by Jenna | Sep 5, 2009 | Writing Articles
From an article about Fostering Innovation using Brad Bird's lesson from Pixar.
(Note, these are renumbered from the original article because there were actually 10, not 9, as indicated in the text)
- Herd Your Black Sheep: “Give us the black sheep. I want artists who are frustrated. I want the ones who have another way of doing things that nobody’s listening to. Give us all the guys who are probably headed out the door.”
- Perfect is the Enemy of Innovation: "...there are some [scenes] that only need to be good enough to not break the spell."
- Look for Intensity: "Involved people make for better innovation"
- Innovation Doesn’t happen in a Vacuum: "...if we can interconnect all our strengths, we are collectively the greatest animator on earth."
- High Morale Makes Creativity Cheap: "...the thing that has the most significant impact on a movie’s budget—but never shows up in a budget—is morale."
- Don't Try To “Protect your success:” "The first step in achieving the impossible is believing that the impossible can be achieved..."
- Steve Jobs Says ‘Interaction = Innovation:’ "People are allowed to create whatever front to their office they want.... if you have a loose, free kind of atmosphere, it helps creativity."
- Encourage Inter-disciplinary Learning: "...encourages people to learn outside of their areas, which makes them more complete [and more creative]."
- Get Rid of Weak Links: "Passive-aggressive people—people who don’t show their colors in the group but then get behind the scenes and peck away—are poisonous."
- Making $$ Can’t Be Your Focus: "Walt Disney’s mantra was, 'I don’t make movies to make money—I make money to make movies.'”
What I love about these thoughts is the outside-the-box thinking that focuses on creativity, results, risk, and morale, simultaneously. As someone who is accustomed to coaching clients who "don't fit in," I love seeing such powerful results coming from NOT fitting in and not valuing fitting in. It's so refreshing.
It's my sense that we all have a lot to learn from these creative visionary types who see things differently, are willing to say so, and are willing to match their money and their efforts with their beliefs.
by Jenna | Jul 19, 2005 | Writing Articles
One of my all-time favorite movies is “Joe Versus the Volcano” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
The horror of the opening sequence when Joe goes to work in the morning makes me cringe in delighted horror.
If you haven’t seen it, a very washed-out, sickly-looking Joe approaches a dark factory, marching along in a line of stumbling, automatons in dark business suits, trampling the lone, brave, bright yellow flower audacious enough to eke out an existence between the cracks of the dismal concrete pathway.
Once inside, Joe sits in an office without windows, tortured by the incessant flickering of fluorescent light bulbs going bad, listening to his co-worker’s constant sniffling and his boss’s endlessly repetitive telephone conversations. And all this not to mention the fact that Joe has a pointless, bureaucratic job devoid of meaning. It’s enough to make a sensitive soul tremble in terror.
And when I compare this movie to the typical, modern-day work experience, it doesn’t seem so far off despite its exaggerations, especially for a sensitive soul. Anonymous cubicles, fluorescent lights, limited privacy, meaningless work. It’s no wonder we have such trouble finding satisfaction!
But that’s not really why I love the movie.
What I see embodied within the film is the hero’s journey – a return to true self. Joe goes from being a hypochondriac to a vibrant, life-filled being because he is finally willing to say “No” to what no longer serves him.
He finds joy in life by engaging life – and by living with courage and curiosity. He is given the gift of a giant wake-up call (albeit a false one) that finally gets his attention. His misguided belief that he is going to die inspires him to consider a new way. He starts to speak his truth — he tells people what he really thinks — and he doesn’t hold back or play it safe. He quits his soul-sucking job and finally starts to LIVE.
Like Joe, salvation is possible for us when we take the time to discover our true selves, learn to see the joy in life again, and let go of what is dragging us down. So what are you holding back from? How are you playing it safe? What are you ready to let go of? How are you longing to be free?
Remember, it’s never too late to start now.
