condition and standing up to write.
Listeners will also learn about Steven’s upcoming intimate writer's workshop in California, where attendees can gain his personal instruction. This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for anyone looking to deepen their creative practice and overcome the blocks that hinder their progress. Don’t miss this engaging conversation with one of the most insightful voices in the creative world.
Key Points From This Episode:
Overcoming Resistance: Steven discusses the struggle with resistance and the importance of consistent effort.
The Muse and Creativity: Steven likens creativity to an improv exercise, always finding something new in the box.
Inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita: How carrying the Bhagavad Gita on flights led Steven to a breakthrough book idea.
Importance of Mindset: Steven offers practical tips for cultivating the right mindset for creative work.
Embracing Imposter Syndrome: Steven explains why imposter syndrome is a sign of stretching one's potential.
The Necessity of Consistency: Steven emphasizes the importance of showing up every day to foster creativity.
Overcoming Self-Judgment: Tips on not judging your work too harshly during the creative process.
Personal Stories from Steven's Career: Steven shares fascinating anecdotes, including writing while standing up due to a medical condition.
Steven's Upcoming Writer's Workshop: Details about Steven's intimate writer's workshop in California.
Discovering the Creative Process: Steven talks about how writing helps in discovering oneself rather than just expressing oneself.
Practical Tips for Aspiring Creators: Steven provides actionable advice for writers and creatives to entice the muse and defeat resistance.
The Role of Discipline in Creativity: Steven underscores the crucial role of disciplined practice in maintaining creative flow.
Quotes:
"Imposter syndrome is just that's it. It's just a natural state of I wake up with it every morning. And I'm sure that everybody does, so it's really nothing to get exercised about." — @SPressfield
“I think showing up is 99% of it, right? I mean, there's really two parts to it. One part is the goddess, is the inspiration of being open to... And the other half is the professionalism half of just simply showing up every day." — @SPressfield
"If we were training for the Olympics as runners, let's say, you're not going to take a week off. You can't take off three days. You can't even take part of a day off. It's all got to be focused." — @SPressfield
"Resistance is so diabolical that it will latch on to legitimate things like it is good to take a walk, it is good to maybe post on social media. But resistance is the devil and it's really trying to get you to take a walk so that you won't sit down and do your work." — @SPressfield
"I think the things I've done that have succeeded the most were the ones that I thought had no chance of succeeding at all, that I thought were not commercial at all." — @SPressfield
"I'm a believer, as you know, in the muse and the goddess, that mysterious element that sort of looks down each day as you're meditating or as you're doing your work." — @SPressfield