Tapping into Creativity and Embracing the Muse

Steven Pressfield, author of “The War of Art” shares how to tap into your creativity and unlock your full potential as an artist. He discusses the source of inspiration, sharing how he views ‘the Muse’ and how we can fine tune ourselves to tap into it more. He unpacks how to find your voice as an artist and know yourself through each piece of work. 

He discusses the #1 thing that keeps creators from achieving their potential: fear. Explaining that fear is a sign that we’re on the right path, and how we can transform this fear into a masterpiece.

Him and André also discuss what distinguishes an amateur from a pro, balancing business and creativity, and our responsibility as artists to share our work.

André's Book Recommendations: https://www.knowthyself.one/books

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Timecodes:

0:00 Intro 

2:04 The Responsibility of Sharing our Art

4:55 Discovering Ourselves Through Creativity

9:33 The Muse: Tapping into the Source of Inspiration

15:52 Finding Your Creative Voice

19:16 Facing Off With Resistance & Fear

27:30 The Art That Surprises You

28:53 Why Talent Doesn’t Matter

30:22 How to Get Out of Your Own Way

34:25 Why We Secretly Fear Success

41:22 Finding Courage to Follow Your Dreams 

50:10 Destiny vs Free Will

52:48 Feeling Lost? Here's How to Find Your Way

55:11 How Steven Struggled His Way to Success

1:03:55 When "the Lightening" Strikes

1:06:13 Go From Amateur to Pro

1:11:34 Selling & Marketing Your Artwork

1:17:22 Refining: Reducing A Piece to it’s Maximum

1:19:11 Prayer to the Muse: Setting Intentions for Creating

1:23:01 The Daily Pressfield: A Guide to Completing Great Work

1:30:54 Does the Self Doubt Get Easier?

1:31:54 Why We Must Share our Art

1:33:09 Dharma and Creativity

1:34:50 Conclusion

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Steven Pressfield is the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, The Profession, The Lion's Gate, The War of Art, Turning Pro, Do the Work, The Warrior Ethos, The Authentic Swing, An American Jew, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, and The Knowledge.His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was adapted for screen. A film of the same title was released in 2000, directed by Robert Redford and starring Matt Damon, Will Smith and Charlize Theron.His father was in the Navy, and he was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943. Since graduating from Duke University in 1965, he has been a U.S. Marine, an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, attendant in a mental hospital and screenwriter. His struggles to earn a living as a writer (it took seventeen years to get the first paycheck) are detailed in The War of Art, Turning Pro, The Authentic Swing, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, and The Knowledge.There's a recurring character in his books, named Telamon, a mercenary of ancient days. Telamon doesn't say much. He rarely gets hurt or wounded. And he never seems to age. His view of the profession of arms is a lot like Pressfield's conception of art and the artist:"It is one thing to study war, and another to live the warrior's life."

Steven’s New Book “The Daily Pressfield”: https://stevenpressfield.com/books/the-daily-pressfield/

Website: https://stevenpressfield.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/

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Looking to Start a Podcast? Podcasting Course: https://www.podcastpurpose.com/

Know Thyself

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/

Website: https://www.knowthyself.one

Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ4wglCWTJeWQC0exBalgKg

Listen to all episodes on Audio: 

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/know-thyself/id1633725927

André Duqum

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