I’ve just finished reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

It’s a cult classic and essential reading for anyone working in a creative capacity. But it’s a great book for anyone guilty of not following a dream, held back by insecurity or procrastinating about getting something started.

Pressfield’s military analogies of war, warriors and the enemy highlight what many creative people know well: that doing ‘the work’ is a daily battle with formidable foes.

“You know Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study. He applied to the Academy of Fine Arts and later to the School of Architecture. Ever seen one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I’ll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War ll than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.”

The enemy of Resistance is examined in great detail and is painted as a slippery adversary fed by the ego. Resistance is constantly looking to destroy the divine fruits of The Muse. Work is presented as a daily practice and discipline that should be engaged in as though one’s life depends on it. Indeed the author would argue that your life does depend on it.

“Resistance’s goal is not to wound or disable. Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicentre 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.”

Creative people are generally full of self-doubt and worried about putting their work out there. This book encourages them to fight their battles, study their enemy and give the world their unique output. If they don’t, humanity is the poorer for it and a divine opportunity tragically lost.

The battles don’t get any easier and the fear never subsides:

“Henry Fonda was still throwing up before each stage performance, even when he was seventy-five. In other words, fear doesn’t go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.”

If you need a wise, funny voice to help you through creative blocks and insecurities, this is a fantastically inspirational book.

Marketing is like dating. You simply don’t dress up, go out and shout at people to marry you. There are very few cheap, quick thrills that lead to lasting relationships. Marketing is the art of seduction. Your job is to win someone over. Only then will you be given a chance to fulfil the promise. It takes time. It might take years. It takes multiple encounters. The audience needs to think about you, evaluate you and show interest in you.

Absolutely none of this happens on the first date.

We’re all emotional creatures—no matter how highly we prize logic and rational thought. Our emotional psychology drives who we are and what we do. It drives what appeals to us, what attracts us, what we desire and who we dream of being.

As a marketer, your job is to ‘sell the dream’ of what your product or service is going to do for the customer. They’re not interested in your strategies or priorities. They’re interested in how you make them feel—and what their future will look like if they choose to spend it with you.

Selling the dream takes time, consistency and humility. It takes charm, delicacy and sweetness. It takes a lot more than urgent calls to action.

Start winning your audience over with the best quality content. No one is a cheap date.