I am really jealous of my oldest daughter in one specific way. She seems to be able to make time to read…like really read maybe for an hour or hours a week. I’m not sure how she does it, but thinking back….there was a period of time in my life when I did the same thing. I’m desperately trying to regain that desire/ability, but still struggling a little.
A couple of year’s ago my daughter, Becca author of the Blog, Daily Joy, read the book Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull. She told me that I really NEEDED to read the book. To be honest, I kinda blew it off. Why did I want to read a book about the President of Pixar?? My mindset was that Pixar wasn’t Disney and I was too old for cartoons. So, when my daughter, Ashley, gave me the book for Christmas, I put it away.
Enter Covid. (Is it strange that every one of my blog posts lately say…Enter Covid? Life changing for sure….)
With Covid my world stopped and I tried to recreate good habits and get rid of old bad ones. I had previously made a New Year’s Resolution to read at least one book a month during this year. After a few light reads I decided to pull this book off the shelf.
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, the Academy Award–winning studio behind Inside Out and Toy Story.
I cannot believe I waited this long to read this book. It was inspirational, motivational, entertaining and educational. This book tells the story of a man who had a dream and worked hard to build a company that set a new standard for a creative culture–believing at all times–that it is important to do the best work possible. I started reading it thinking that it was a great book to tell the story of Pixar, but quickly began telling my friends and anyone who would listen about the lessons I learned each day.Lessons that applied to me as a writer, director, story-teller, leader, President of a non-profit and maybe even just a person. I started taking notes realizing that this book is for me. Ed would tell stories about how they would write their scripts and I would find myself realizing that his struggles were things I needed to learn from.
My lessons didn’t stop there because Creativity, Inc. is also a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, and create a working environment that is successful, safe and causes each employee to also strive to be better.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
“You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you will take offense when they are challenged.”
“Failure isn’t a necessary evil. In fact, it isn’t evil at all. It is a necessary consequence of doing something new.”
“If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are making a far worse mistake: You are being driven by the desire to avoid it.”
“Getting the right people and the right chemistry is more important than getting the right idea.”
“When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.”
“When faced with a challenge, get smarter.”
“Fear can be created quickly; trust can’t.”
“Craft is what we are expected to know; art is the unexpected use of our craft.”
“Making the process better, easier, and cheaper is an important aspiration, something we continually work on—but it is not the goal. Making something great is the goal.”
“What is the point of hiring smart people, we asked, if you don’t empower them to fix what’s broken?”
“Always take a chance on better, even if it seems threatening.”
“You’ll never stumble upon the unexpected if you stick only to the familiar.”
“Be patient. Be authentic. And be consistent. The trust will come.”
“The future is not a destination – it is a direction.”
“We must remember that failure gives us chances to grow, and we ignore those chances at our own peril.”
“We want people to feel like they can take steps to solve problems without asking permission.”
“THERE IS NOTHING quite like ignorance combined with a driving need to succeed to force rapid learning.”
“Quality is the best business plan.”
“it is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.”
The title, “To Whom it May Inspire.” is taken from a section of the book where Ed is talking about something he created called, “Notes Day.” He warns that things change and that they should and we shouldn’t be afraid of that change but instead approach it with fresh thinking. Ed received a letter from one of his animators, Austin Madison, which started, “To Whom it May Inspire,” He stated that like most artists he constantly shifts between two states. The first is white-hot, “in the zone.” A place where everything flows creatively. He says it only happened 3% of the time. The other happens the other 97% of the time and is when we are frustrated, struggling and throwing ideas out the window constantly. His advice?
PERSIST
PERSIST on telling your story.
PERSIST on reaching your audience.
PESIST on staying true to your vision.
That’s what we do. Keep on keeping on. Stay focused. Don’t give in.
I think there is comfort in the fact that we will always have problems: some we see right away and some that come out of nowhere….like COVID.
It isn’t the goal to avoid the problems or even to make things easier. The goal is to rise above the problem with excellence.
Who is this book for? EVERYONE. Honestly, do yourself a favor and read it. It isn’t a quick read because there is sooooo much to think about. You might be surprised. You might even shed a tear. It’s that good.
Link to the book on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Overcoming-Unseen-Inspiration/dp/0812993012/
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thank you in advance for commenting and for sharing this post!
Until next time,
From the Wings 