I read another book from Steven Pressfield this week “ Turning Pro”. I can´t stop thinking about these ideas. While the “The War of Art” focused more on the resistance to do the work “Turning Pro” is about what happens when someone wakes up each day understanding they will face the same struggle to actually do the work. The difference between the amateur and a professional is the professional has already drawn their sword walking in to the arena. Still fearful and fully aware of how difficult each day is. The professional is aware the battle has been won before and can be won again.

I am struck by another passage.

Writers of fiction learn early that it is possible to write a character who is smarter than they are.

How can that be?

The place that we write from (or paint from or compose from or innovate from) is far deeper than our petty personal egos. That place is beyond intellect. it is deeper than rational thought.

It is instinct.

It is intuition.

It is imagination… The best pages I´ve ever written are the pages I can´t remember writing.

In another section titled “Addicted to Distraction” he writes:

Resistance hates two qualities above all others: concentration and depth. Why? Because when we work with focus and we work deep, we succeed.

How did Tom Brady master the forward pass? How did Picasso paint? How did Yo-Yo Ma learn the cello? Resistance wants to keep us shallow and unfocused. So it makes the superficial and the vain intoxicating.

So… a regular and committed practice where we go in with concentration and depth. We aren’t afraid of fear. And in this sitting and focusing, the muse descends.