Business Management Creativity

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (Summary)

by Ed Catmull

In 1998, with the release of Toy Story 2 just a year away, a Pixar animator accidentally ran a command that began rapidly deleting the entire film from the company's servers. Ninety percent of the movie vanished in seconds. The backups? They hadn't worked for a month. The studio was saved from a $100 million disaster only because the film's technical director, who had just had a baby, happened to have a working copy on her personal computer at home.

The Braintrust Is for Candor, Not Authority

True creative feedback comes from a group of smart, trusted peers who offer candid notes without the power to enforce them. The project's director is still in charge, which creates a safe space for honest, non-prescriptive problem-solving.

During the making of Toy Story, the Braintrust's feedback was that Woody was coming across as a sarcastic jerk. The director, John Lasseter, initially resisted, but because the Braintrust had no formal authority, he was free to internalize the feedback without feeling defensive and ultimately chose to rewrite the character, saving the entire film.

Protect the 'Ugly Babies' at All Costs

Early ideas are always incomplete and flawed. A creative culture's job is to nurture these fragile 'ugly babies' rather than judging them prematurely, because they have the potential to grow into something beautiful.

The original concept for the movie Up was about two warring brothers living in a magical floating city fighting over a giant egg. It was a bizarre, flawed idea. Instead of killing it, the team protected the core emotional element—a floating house—and through years of iteration, it evolved into the beloved film about Carl and Russell.

Address the Problems You Can't See

Managing a creative organization is like driving through a dark tunnel; there are always hidden problems and unseen forces at play. A leader's job is to constantly seek them out and bring them into the light.

For years, the notes meetings for films were held at a large, imposing conference table. Catmull noticed this setup created a hierarchy and stifled open conversation. By simply switching to a smaller, square table with no 'head,' he changed the dynamic, encouraging more people to speak up and contribute freely.

If You Aren't Failing, You Aren't Innovating

Catmull argues that failure shouldn't be seen as a necessary evil, but as a necessary consequence of trying to do something new. The goal is not to avoid failure, but to build a culture that can recover from it quickly.

After Disney acquired Pixar, Catmull was tasked with helping turn around Walt Disney Animation. He discovered that their development process was designed to prevent errors, which also prevented risk-taking. By implementing Pixar's philosophy—giving filmmakers more control and allowing them to fail and iterate—Disney Animation produced massive hits like Tangled and Frozen.

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