Steven Pressfield & Tim Grahl: Slaying Creative Dragons

There is an enemy. You are the enemy. Resistance will kill you. If you’re a Steven Pressfield or "The War of Art" fan (who isn’t?!), you already know that. You also know that you are not alone, and resistance can be beaten. But, good God, doesn’t it feel a little harder these days with the world seemingly going off the rails? I wasn’t sure Steven could ever write something as masterful as The War of Art. Despite selling millions of copies of books in both fiction and non-fiction—that book was tops in my eyes. But he’s done it again, with "The Artist’s Journey: The Wake of the Hero’s Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning."

If you’re wrestling with trying not to fall into the time suck of 24-hour news, you’re going to love this chat.

Joining us is book marketing superstar Tim Grahl, who you may know from his past books, "Your First 1,000 Copies," and "Book Launch Blueprint." But today he’s here with Steve for "Running Down a Dream: Your Roadmap to Winning Creative Battles." Steve’s publishing company, Black Irish Books, published the two books in tandem and I can see why. They’re both page-turners and pack an even more powerful punch when digested together.

On today’s show we talk about how we lie to ourselves about how busy we are (and how little time we actually need to get our art completed). We discuss the odd phenomenon that the writer often rejects first-book ideas, and Steve gets playfully ribbed and respectfully praised for his obsessive research habits.

Tim shares top book picks, and Steven explains why he turns away from his gorgeous Malibu ocean view to face the wall when he writes. We also cover the fundamentals of the Hero’s Journey and the subsequent Artist’s Journey, and how once you get on this train, there’s no getting off. In what Steve calls a bit of an “OCD convention,” we dive into the nitty-gritty about setting up one's office and life to avoid distractions. Tim shares how he practices being vulnerable with small pieces before he puts out something truly scary for him (like this new book), and the three of us laugh about professional jealousies and the crazy-making reality of competing with (or being held back by) your friends and family.

Listen up, too, for fave tech hacks, book launch tips, schedule simplifying strategies, and this most important message: YOU have important work to do on this planet. So, let’s go! I’m so glad you’re here.

Welcome. xo
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