{"id":113,"date":"2017-05-15T07:21:31","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T07:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chicprose.1203agency.com\/?p=113"},"modified":"2020-05-11T00:48:24","modified_gmt":"2020-05-11T00:48:24","slug":"creativy-inc-overcoming-the-unseen-forces-that-stand-in-the-way-of-true-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southsidebelle.com\/2017\/05\/15\/creativy-inc-overcoming-the-unseen-forces-that-stand-in-the-way-of-true-inspiration\/","title":{"rendered":"CREATIVY INC: OVERCOMING THE UNSEEN FORCES THAT STAND IN THE WAY OF TRUE INSPIRATION"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pixar is an atypical organisation, and Creativity Inc sheds us some light into why.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What makes Pixar such a magical place? For all of us born in the 80\u2019s and 90\u2019s, Pixar has a special place in our hearts. For the past 20 years, whenever we see that lively white lamp jump before us, we know something special is about to burst through our screen.<\/p>\n

But how do you build and sustain such a place? From its inception to our current days, Ed Catmull takes us through the life of Pixar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis book is for anyone who wants to work on an environment that fosters creativity and problem solving\u201d \u2013 *Ed Catmull, Creativity Inc*<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ed was fascinated with animation from a young age. His lifelong dream was always to work for Disney, drawing inspiration from watching Walt Disney on TV. As a prelude for the creation of Pixar, we are taken through a few highlights from his life:<\/p>\n

* How he used to create flipbooks during high school
\n* Graduating from university with a computer science and physics degree
\n* At the age of 26, setting a goal of making computer animated images to be used in movies (we were in 1971)
\n* Being turned down by Disney, who rejected the idea of having technology to animate their movies
\n* Joining Lucas Films to lead a new computer division (later named Pixar), to bring computer animation to Silicon Valley<\/p>\n

At the heart of Silicon Valley, Pixar is born to solve the challenge of digitally separating elements of an image. The software that would help change the world of animated films came to life, through the Pixar Image Computer<\/a>. However, the new technology was not enough to keep the division afloat, and the need to streamline Lucasfilm in 1983 meant that Pixar was for sale.<\/p>\n

STEVE JOBS JOINS THE PICTURE AND THE WORLD OF ANIMATION IS DISRUPTED<\/h2>\n

Enters Steve Jobs, and the future of Pixar was about to change. After intense negotiating, Steve Jobs acquires Pixar in 1986, which by then had not only some of the most talented and creative people in the world, but also the vision and willpower of Steve Jobs. The pavement to produce the first computer animated film was laid.<\/p>\n

Through a (very) difficult partnership with Disney and, after 5 years of development, Toy Story comes out and almost immediately becomes a landmark of the its industry, grossing more than 350 M$ worldwide. Even now, more than two decades after its release, we nostalgically still remember Buzzlighter and Woody\u2019s fight for Andy\u2019s love, and mumble \u201cYou\u2019ve got a friend in me\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CREATING A CULTURE THAT BREATHES CREATIVITY<\/h2>\n

Pixar is more than talking toys and friendship songs. From the many stories and principles that we get in contact with throughout the book, I believe that the 3 most decisive and impactful to Pixar\u2019s culture and success are:<\/p>\n

BRAINTRUST | CANDOR | FEAR AND FAILURE<\/h5>\n

Braintrust<\/strong> embodies the idea of **giving early constructive feedback** throughout any creative endeavor. The Braintrust was a group of the best creative and problem solvers at Pixar, who would regularly meet with the film\u2019s teams to provide feedback (not order changes) to all movies.<\/p>\n

Candour<\/strong> is the art of being open and honest. Crucial to the creative process, this can be the most difficult principle to apply in any organisation. In Ed\u2019s words, all movies suck early on, and giving people the freedom to speak their mind can be the difference between a box office hit and an astronomical failure.<\/p>\n

Fear and Failure<\/strong>. Oh, failure. We all hear how being open to failure is key, and how some companies encourage their people to fail fast. But how do you make failure into something that people face without fear? According to Ed, it starts by having **leaders openly talk about their mistakes**. And while you might not want to encourage failure, you need to have people who are able to assess risk, and not be afraid to face the unknown.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a truly creative company, you must start things that might fail\u201d \u2013 Ed Catmull, Creativity Inc<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pixar\u2019s success did not come without its hiccups tough. We are taken through the time Pixar needed to lay off 1\/3 of his crew and the emotional and physical burnout of his team during the making of Toy Story. We are also reminded how randomness can play a defining role in success, almost<\/a> losing the footage of Toy Story 2.<\/p>\n

THE 8 HABITS FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE COMPANIES<\/h2>\n

Closer to the end of the book, we are presented with 8 ideas to help bring the best in people:<\/p>\n