I have been listening to a book on my walks called Creativity, Inc. Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, by Amy Wallace and Edwin Catmull. This book is about the birth of Pixar Studios and the unified culture they built.
I’m going to take a story from the book that hit home for me. Did you know Monsters, Inc. started out something like an accountant as the main character who had a box of fears he needed to deal with, which morphed into what we saw in theatres as a non-verbal toddler and a monster in the closet? I never dreamt it started from an idea like that, and I think we can all agree this movie was a masterpiece.
The author describes how many drafts of a movie are made before the final production. He believes without failure there is no creativity. The author further explains, along the way the drafts are reviewed by outside key team members “brain trust”, who offer opinions on what they like, how they think the movie is flowing, and what sticking points they see. This team has no authority on “how” the problems are fixed, that is all on the director and his creativity; it is just something they noted in a constructive way from an outside viewpoint.
Why am I telling you all this? Because what I took away from this very small sampling in this book I applied to an individual instead of a company:
- Our lives are a series of drafts, that are ever changing and morphing. By the time we leave this world, we will have created a beautiful story! It will be a masterpiece people talk about for years to come.
- We should all be lucky enough to have a team who offers some candor into our achievements AND what areas aren’t flowing, where those sticking points are; however, the ownership is on us, as the director, to make the changes.
- Don’t let the fear of living the perfect life hold you back, with failure comes growth and creativity.
So my parting thoughts are excitement builds from the drafts we create along the way and I want us to start creating a life we’ll be proud to show the whole world!