“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance”
— from "The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles" by Steven Pressfield
I have always avoided (like the plague) anything that could be considered a ‘self-help’ book, but The War of Artcame into my life exactly when I needed it (thanks Scott!). It gave me the motivation to get off my butt, stop making excuses and realize that the only person preventing me from doing what I REALLY wanted to do, was me.
In his book, Steven Pressfield calls procrastination and all other forces preventing you from exploring your inner potential (aka, getting off your butt and doing that creative thing you keep dreaming about doing) "Resistance".
According to Pressfield:
“Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us way, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.”
— from page 7
The book goes on to further define this term and gives straightforward, logical tools to combat Resistance that are meant to help readers feel empowered and turn their dreams into reality.
This book is not geared only to those who are creatively inclined, however, if there is anything that you have ever wanted, but just keep putting off (tighter abs perhaps?), this book is worth the read.
The Victoria and Albert Museum (known as the V&A to locals and visitors alike) in South Kensington, London, has an awe-inspiring collection of decorative arts that spans 5,000 years of human creativity.
The museum opened in 1852 with the aim of making art available to everyone, and then moved to its current location in 1857.
I was completely enchanted by this work when I came upon it while walking through the museum one afternoon. It is oversized, and unlike anything that I had ever seen before — by Picasso or any other artist for that matter.
When visiting big cities, it is easy to assume that their art galleries are going to be impressive and well worth spending an afternoon in, but as I have often discovered, this is not always the case.
But how do you know if a gallery is going to be worth visiting, or not? This post is a good place to start!
The Museum of Modern Art, or MoMa as it is more commonly known, is usually on most visitor’s lists to NYC. More than 7 million people (!) visit this museum every year to take in the 150,00+ artworks that include big names like Warhol, Matisse, Pollock, Van Gogh, and more.
Alex Janvier may be a prolific and significant Canadian Indigenous Artist, but there are no teepees, totem poles, or feathered headdresses in his portfolio.
His impressive 50-year artistic career and his contribution to the art world caused him to receive the Governor General Award in 2008, but there was once a time when the Canadian government was ready to hinder, rather than help, the progression of his career.
When my sister recently came home from a trip to Paris she seemed impressed with everything that she had seen — except for the Mona Lisa.
One of the most recognized works of art in the world, reproductions of it usually come in poster sized prints while the original, hung behind thick, bullet proof glass and guarded by a velvet rope is miniature in comparison.
This stunning work by Picasso is housed in the Museu Picasso in Barcelona.
I was completely enchanted by this work when I came upon it while walking through the museum one afternoon. It is oversized, and unlike anything that I had ever seen before — by Picasso or any other artist for that matter.