The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

I was in a slump, a creative slump, and then I read The War of Art. I didn't think much of it when a friend offered to lend it to me one day. I was in the middle of, oh, four of five other books, and because I work in a book store, I buy, on average, two more books every day. Books, books, books! My life was filled with books, so this particular one slipped my mind until, one afternoon, my friend produced it from his backpack and placed it into my hands.

Folks, let me tell you, I snapped to attention at the first paragraph, and hungrily read until the last. I do not exaggerate when I say that everyone who considers themselves an artist (whether they be a painter, a writer, a musician, a playwright, etc.) should read this book, and read it now! Perhaps you, like me, have dreams of accomplishing creative projects, but you procrastinate, awaiting grand bursts of inspiration that never come. This book is for you.

Pressfield takes a no-nonsense approach to art. On the very last page of the book, he asks, "are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action. Do it or don't do it." And that, my friends, is the summation of this book. "Do it or don't do it." And if you choose to do it, Pressfield can point you in the right direction.