Most of us have two lives: The life we live, and the life unlived.
Between the two stands Resistance.
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 away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work. It is self-generated and self-perpetuated. Resistance is the enemy within.
Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul, the unique and priceless gift we were put on earth to give and that no one else has but us. Resistance means business. When we fight it, we are in a war to the death.
face your enemy
IDENTIFY
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face your enemy
DEFEAT
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AMATEUR

PROFESSIONAL

the book
The War of Art is a book written by Steven Pressfield, an American author of historical fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays. The book personifies procrastination, mediocrity, and a host of other universal attributes that prevent people from living life to the fullest, as a entity known as Resistance. It defines Resistance, explains why we must fight it our own lives, and how we can fight it. This website is a tribute to the book that changed my life and could never do the original book justice. The original book is brimming with much more content than this website and is a priceless weapon if put to good use.
credits
This site was designed by Jason Chang. All quotes are directly taken or adapted from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Base models were taken from Adobe Fuse. Texturing was done in Maxon Cinema 4D. JSON formatting for models was exported out of Clara.io. VR scene was constructed in AFrame. Most animations were done with GreenSock. Ambient sounds were taken from the SoundEffectsFactory.
but why
In the summer of 2017, without an internship or any pressing work to do, I resolved to search for my passion. I’m currently studying Information Systems, but coding doesn’t get me excited. I knew my passion was really design, but that wasn’t specific enough for me. After watching YouTube videos on a design channel called “thefutur,” I stumbled across an artist and designer named, Ash Thorp. I immediately fell in love with his work and knew that motion graphics in feature films was what I wanted to do, a field that combines both art and design. During one of his talks, Ash recommended The War of Art as a book that helped him overcome procrastination and turn his life around. Similarly, feeling convicted of submitting to laziness and mediocrity, I downloaded and read the book. I quickly absorbed all the book had to give me and found myself highlighting almost every sentence. I knew I largely depended on CMU to give me the knowledge I wanted and the projects that I needed for my portfolio. I was always looking for the next minor to apply for, the next class project to be the “one,” the next class to be where I finally learn design, etc. But I realized how passive my mindset was and how formalized education had become a toxic comfort zone.

Think of this website as my letter to the world to leave your comfort zone. The reality is that you’re going to suffer either way; you’re either going to suffer for the average life or the extraordinary life. We might as well choose suffering for the extraordinary.

This book changed my life and helped me become active in pursuing my passions, in crafting my own career, and in living the life unlived. I hope this book can do the same for you.
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When I say professional, I don’t mean doctors and lawyers, those of ‘the professions.’ I mean the Professional as an ideal. The professional in contrast to the amateur. Consider the differences. The amateur plays for fun. The professional plays for keeps. To the amateur, the game is his avocation. To the pro, it’s his vocation. The amateur plays part-time, the professional full-time. The amateur is a weekend warrior. The professional is there seven days a week. The word amateur comes from the Latin root meaning ‘to love.’ The conventional interpretation is that the amateur pursues his calling out of love, while the pro does it for money. Not the way I see it. In my view, the amateur does not love the game enough. If he did, he would not pursue it as a sideline, distinct from his ‘real‘ vocation. The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time. That’s what I mean when I say turning pro. Resistance hates it when we turn pro.

- Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
Face each of Resistance’s traits and defeat them one by one. You are given their descriptions and strategies to kill them. But beware, pride comes before the fall, and the battle must be fought anew every day. Now, go find your passion and become a pro.
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