zenhabits: Sometimes immersing yourself in the creative world of people doing amazing things can bring unexpected results.
My son Justin is interested in 3D animation, and my daughter Chloe is into screenwriting, and so it was a thrill to take them on a tour of Pixar Animation Studios, courtesy of one of the Pixar animators.
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This article provides great, inspiring lessons for not only artists, but for people going into pretty much any profession. First of all, it is extremely commendable that the Pixar Animator took precious time out of his day to give a tour to a teenage boy and his father. It sounds like the tour gave the boy and his father a lot more than just physical insight to what the Pixar headquarters look like. This article makes me want to go on a tour of Pixar myself! Second, the point that stuck out to me the most out of all the lessons was "Lots of hard work, tiny but amazing results." I never really thought about all of the time and effort that goes into pieces of a film that ultimately is never seen by anyone, ever. The amount of work that the people at Pixar put into each of their films results in final products. However, most of the work they have done doesn't end up making it into the film in the end. While in general the process and Pixar sounds inspiring and rewarding, I can't imagine having the majority of my work thrown out the window at the end of the day. In theatre, we usually do not create something unless we have tested it and are reasonably sure that it will be absolutely essential to the production. However, in film, it sounds as if they over-create and pick out the best pieces of the work that has been done. In some ways, I wonder if the process that Pixar uses would be useful in a theatre setting.
I especially love the first point, tenacity matters. People often say that you can't learn to be creative or artistic, but I don't think that's true at all. Being creative is a skill, just like anything else, that you have practice and wrap your mind around. Although some may be more naturally artistic, that does not stop another person from learning how to solve problems, create art, or visualize situations in an unique, creative way. Any person who is willing to work and practice can become an artist.
Pixar animators have got it right. These 8 lessons make a lot of sense, and certainly resound true in the context of any collaborative project. I too really identify with the first lesson, that one must be tenacious to get good at something. I certainly have felt frustrated at not being proficient in certain skills, but its comforting to know that most anyone can get there with lots of practice! That being said, I hope I can take all of these lessons to heart in my future group projects.
This is all really great advice for anyone going into any sort of artistic career whether it is individual or takes group effort. The point about Tenacity is definitely my favorite. People say some people were just born artsy or they are just talented and good at art. And yes, that is true for some people. But not for everyone. There are people who would go and draw the same thing every single day because, you know what? Practice makes perfect and that is the truth. It actually annoys me a lot when people complain about drawing and how they can't draw and so they hate it. I've loved to draw for as long as I remember but I can tell you that I wasn't very good at it when I started out but I kept drawing. I actually became pretty decent at drawing people because I have been practicing drawing them since I was 4 (at least that's as far back as I remember...). Getting good at something can take time. It might only be a week, or maybe it's 20 years! Either way it takes time, but eventually it will all be worth it!
I honestly think tenacity trumps everything. Tenacity shows the real character of a person. If you dedicate your time to something, you will most likely have a positive outcome, and if you don't the first time, use it as a learning experience for next time!
As a Disney kid I find this to be one of the most touching articles that I have read on this blog. Every since I was really little Pixar characters have inspired me (when I need inspiration for a Susan project I went straight to Toy Story). There is something about the way that Pixar is sable to tell the story using the animation to believe that they are real, and experience the same problems that I do. However, what I really appreciate looking back on my time watching these movies (and I still frequently watch them) is that the lovable characters always conclude the film with an inspiring message or moral, so that you can't help but love them more. Also, Pixar characters are some of the most popular halloween costumes.
I find it interesting that number 5 contradicts one of the ideas in the Crazy Scheme. The ideas that Pixar tries to get everyone on the team to take some ownership on the project and knowing how it goes into the greater product so they have some more investment in getting the best overall product. We need to be making sure that the folk that we have are not looking at the small pieces that we are drafting as a tiny piece, but as how the small piece interacts with the whole without people getting overly invested in their ownership of the piece. There is a balance between people knowing all the information about the piece they are producing and people knowing nothing about how their piece works with all around it. I also love the idea of surrounding yourself with heroes. Being able to go to work every day and be amazed by your colleagues work and creativity would be a great feeling.
Possibly the most valuable lesson in this article has got to be the one about abandoning your ego when entering a collaborative process. I really appreciated the clarity of the metaphor of the pile of drawings. No single idea is valued over the others. It seems that in any collaborative process, getting everyone at the table to think big picture and focus on the success of the project, rather than the success of the element to which they are most closely connected, is a necessary first step. Often times it can be enough to just begin a meeting with some kind of reminder, in order to keep the people at the table honest.
I found number one interesting because drawing is one of the things here at CMU that I am most self-conscious about. I have told myself for a while that I should try sketching something once a day but I have never actually started but this statement encourages me to. I enjoyed the author's discussion of creative collaboration. I think it's really cool how fluid their brainstorming process is. Letting go of ego is something I believe many young designers and artists are guilty of. The topic of lots of work for a little product I always find difficult. It can be frustrating to work to an in-depth level on a piece of a design or a whole concept and then have it not work but it is important to understand that this is necessary to dig deeper.
I really like that this article made it on to the green page. I often feel that we theatre folks can be a little isolationist and don't want to learn (or change) from other creative groups. The tips for creativity that the author talks about are nothing world changing for me, but I really did enjoy the way he seemed to really care about what he was saying. This man really deeply feels like Pixar is doing a great thing and that the creative lessons he learned from taking a tour their were the best. It's great that people who are so busy at Pixar as still allowed to take the time to show random teenagers around the campus. It sounds like Pixar has a really great work environment. Overall this reading this article made me feel inspired to do something creative and warm inside because people can be so nice to each other.
This article was really up-lifting. I think every artist needs to hear "artist success stories" once in a while to keep them going. It is so easy to get lost in the crazy world of theater and art; to get discouraged by the endless rejection and hardship, that we need articles like this to raise our spirits. I think everyone at CMU, especially at the School of Drama, has big dreams of where they want to end up and where they want to work. Personally, one day I would love to work for Disney, so this article was helpful in giving pointers on how to reach the top. If anything, this article is really about persistence, and not loosing sight of what we really want.
This is such and inspiring and useful article. All of the lessons make so much sense and I hope I can integrate them into my life. The one that speaks to me the most, as it seems to be for most people, is the the first tip about tenacity. I think it says a lot about a person when they show initiative and go above and beyond the call on a project or just working in general. Showing that you are committed and willing to put blood, sweat, and tears into a project really says a lot about who you are and can give you a real edge in the workplace. It gives the higher ups a good reason to notice you and maybe realize that you are worth extra training or being put on projects you otherwise wouldn't get. Overall I think this is an amazing article that everyone should read and learn from.
This article is an amazingly inspiring article to have read. I have always loved the creations of PIXAR and knowing that these 8 tips came from them makes them even more meaningful. The first lessons are the ones that I am drawn to the most. "Tenacity Counts" and "Art is your particular telling of reality" are the two strongest aspects of this article in my opinion. Even though all the points are extremely valid, I believe that telling someone that tenacity matters in this field is a way of inspiring them to keep going and to figure out a way to scale walls to get to their goal. I am going to save this article and keep looking back at it in the future to see if I am following their model or not.
This article points out great information and tip for future artists. I think this article greatly emphasizes on respecting others and being creative and hardworking. I always consider Pixar's animation to be amazing and groundbreaking and I was amazed by how much each designer in the company keeps in mind those ideas. While reading the article, I really liked the phrase, 'you have to draw 100,000 bad drawings before you have a good drawing.' It is true and I myself look back to me since I try to be perfect at the first try without realizing it is not the right way. In the article, I particularly agree on building the creativity of everyone else because in theatrical world, I learned how much each other's opinions are valued and helpful. Also, just like eight lesson, I have learned and inspired by many people's help when I first started as this major. I think regardless of whether it is computer animation or not, these ideas are great and should be taught to many people.
I think that Pixar is a fantastic company and any movie they make is magical because of their ability to create a world. I would listen to any advice members of the Pixar community gives, and this list is just proof of how successful they are at it. We spend a great deal of time actually building skills off this list, for example. The first on the list reminds me that I am at school to learn and practice and I will make many mistakes before I can get something small right. Dick Block, Joe Pino, and Tina Shackleford bring the second point up over and over again. That we always have a bias to a story but there is nothing wrong with that it makes it interesting it makes it different. We have also covered brainstorming in Olivier’s Nose and talked about how we build off each other and create better ideas. This also included understanding that the choices by the group are being made for the group defending ideas is ok, but with each passing minute we should question is arguing over that idea worth it. Those are just half of the ideas presented by the Pixar staff and already we have covered those in our Olivier’s Nose class. We are in the same business as Pixar and they are one of the best in the business so following these idea’s seems self explanatory.
I feel like I've heard a lot of this advice before. Then again, if I've heard it so many times then it must have a foundation. The comment that always strikes me as the most important is the one about putting your ego aside. Some of the best collaborative projects I've ever worked on were ones where no one though they were better and people evaluated ideas rather than fighting for their own. I think that's a principle that more people need to adopt. It makes the difference between an amazing play and a confusing mess.
I also liked the point about drawing every day and coming out as a better artist then you started. I hate when people say that they can't draw, because they truth is they are just not trying hard enough. If you're not good at something but you're willing to work at it, eventually you will get better.
I’m always fascinated by these lists. Many times as human beings, we become so consumed in what we do that we neglect to reflect that it has been done before, and more than likely will be done again. Our own work need not be a singular endeavor, but instead we can contribute to the greater story of what we happen to be doing. Many of these truths ring true, but one particularly stuck out to me; surrounding yourself with heroes. This works on two levels, first, the heroes you look up to, and secondly, the heroes by your side. The heroes that you look up to command your respect and daily push and challenge you to realize your full potential. The heroes by your side know and share your passion and your struggle. You cultivate a discipline within each other and out of not wanting to be the weakest link, bring out the best in each other. I find that I have both at Carnegie Mellon, and the atmosphere of creativity is contagious. It makes me proud to be a student of the School of Drama.
This is a really nice article. All the points they make are 100% true. I'm glad that Pixar thinks anyone can pickup a particular skill if they do it enough because there's tons of people who think they can't do something and give up. It's nice that Pixar believes if you work hard enough on something you can achieve success. I will just have to keep reminding myself this concept in drawing class! I also find it interesting that Pixar has set some guidelines for creativity opposed to the idea that creativity should have no guidelines at all. I think Pixar makes a valid argument for the idea that the best creativity evolves from some sense of constrictions or guidelines. As the article points out if you are collaborating with others, then its imperative you learn to accept their ideas because they may have the best one or spark a new idea for you.
120This is such a fantastic list! I feel like articles are getting better and better this year. Last year so many of these were worthy of a few eye rolls but those are coming by in far fewer numbers. This article in particular though is just exceptional. The list has just the right amount of different concepts, and each one really is important. I actually feel like the majority of these points are a fairly big part of what we are taught here in the School of Drama. Aside from the points about tenacity and heroes, I feel like we are taught to think this way especially during Olivier's Nose. I do think that what the author said about tenacity has merit though. That whole idea of "if at first you don't succeed, try and try again" is important to remember especially in a field like ours where so much of the time we fail on the first try. Although we are not actively taught to surround ourselves with heroes, I think a lot of us certainly have ours, both within and outside of our school.
I love Pixar and everything that they create, so when I saw the title of the article I was really excited to read it. I think that it was really cool of them to give that tour, I really like the list of rules. A lot of the rules I've heard before from other places, but my two favorite were the tenacity and the ego. I'm a big fan of Chuck Jones, so reading about him and what he says about drawing things 100,000 times was interesting. It's definitely true though, that if you do things over and over, and that if you try at them, you will get better. The big issue is the trying every time and not looking at things as a repetitive task. The other rule I really liked was about the egos. It really is important to realize that you're idea may not be the best and that everyone else in the room is incredibly talented and can bring something new to the table.
I love the fact that this is an article about creativity as seen from someone who doesn't claim to be an artist and doesn't claim to know all. It's great to see just how one person has been able to open his eyes and see things differently. The creative world isn't all about art itself. It's about figuring things out and what works for you and the group and the world around you. I find this to be inspiring and knowing there are people out there willing to help people out and by giving them the time of day is really amazing. I hope to one day be able to like Bernhard for someone someday.
I really loved these tips (I even bookmarked it in my internet browser). They were super useful and helpful to visualize what you can do in the long run. My three favorites were: tenacity matters, feed off others' ideas, and help those just starting out. These were the most important to me because they spoke to a level that I already understood but have not quite mastered at my age and with my experience. I see great value in all of these points and think I will refer back to them in the future for inspiration and motivation.
"Art is your particular telling of reality." I really liked this section of the piece. We all go out everyday and see many of the same things, but process them differently. One of the best things about theater or any art for that matter is that every artist can have the same subject and you might completely understand one artist piece, but be completely confused by the others. It all depends on where their coming from and what that makes them personally see. I think the best artist are the ones who have such a personal perspective that that they can humanize all of their pieces.
So inspirational. I think the life lessons that Babauta quotes Bernhard in stating are very true to everybody in every field. As Donne says "No man is an island, entire of himself." This is the same in our day to day work, we need more than ourselves to do the best work we can do.
This is just what I needed to read! Ive always had a problem with coming up with something completely original. Reading this just put a smile on my face. Everything it lists is something i've thought of at least once. The putting in lots of hard work for tiny amazing results is something that really stuck with me. It seems like when I look at my over all college career that i've been putting in lots of hard work and for what? For learning? Well yeah! exactly its hit me recently that i actually am getting a lot out of all of the work and time that i put in here.
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