Creativity, Inc. : Overcoming The Unseen Forces That Stand In The Way Of True Inspiration
Many many years ago I had the incredible privilege of sitting in the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles listening to John Lasseter (dressed in a snorkel mask and flippers) speak for 2 hours on the creation on ‘Finding Nemo’.
It was one of the most pivotal moments in my life.
Here was a man who founded Pixar Studios standing on a huge stage with only a bottle of water and a microphone … no notes, no teleprompter, no visuals.
It was the finest and most riveting storytelling I had ever experienced in my life.
Everyone in the audience laughed, cried, and was on the edge of their seats for the entire 2-hour presentation, as the story of ‘Finding Nemo’ unfolded in full technicolour in each of our imaginations.
It was only at the very end of his story … when everything was wrapped up and he was taking questions from the audience that he showed us a couple of visuals of the gorgeous undulating life of the coral reefs and a very rough black and white sketch of Nemo.
Bar none, it was the most riveting presentation I have ever witnessed in my life … because it wasn’t a presentation … it was a story.
Here from Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, is an incisive book about creativity in business.
At its core, it’s a book about how to build a creative culture — but it is also, as Pixar co-founder and president Ed Catmull writes, “An expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible.”
For nearly twenty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the ‘Toy Story’trilogy, ‘Monsters, Inc.’, ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘The Incredibles’, ‘Up’, and‘WALL-E’, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner thirty Academy Awards.
The joyousness of the storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity is truly beyond compare!
In many ways, Pixar movies are the definition of what creativity really is.
Here, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired — and so profitable.
Please take some time over the holidays and read Creativity Inc.
It is life changing and an incredible way to kick off the New Year!
We give it 6 feet!
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