Chapter 12 describes how Disney bought Pixar. This chapter wasn’t too intriguing to me, except when Catmull explains how they vowed to keep Pixar and Disney animation separate: “Most people assumed that Pixar would do 3D movies and Disney would do 2D. Or they assumed that we would merge the two studios or mandate that Disney use the Pixar tools. But the key, to us, was separation” (Catmull 255). I found this interesting because it reminded me that when a small group becomes part of a larger, or different group, it is important to remember and maintain the values that the initial group was founded on. I think this applies to launch in the sense that when the launch community combines with the entire upper school on launch day, the thesis community needs to make sure they bring their values and beliefs to everyone. We can’t lose the values of and existence of the thesis community in launch day. The beginning of chapter 13 instantly sparked my interest, as Catmull referred to writing the book I was currently reading: “…while I was writing this book, I was also working full-time at Disney and Pixar, and the world did not stand still” (Catmull 275). This made the book real to me. It was not the chronicle of an imaginary world, but rather discussing the real life formation of a real company that produced real movies. It reminded me that Catmull’s story he tells in Creativity Inc. was a real life story of success with creativity and the creative process. This encouraged me because it reminded me that it possible to reach your dreams, even if they seem so far-fetched and impossible; Catmull’s story is living proof of this. I think if we go into thinking about “what’’s better than launch” with this positive mindset we will be able to be more successfully creatively and reach our fullest potential.
Month: August 2017
Creativity Inc. (ch. 10 & 11 )
Chapter 10 of Creativity Inc. includes an interesting point, “And the fourth idea is that people who work or live together- people like Dick and Anne, for example = have, by virtue of proximity and shared history, models of the world that are deeply (sometimes hopefully) intertwined with one another” (Catmull 191). Catmull reminds us that when we work with people we typically work with and are comfortable with, our judgment sometimes gets clouded. It is important to be aware that our thinking is different around those that we are accounted to be around and think with. This applies to launch in the sense that the Thesis community is accustomed to think and brainstorm ideas together. It is important for us to try to think independent of each other when brainstorming about “what’s better than launch.” As the book continues, Catmull reveals certain truths about the origin of creativity and creative ideas: “Many of us have a romantic idea about how creativity happens: A lone visionary conceives a film or product in a flash of insight…In my experience, creative people discover and realize their visions over time and through dedicated, protracted struggle” (Catmull 223). I think it is important to remember that we can’t just expect an idea better than launch to suddenly come to one of us in a dream! But instead, working towards improving launch and being committed and diligent in our efforts to do so will result in a new, creative idea. This got me thinking that in general, you can’t just sit around and wait for the perfect future to simply exist for you. Instead, you have to wok hard to achieve your goals and gain the future that you have always hoped for. This definitely applies to launch and I hope this chapter helps all thesis students, myself included, understand the reality of developing a new creative idea for “what’s better than launch.”
Creavtivity Inc. (ch. 8 & 9)
Chapter eight begins with a scenario that reminded me of the day that Mr. Engholm first brought up the idea of “what’s better than launch?” I remember the moment he said that feeling shocked, upset, and defensive. I loved launch and I wanted to have the opportunity to go through launch as a senior a present all my research to the entire upper school community. I had been looking forward to launch ever since I applied to the thesis program. Catmull discusses how he handled Pixar being sold to Disney in 2006. He discusses how he introduced the idea and promised nothing would change; yet he found himself constantly getting complaints from employees noticing changes. Due to this scenario he found himself constantly repeating himself: “ In the end, I had to give the ‘Of course we will continue to change,’ speech three times before it sunk in” (Catmull 148). This demonstrates how it takes a lot of effort and explaining for people to accept change, and I believe this is currently happening with the idea of what’s better than launch. Thesis students are slowly opening up to the idea of changing launch, or maybe even making something better than launch. Catmull gives the reader more advice about chance that spoke to me pertaining to both launch and my life in general: “It’s folly to think you can avoid change, no matter how much you might want to” (Catmull 146). This quote made me think of college, and the inevitable decision I have to make about where I want to go. I can’t avoid the change that comes with college. Rather than pretending it isn’t imminent, I need to face the challenge head on and make decisions. Chapter nine contained a harsh truth that stood out to me: “We were going to screw up, it was inevitable. And we didn’t know when or how” (Catmull 168). Tying back to the previous chapter about failure, Catmull reminds us that failure is inevitable and we can’t avoid it. Though this truth may be negative, it actually makes failure less scary as it teaches us that it is simply a part of life.
Creativity Inc. (ch. 6 & 7)
Chapter 6 of Creativity Inc. sparked my interest much more than chapter 7. I felt like this chapter contained such an abundance of advice that applied to my current life. Catmull explains that, “Mistakes aren’t necessarily evil. They aren’t evil at all. They are an inevitable consequence of doing something new (and, as such, should be seen as valuable; without them, we’d have no originality)” (Catmull 108). This quote particularly spoke to me. Currently in my life I feel as though I’ve been encountering failure after failure and after a while such failures have caused me to lose some hope and meaning in my current actions and future dreams. However, Catmull reminds me here that it is okay to fail and make mistakes because they are the product of encountering new things and learning. I think that keeping this in mind will hopefully help raise my spirits as I continue to make mistakes and fail in the future; I can’t let myself get discouraged and all my hard work have been for nothing. Additionally, he writes, “The over planners just take longer to be wrong (and, when things inevitably go awry, are more crushed by the feeling that they have failed)”(Catmull 114). This quote definitely stood out to me as I am most definitely an over thinker, as exemplified by my struggle to choose and thesis topic and my inability to work out my schedule for senior year (unfortunately this struggle is still continuing. Do I take Latin or yearbook? I have to decide tomorrow morning and still have no idea what I’m going to decide and its Sunday at 7:00pm the night before!) I think the Catmull’s advice is absolutely true. Whether I decided my schedule last year or tomorrow morning, I have the same chance of making the wrong decision. Pushing off the decision does nothing but cause more anxiety for me.
Creativity Inc. #4 (ch. 5)
As Creativity Inc. continued, it began to talk more and more about the actual beginning of Pixar, ranging from deals of it being sold to the very creation of its name. Additionally, I found Catmull talking a lot about his struggle to be a good manager, and the immense pressure he felt to manage the entire team at Pixar. He opens chapter 2 with a question to set the stage for a major topic that is about to be discussed: ”What does it mean to manage well?” (Catmull 21). He also gives direct snippet’s of advice through the chapters, such as “When faced with a challenge, get smarter” (Catmull 23). I think that this quote defiantly demonstrates the continued theme that if you work hard enough and persist in your efforts, any dream is possible and obtainable. I learned so much history about Pixar and the movie industry I had no idea about! I had no idea that Pixar worked with Lucasfilms and that Steve Jobs bought the company. I always knew they were affiliated with Disney but had no idea how that partnership worked or how it had began. I was so interested when learning all this new info about Pixar. In chapter 3, Catmull gives some very useful advice: “Being on lookout for problems, I realized, was not the same as seeing problems. This would be the idea- the challenge- around which I would build my new sense of purpose” (Catmull 63). I think beginning able to recognize and acknowledge problems with ones own work is a very difficult skill that more people need to focus on.
Creativty Inc. #3 (ch. 4)
Chapter four of Creativity Inc. was definitely enlightening to me. Content wise, I was shocked at the level of through that Pixar put and continues to put into their story lines. Personally, I never thought of the significance of a small side character in one of their movies but now realize that the small character can be some of the most significant, such as the wheezy penguin who introduces the theme of toy story 2. I think Catmull demonstrates the importance of individuals to focus on the details of their creative work and not get carried away with simply finishing the project, but rather making sure every aspect of it has received total focus. Also, I found that Catmull gave very helpful advice when he spoke of creating balance in one’s workplace, explaining that the leaders of a work environment need to create a place where it is easier for its members to achieve balance. I think many teachers and managers today forget to create such a space for those they govern. Additionally, Catmull gave a reality check for my own life when he told the story about the employee that was so overworked he accidentally left his child in the back of a hot car for a large portion of the day. Catmull reminds us here that you can’t overwork yourself or your employees/students regardless of how important the project is; you can’t risk the literal health of individuals to achieve a material goal. He writes, “Asking this much of our people, even when they wanted to give it, was not acceptable” (Catmull 72). This reminded me that I need to make sure I don’t overwork myself with my school work. It is okay not to get an A on every test; it isn’t worth making myself miserable to get a grade. I need to do my best and continue being eager to learn.
Creativy Inc. #2 (ch. 2 – ch.3)
As Creativity Inc. continued, it began to talk more and more about the actual beginning of Pixar, ranging from deals of it being sold to the very creation of its name. Additionally, I found Catmull talking a lot about his struggle to be a good manager, and the immense pressure he felt to manage the entire team at Pixar. He opens chapter 2 with a question to set the stage for a major topic that is about to be discussed: ”What does it mean to manage well?” (Catmull 21). He also gives direct snippet’s of advice through the chapters, such as “When faced with a challenge, get smarter” (Catmull 23). I think that this quote defiantly demonstrates the continued theme that if you work hard enough and persist in your efforts, any dream is possible and obtainable. I learned so much history about Pixar and the movie industry I had no idea about! I had no idea that Pixar worked with Lucasfilms and that Steve Jobs bought the company. I always knew they were affiliated with Disney but had no idea how that partnership worked or how it had began. I was so interested when learning all this new info about Pixar. In chapter 3, Catmull gives some very useful advice: “Being on lookout for problems, I realized, was not the same as seeing problems. This would be the idea- the challenge- around which I would build my new sense of purpose” (Catmull 63). I think the begin able to recognize and acknowledge problems with ones own work is a very difficult skill that more people need to focus on.
Creativity Inc. #1 (intro- ch. 1)
Creativity Inc. is an incredibly interesting book that I unexpectedly have taken a liking for. Essentially, after read the beginning of this book, I felt inspired and a feeling of motivation. Ed Catmull made me feel like I was capable of accomplishing any goal or dream I had, regardless of how crazy the dream might appear right now. Many aspects of the introduction and first chapter of this book stood out to me. For example, Catmull explicitly states the thesis of the book when he writes, “The thesis of this book is that there are many blocks to creativity, but there are active steps w can take to protect the creative process” (Catmull xv). I was quite surprised to see him state the thesis of the book so explicitly, but after reflecting on this decision of Catmull’s I think I might know why he included his thesis in this way. The goal of this book is to help other with their creative processes and analytical thinking abilities; it is more educational based. Thus, I belief stating the thesis in the introduction will help make the rest of the book containing the significant information easier to understand and remember, causing the book to be more helpful as a guide to others. Also, I found it interesting when he juxtaposes Walt Disney and Einstein, explaining how Disney was creating new things while Einstein explained things that already existed. I had never thought of those two individuals in that way. In addition, I was quite surprised when Catmull explaining how he switched from an art major to a physics major. I think that the analytical thinking about how things function and move that is found in physics definitely helped Catmull later on when created computer animated films. I think a major theme in the book thus far is persistence and not giving up. Catmull explains how his first animated film was only 4 minutes long but took more than sixty thousand hours to complete. This shocked me! Catmull was so persistent and diligent in his work; he refused to give up! I believe these qualities allowed him to end up with such an immense amount of success in his endeavors at Pixar.
Erin Alpandinar: Honors Seminar 2016-2017 